Konami's GBC survival game. Stranded on an island — find food, find water, find a way to be rescued.
Survival Kids was developed and published by Konami for Game Boy Color in December 1999 — a survival simulation game in which a child became stranded alone on a tropical island. Players managed hunger, thirst, and stamina while searching for food, water, and materials to construct shelter and tools. Multiple endings existed based on different escape methods discovered. The game had no combat — all challenges were environmental and resource-based. Survival Kids sold approximately 400,000 copies and is cited as an early example of survival game mechanics on handheld hardware.
About this game
Survival Kids is a 1999 Game Boy Color survival game in which a child stranded on a deserted island must gather resources, manage hunger and thirst, craft tools, and find a way to escape. Unlike the linear games of its era, it features multiple distinct endings determined entirely by the player's choices and discovered escape routes. Released in 1999, it was one of the earliest games to put long-term resource management and open-ended survival at the center of a handheld experience.
Key Features
Open-ended survival gameplay with hunger, thirst, and stamina management. Multiple escape routes and multiple endings based on player choices and exploration. Crafting system for tools and equipment. Real-time day/night cycle affecting available resources and threats.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Released two years before Castaways-style survival became a mainstream cultural moment (the TV show Survivor premiered in 2000), Survival Kids was remarkably ahead of its time. Konami's Sapporo studio delivered a game with emergent, player-driven outcomes at a point when most Game Boy titles still followed rigid linear structures. The series quietly pioneered what would later become the survival game genre, evolving into the Lost in Blue series on Nintendo DS beginning in 2005.
Tricks & Tales
The game features multiple completely different escape routes — some players never find certain exits in their first playthrough, making replays genuinely rewarding. The series was revived as Lost in Blue on Nintendo DS in 2005, expanding the concept to 3D with cooperative two-character gameplay. The original GBC game received a re-release on Nintendo Switch Online in May 2025.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Japanese title: 'Survival Kids: Kotou no Boukensha' (Adventurer of the Solitary Island). European title: 'Stranded Kids'. The Western title 'Survival Kids' drops the island subtitle. All versions share the same gameplay.
Maintenance Tips
Game Boy Color cartridges — the smaller, slightly translucent-shell format — use the same cleaning approach as original DMG carts: a cotton swab with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol wiped along the contact row, allowed to dry fully before reinsertion. The GBC console's ABS plastic shell faces the same yellowing risk as the DMG when exposed to UV light over time. Notably, several GBC titles — most famously Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal — include a real-time clock (RTC) circuit that runs continuously off a CR2025 coin cell. These batteries are now well over 25 years old; a dead RTC battery means time-based in-game events will not advance, even though the game itself will still load and save normally. This is a distinct issue from save data loss.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Survival Kids copies regularly.
Is this a region-free game? Will a Japanese Game Boy cartridge work on any Game Boy console?
Yes. The original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Color have no hardware region lock — a Japanese cartridge plays on any Game Boy or Game Boy Color console worldwide without modification. The game itself is in Japanese, but the hardware accepts it freely. Game Boy Advance consoles are also backward-compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges and share this region-free status.
How should I clean a Game Boy cartridge?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and gently wipe the gold-plated edge contacts on the base of the cartridge. Never blow into the cartridge — breath moisture accelerates contact corrosion. If the shell needs to be opened for deeper cleaning, Game Boy cartridges use 3.8mm security game bit screws. The contacts are small; clean with a gentle wiping motion rather than abrasive pressure.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Survival Kids
A short checklist for buying a used Game Boy Color cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Good news — Game Boy Color is region-free
These cartridges are not region-locked, so a Japanese copy plays on any compatible Game Boy worldwide.
Confirm whether the title is Color-only or also works on the original Game Boy.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Survival Kids sits alongside its kin.
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