Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure is one of those GBA gems that actually makes you feel like you're playing through the early days of the anime. You start off as kid Goku, running around smacking bandits with your power pole before the fights get serious—like, "giant monkey transformation" serious.

The combat's simple but satisfying—you've got basic combos, ki blasts, and those screen-clearing special moves that never get old. Between beat-em-up sections, there are these weirdly fun platforming bits where you're jumping between trees or dodging traps. And yeah, the boss fights? Red Ribbon Army goons feel like pushovers until you hit someone like Tao Pai Pai and suddenly you're sweating.

What surprised me was how much stuff they packed in—tournament arcs, vehicle stages, even a goofy fishing minigame. It’s got that classic Dragon Ball vibe where one minute you’re fighting a dinosaur and the next you’re eating a suspiciously large bento box. If you ever wanted to punch General Blue in the face repeatedly, this is your chance.

Just don’t expect deep RPG mechanics—it’s pure, dumb fun with enough fanservice to make the anime’s opening theme play in your head automatically.