Since we’ve been on a bit of a nostalgia trip as of late, we thought, why not give Nintendo GameCube adventure games a whirl? Writing up these gaming lists with all gaming systems is a dream come true. That’s when we decided, what-the-hey, we’re doing it for every console under the sun, might as well throw in the GameCube. And now, here we are. Cool story, eh?
Anyway, now we’re gonna boil down the selection of Nintendo GameCube titles to adventure games. Why? Well, we love’em; that’s reason enough. But, to be fair, almost everyone who was a proud GameCube owner loves them as well. That’s the main reason, and since they’re super popular, we’re giving the people what they want. The list ain’t too big; a respectable 7 spots to fill. Let’s go!
Which Nintendo GameCube Adventure Games Still Hold Up?
Alrighty, so before we begin listing those dope and awesometacular Nintendo GameCube adventure games, we’re gonna tell you a couple of things. Don’t worry; it’s nothing too complex, just a little bit of context for our selection process. Here’s what you need to know:
- The games we’re picking are super popular within the Nintendo fandom, so there’s a good chance your favorites will make it.
- Secondly, we’re gonna list the games based on our personal enjoyment. Long story short, we don’t wanna hear any lip about how this game sold better or that one got a better critical reception, capeesh? Good!
- And finally! We’re only gonna take one game from a Nintendo franchise. Otherwise, the list’s gonna be flooded with Legend Of Zelda, Mario, and Pokemon, nothing else. That’ll be mighty unfair to other excellent and relatively underrated franchises, and we can’t have that.
Okay, that’s about it; we’re good now, so let’s get this party started! Here we go!
7. Geist
We’re kicking off the list of epic Nintendo GameCube adventure games with a game that revolves around ghosts and possessions. No, not Casper, and no, not Ghostbusters, either. The game is called Geist, and it’s aptly named, if you ask us. The possession part’s no joke; you can take over anyone or anything. If you think about it, the possession is a nifty mechanic you don’t see in many games, even today.
In Geist, players control a scientist with this ability. However, he only gets it after his soul ejects from his body forcefully, which is somehow different than killing the guy. Don’t use logic too much, or your head will hurt; just go with the flow. Geist has so many brilliant and innovative ideas at its core design; unfortunately, some work out better than others. For instance, you possess people, animals, and inanimate objects and can control them to a degree, but the band camera angles shift sucks.
You gotta be careful about who you possess, as the host’s personality will hamper or hinder your progress based on their fears and likes. You use levitation and possession mechanics to fight hostiles and solve puzzles to progress. Geist is such a unique game that it’s hard to find a comparison for it. The closest thing we can think of is our collection of favorite mystery games. What Geist has in common with all of them is that you won’t get the complete picture until you beat the game.
6. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem
Moving along, the next stop on our list of spectacular Nintendo GameCube adventure games is Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem. This game’s gonna do a bang-up job of messing with your head and scaring the pants off ya. Why? Well, for one thing, it’s M-rated and lives up to it. There’s also the disturbing imagery and chilling ambiance, just like in our favorite cinematic horror games.
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem’s plot spans millennia, covering multiple perspectives. There are several playable characters in various eras, which the players control in every chapter. Then, in the present, the main protagonist, Alexandra, uncovers the sinister plot involving evil spirits that plan on materializing in the human plane. The game’s full-on cosmic horror, and we love every second of it. Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem requires dedication to play.
We’re not kidding here because Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem relies heavily on you learning its intricate magic system. You’re gonna need to if you wanna survive the horrific monstrosities the game throws at you. Plus, the game’s visuals distort in eerie ways, often taking players by surprise. The more sanity a character loses, the wonkier and creepier the world around you becomes. It contorts and defies logic and reasoning. Trust us, you’re gonna want to play this game.
5. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
Okay! The next pick for the most dope Nintendo GameCube adventure games is an exclusive that we wished wasn’t. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is the upscaled and much better-animated version of the brilliant first entry of the Metal Gear Solid series. In Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, fan-favorite protagonist Solid Snake infiltrates the Outer Heaven base. His goal is to rescue a couple of hostages and sabotage the terrorist’s facilities.
Of course, things go sideways, and Solid Snake has to deftly take out enemy soldiers and confront their leaders to escape successfully. What you’re getting is a cinematic spectacle showdown that’s got no rival. The over-the-top cheesiness or extraness of quirkiness of the said enemy bosses is an absolute highlight. Grey Fox and Revolver Ocelot come to mind, and both boss fights require you to think outside the box.
Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes also have the controls in a much more player-friendly configuration, which greatly helps. The reliance on tactics and patience is something you’re gonna want to learn when playing Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes. It has a grandiose vibe that helps scratch the adventure itch, but it’s also a genre-defining title for the best stealth games ever. So, go play Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes if you’ve got a GameCube.
4. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat
Ah, now we’re getting to the upper echelons of Nintendo GameCube adventure games with Donkey Kong Jungle Beat. This game rocks, big time! You control the titular main character, Donkey Kong, as he navigates the diverse terrains of multiple kingdoms. The goal being? Why, to beat all other monkey bosses and be the king, of course, for there can be only one! Seriously, the soundtrack and colorful aesthetic of Donkey Kong Jungle Beat are gonna put a smile on your face.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat was a gimmick-centric game, encouraging using a specific controller with bongos to direct the character’s movement. Though, it wasn’t an absolute requirement, so you could use the traditional GameCube controller to play the game. Anyway, the bulk of the gameplay revolves around side-scrolling, so it’s similar to platforming games where you navigate obstacles while evading enemies. You gotta collect bananas since the game’s a score-attack type.
Donkey Kong Jungle Beat’s other facet is our personal favorite part of the whole game: the boss fights. You get into a melee scuffle, relying on button mashing and combo-chaining. You smash and deliver a beatdown on Donkey Kong’s rivals. There are also several side objectives, like destroying elephants, birds, and pigs that are hostile to Donkey Kong, and for those segments, you gotta have good aim. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat will have you throwing projectiles at them.
3. Super Mario Sunshine
Next up, we’re going with a classic franchise that’s been day 1 of Nintendo’s identity; yep, it’s Mario. Specifically, we’re talking about one of the most fun Nintendo GameCube adventure games ever, Super Mario Sunshine. Mario’s 3D transition has been nothing short of stellar. Though we kind of feel for poor Mario, he cannot catch a break, even on his vacation. That’s kind of the game’s plot: Mario gets framed for spreading gunk, and now he’s gotta clean it up and his name.
As per usual, no Mario game’s story is complete without rescuing Princess Peach; honestly, Mario needs to cut his losses. Anyway, In Super Mario Sunshine, Mario’s equipped with a backpack with nozzles, FLUDD, that can house water and utilize it in different spreads. He can also use it as a means of traversal, like using the water pressure to hover and levitate to get across gaps. He also has access to more upgrades for the backpack and can call upon Yoshi in certain levels.
Super Mario Sunshine offers lots of different worlds for players to explore and clean up. The backpack serves a multi-purpose function of granting combat abilities in addition to traversal. It runs on water, though, so you gotta keep an eye on the levels and fill up the backpack every chance by going near water bodies. Honestly, Super Mario Sunshine is a breath of fresh air. It holds up incredibly well; we count it among the best Nintendo GameCube games of all time.
2. The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker
For our runner-up pick, we’ve got The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker; it’s a personal favorite of ours. The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker is a Nintendo GameCube title that exemplifies the apex of the adventure games genre. The cell-shading colors might not be some fan’s cup of tea, but for us, it makes the game even more distinct. As for the storyline, The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker blew our minds back in the day, and upon replaying it, we still got chills.
To see Hyrule’s fate in the absence of Link but the return of Ganondorf was truly a surprising development. The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker shows Link as a mystical figure of legend, and his latest reincarnation strives to live up to the mantle. Gameplaywise, The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker takes a brilliant approach to traversing the open world via a boat. Link can play melodies using the titular Wind Waker to manipulate the wind direction to sail.
The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker also has the standard excellence of all other games in the franchise. You collect the Tri-Force fragments, find the Master Sword, complete side-quests, and solve challenging puzzles. The dungeons are littered with lethal traps and strong enemies, including bosses. Sometimes, you’ll require tools and weapons, which you get via backtracking. If you’re into action-adventure games, play The Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker; you’ll love it.
1. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Hey, look at that, finally, a Metroid game at the top of a Nintendo game’s list? Looks like miracles can happen, in this day and age, after all. All kidding aside, though, when it comes to adventure games on the Nintendo GameCube, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is heads and shoulders above the competition. Why are we fanboying so hard over it? Well, let’s see, a badass female protagonist, awesome FPS gun-play, and oh yes! Challenging enemies that require a strategy to beat and an open-world design.
We hope we got our point across that Metroid Prime 2: Echoes delivers on all fronts and is a cherished video game. The game also marks the menacing presence of Dark Samus, and boy, howdy, is that a frightening encounter for our beloved bounty hunter heroine. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes brings players a really immersive experience with Samus’s first-person perspective. The HUD display on her power suit’s helmet tracks all threats and points of interest.
It also helps that the suit’s display is vital to bypassing blockades. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is an amazing follow-up to the first game and builds upon it magnificently well. The plot is juicy and full of intrigue as Samus battles solo against a threat of hostile alien species. Plus, there are dimensional-hopping shenanigans, where your actions in one dimension impact and affect the other. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes is beyond dope, and we highly recommend it.
Final Thoughts on the Best Nintendo GameCube Adventure Games
Phew~ that was nerve-wracking, but we’re finally through with our list of fantastic Nintendo GameCube adventure games. What do y’all think? Can we pick’em or what? Seriously, though, give us your honest feedback; it helps us out. Plus, we get to nerd out with fellow gamers and talk gaming, which we love. While you’re at it, list your own GameCube favorites.
If you want something Nintendo-related with a more modern touch, we got you covered. Take a gander at our top Nintendo Switch VR games for a really radically unique list of gaming suggestions. Welp, that’s gonna do it for now; we’re gonna sign off for the weekend now, so take care, everyone. We’ll see y’all in the next one. Happy gaming!
