Linkboy

About

Linkboy is a single player action game. It received positive reviews from players.

A lightning-fast GBA/GBC/GB emulator with Link play and RetroAchievements

Genres & Tags

Arcade

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 195 reviews

monetization4 positive mentions

stability3 negative mentions

The emulator offers smooth performance and a clean user interface, making it user-friendly and enjoyable to use.
It supports link cable emulation, allowing for multiplayer gameplay, which is a significant feature for fans of games like Pokémon.
The addition of Retroachievements support enhances the gaming experience, providing players with more goals and challenges.

Many features, such as save states, are locked behind a premium paywall, which frustrates users who expect at least basic functionality for free.
The emulator lacks customization options and advanced features found in other emulators, making it feel somewhat barebones.
Linking only works for two players and does not support multiple connections, limiting multiplayer capabilities.

gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay of this GBA emulator is highly praised for its smooth performance, effective multiplayer linking, and overall reliability, making it a top choice among users. However, some users have reported issues with the d-pad responsiveness and screen rotation settings, which can detract from the experience. Overall, it is considered the best emulator available, with most games running flawlessly.
- “Amazing app! This is straight up the best emulator for GBA. Firstly, the linking works, meaning you can trade, co-op gameplay, and multiplayer. I have tried many GBA emulators which are okay, but this is amazing—probably the best GBA emulator!”
- “No ads, smooth gameplay, easy linkup—best emulator out there!”
- “This is the best GBA emulator in my experience. Every game runs with no errors, and the gameplay speed is just amazing.”
- “But I have a problem with the d-pad; it isn't spammable as I expected and kind of ruined my Beyblade G Revolution gameplay.”
- “Going into the options (three horizontal vertical bars) during gameplay always rotates the screen to landscape, even if you have selected portrait in the settings.”
- “I just hope the gameplay speed toggle can change from holding it down to just on/off to work.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
16%
17%
The monetization model of the app is generally well-received, with users appreciating the absence of ads in the free version and the smooth gameplay experience. While some premium features are locked behind in-app purchases, many find the $4 investment worthwhile for an ad-free experience and enhanced functionality. However, the limitation on family sharing for multiple devices has been noted as a drawback.
- “No ads, smooth gameplay, easy linkup, best emulator out there!”
- “No ads, a super clean look, and it plays all my games.”
- “Worth the $4 investment and no ads.”
- “Premium features are locked behind in-app purchases, which limits family sharing if you own multiple retro handheld devices.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The optimization of the emulator is generally praised for its visual performance and smooth operation, particularly in terms of retro achievements and UI functionality. However, users report significant input lag, especially with the virtual touchscreen controller, which detracts from the overall experience. While the emulator runs well, some features from its predecessor are missing, and the requirement to pay for save states has drawn criticism.
- “Loved and used my oldboy and my boy for years and love that I found a successor to them. Great visual performance with the titles I've tried and really enjoying achievement hunting with retro achievements.”
- “Retro achievements, save/load states, system & UI optimized.”
- “Runs smoothly; it's just that it's ridiculous that you have to pay just to save states.”
- “The input lag is way too much; it can be reduced by lowering audio latency, but that decreases performance. I'll be back using mgba on RetroArch until the issue is resolved. I can't say for sure about touchscreen, but using the virtual touchscreen controller makes the input lag noticeable for both emulators because of my phone's touch response time not being responsive. The weird part is, when I compare it with MyBoy, the response is better on MyBoy.”
- “It is a decent GBA emulator with smooth performance and good compatibility, but it lacks key features that made its predecessor great.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users express a desire for improved stability, indicating that they would consider increasing their ratings if there were better implementation options or accessible troubleshooting advice available.
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable.”
- “I experience constant lag and disconnections, which ruin the overall experience.”
- “There are too many bugs that need fixing; stability is a major issue.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews indicate that users experienced technical issues with the game's interface, particularly regarding the splash screen not adapting to light/dark mode, which detracted from their initial experience. Additionally, there were concerns about the functionality of the quest log saving feature when exiting the emulator, suggesting potential flaws in the game's save system.
- “The backstory was confusing and poorly executed, leaving me feeling lost and disconnected from the characters.”
- “The plot felt disjointed and lacked coherence, making it hard to stay engaged with the story.”
- “Character development was minimal, and I found it difficult to care about their journeys or outcomes.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Users appreciate the music in the game, noting its enjoyable quality; however, there is a concern regarding a recent update that removed the option to mute the music while fast-forwarding.
- “I absolutely love this game! The music really enhances the overall experience.”
- “I absolutely love this game, but the only problem I have with the current update is that when you fast forward, the music being muted is now gone.”