Squid Game, the South Korean series that had us all hooked with its brutal survival drama, has been reborn in a crazy way. The 64 Bits team has made a Game Boy demake of the first season, and it’s playable on the same handheld that brought us Pokémon and Tetris.
Built with GB Studio, this demake is a full playable game that runs on original Game Boy hardware, emulators or web browsers via Newgrounds. You play as Seong Gi-hun, Player 456, and tackle 7 mini-games that mirror the show’s deadly trials: Red Light, Green Light, Sugar Honeycombs, Tug of War, Marbles, Glass Bridge, Lights Out and the final Squid Game. Each mini-game is a compact test of skill, requiring precision and patience just like the show’s high stakes challenges. The developers went beyond just sprites, with 3 endings, a secret hard mode with one life, and even a printable manual, box art and cartridge stickers to complete the retro vibe.
Markhomia Gonggi Korean Traditional Folk Game Play Set – Jebi chagi, Gong-gi, Biseokchigi, Paeng-y,…
- Gong-gi (Korean Knucklebones) – Start by tossing five gong-gi onto the floor. Pick up one and throw it into the air. While it’s in the air, grab…
- Jebi Kicks (Korean Hacky Sack) – Keep the ‘Jebi’ in the air by continuously kicking it without letting it fall. The player with the most…
- Paeng-y (Spinning Tops) – Wind a rope around the base of the top. Then, in one swift motion, pull the free end of the rope to spin the top.
Playing this demake is like stepping into a time machine. The visuals are green-tinted like the Game Boy, with blocky sprites and simple backgrounds that still convey the show’s life or death tension. Cutscenes are ambitious for a Game Boy game, and depict key characters through pixel art. The chiptune soundtrack is a reimagining of Squid Game’s haunting score, and fits the Game Boy’s 4 channel sound chip. Controls are simple—D-Pad for movement, A for actions, B for back, and Start to pause—but demand focus. The Glass Bridge mini-game, tweaked after player feedback, shows the developers’ attention to detail.
The beauty of this project is in balancing Squid Game with the Game Boy’s limitations. The Game Boy isn’t built for complex narratives or mechanics, but 64 Bits has condensed the season into a 20 minute experience that feels complete. Story mode ties the mini-games with cutscenes that follow Gi-hun’s journey, while minigame select mode lets you play individual challenges. The hard mode with one life is like the show’s relentless pressure.
And it’s accessible! Download from 64 Bits’ itch.io page for free, or pay what you want for supporters. Play on real hardware with a flash cart, on an emulator or in a browser. The included PDF manual with cheats and tips and printable box art for your own cartridge is the icing on the cake.
