Play Lost Vikings, The GBA Online

Blizzard Entertainment and Silicon & Synapse brought The Lost Vikings to the Game Boy Advance in 2003, a time when handhelds were packed with inventive platformers and puzzle games. It was a port of a much older SNES title, but it fit right in on the GBA, offering a kind of thoughtful, cooperative action that felt distinct from the Mario and Sonic games dominating the scene.

You control three captured Vikings, Erik, Baleog, and Olaf, guiding them together through each hazardous stage. The main goal is simply to get all three to the exit door alive. Erik can run fast and jump high; Baleog attacks enemies with his sword and bow; Olaf uses his shield to block attacks and serve as a platform. The game is a methodical puzzle-platformer where you switch between the Vikings on the fly, using their combined abilities to bypass environmental traps, defeat foes, and collect key items. The pacing is deliberate, and the difficulty is substantial, demanding careful planning and timing. It feels immensely satisfying when a complicated plan comes together and all three Vikings make it through.