# Game & Watch Gallery

Game & Watch Gallery is a game developed by Nintendo and released in 1997 for the Game Boy. It is the second game in the Game & Watch Gallery series, after Game Boy Gallery. It is known as Game Boy Gallery (ゲームボーイギャラリー, Gēmu Bōi Gyararii) in Japan, and as Game Boy Gallery 2 in Australia. This game is the only game in the Game & Watch Gallery series to have its own soundtrack album with rearranged versions of the music featured in the game.
A sequel, Game & Watch Gallery 2, was released for the Game Boy in 1997 and for the Game Boy Color in 1998.

## Gameplay

Game & Watch Gallery features four games based upon the Game & Watch brand of handheld games. Each game contains a 'Classic' mode, resembling the gameplay and presentation of the original Game & Watch title, and a 'Modern' mode, which contains additional gameplay mechanics and revised graphics based on the Mario franchise. Normal and Hard difficulty settings can be selected for each mode. The following four Game & Watch games are included:
* Manhole: Players must place a manhole in gaps in the street to allow pedestrians to safely cross without falling. In the 'Modern' version, different characters move at different speeds, and Yoshi can prepare a manhole in advance, which will only drop after being stepped on.
* Fire: Players must use a tarp to catch civilians jumping from a burning building and bounce them to safety. In the 'Modern' version, different characters have different bounce durations.
* Octopus: Players must retrieve treasure from a sunken chest while avoiding an octopus' moving tentacles. In the 'Modern' version, Mario's speed is affected by the amount of treasure he is carrying.
* Oil Panic: Players must catch falling oil droplets and dispose of them without hitting bystanders or letting their bucket overflow. In the 'Modern' version, Mario carries two buckets at once and can rotate their position.
For every 200 points players accrue in each game, they earn 'stars' which can be used to unlock entries in an in-game gallery displaying animations of other Game & Watch titles; up to five stars can be earned in each mode and difficulty of each game, for a total of 80 stars. When played on a Super Game Boy or Game Boy Color, the games receive a limited color upgrade.

## Development

Game & Watch Gallery was designed by Tose and Nintendo R&D1 and published by Nintendo. It was released for the Game Boy in 1997 for Japan on February 1, for the United States on May 5, for Europe on August 28, and for Australia the same year. It was released for the Nintendo Power for the Game Boy in Japan on March 1, 2000. It was released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2011 for Japan on June 22, for North America on July 14, and for Europe and Australia on July 21; while it was originally released under the title Game Boy Gallery 2 in Australia, the Virtual Console release uses the title Game & Watch Gallery.

## Reception

Aggregate score :
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameRankings | 76.65% |
Review scores :
| Publication | Score |
| Eurogamer | 5/10 |
| GamesRadar+ | |
| IGN | 8/10 |
Game & Watch Gallery holds an average of 76.65% on GameRankings, based on four reviews. Steve Averett for IGN held it in high regard, comparing it to Tetris and Dr. Mario in terms of being a quality "twitch" game. They note it as a good game for fan of Game & Watch games, while it was recognized as IGN's readers' choice for the "best Game Boy action game" of the century. Nathan Meunier of GamesRadar+ found the game addictive while praising it for the updated Game & Watch games, but they found the original versions less fun, and wished more games were featured on the cartridge. Jeremy Parish for USgamer identified it as one of the best Game Boy games on the Nintendo 3DS' Virtual Console, while Thomas East of Official Nintendo Magazine UK felt it was among the best retro games on the 3DS' Virtual Console. East found the games basic, but addictive nonetheless. Clark Anderson of Digitally Downloaded found the Virtual Console re-release a good value, praising the different games (particularly Fire) as addictive. Andrew Brown of Nintendo World Report felt that the game offered something for all types of players, due to the combination of the classic games and the remade games. In contrast, Kristan Reed of Eurogamer felt that those who lack nostalgia for this game or Game & Watch games in general would not enjoy this much, calling it "little more than a curiosity". Tyler Treese of Game Revolution expressed hope that Game & Watch Gallery, along with its sequels, was remade for the Nintendo Switch. Author James Newman discussed how it served as a precursor to the trend of remastering games that grew popular on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, citing how the game enhances the visuals of the remastered versions while keeping the gameplay the same.