The Nintendo DS has some great games, here are ten you might have missed
The Nintendo DS and 3DS are two legendary systems that have some great games. There are so many, in fact, that it’s easy to forget some of them. Since the Nintendo DS launched in 2004 there have been a variety of models including the Nintendo DS Lite and the Nintendo 3DS. Each of these handheld consoles is known for having a unique design with two screens, one of which is a touchscreen that you can interact with to perform various functions within different games.
The Nintendo DS and 3DS are most commonly associated with a number of popular games, like the mainline Dragon Quest games and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. However, there are quite a few excellent games on the platform that never got quite as well-known as these did. Since Nintendo has moved its focus to the Nintendo Switch, many DS and 3DS games have been forgotten.
Below you’ll find ten Nintendo DS games that you might want to play if you have the chance. This list includes games from a variety of genres, from an action-adventure game to a farming sim, and a roguelike to an RPG.
Rune Factory 3
The draw of the Rune Factory series is that, alongside running a farm, raising livestock (or monsters in this case), and getting to know the locals as you would in other farming sims, you get to experience a fantasy story as well. Rune Factory 3 is one of the best entries in the series and is worth playing on DS.
Crimson Shroud
Level 5’s Crimson Shroud is another example of the 3DS’ ingenuity when it comes to Video Games. Similar to tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons, in Crimson Shroud, the roll of the die can turn the tide in battle – and, of course, you roll the die using the touchscreen.
Ever Oasis
Ever Oasis is the latest game from developer Grezzo, which is responsible for many of the ports and remakes of classic Zelda titles. Serving as a successor to Clover Studio’s fantastic action-adventure Okami, Okamiden does a great job of utilizing the DS’ touchscreen capabilities. It plays a lot like a Legend of Mana game, which is no surprise given that the development team is made up of the same people responsible for many of the ports and remakes of those games as well.
Okamikura
Not to be confused with the 3DS game Okamiden, this is the sequel to the action-adventure game Okami. Okamikura, like its predecessor, is a gorgeous game that uses the touchscreen in all the right ways. If you want to see what the first game was like, you can check out our Okami review.
Corpse Party
Only 11 titles on the Nintendo DS were given an M rating, and this makes all the games with such a high rating pretty interesting to take a look at. One of these is Corpse Party, a terrifying and the first game in a series of survival horror visual novels. If you’re looking for an atmospheric horror game on the Nintendo DS, this is what you need.
Shinobi
Another 3D action-adventure game, this time from Sega, Shinobi is another one of those rare M-rated titles on the Nintendo DS. The series has been around for more than three decades, having first appeared in arcades way back in 1987. The Nintendo DS saw two Shinobi games: Shinobi and Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master. The latter is a remake of a Sega Mega Drive game, so it’s worth playing if you’re a retro gaming fan.
Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy
Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy and its sequel, Curtain Call, are examples of games that look like they shouldn’t work, but actually do. Each of these combined the incredible music of Final Fantasy with the rhythm-based gameplay of games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band to great effect. Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy is available on the Nintendo Switch, if you want to check it out in handheld form.
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
While a lot of people played the mainline Dragon Quest games for the DS, the Heroes titles passed a lot of players by. Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime is probably the pick of the bunch, and plays more like a fast-paced action game than an RPG. It also has a great sense of humor.
Ever Oasis
Developed by the same studio that is responsible for many of the ports and remakes of classic Zelda titles, Grezzo’s Ever Oasis actually plays a lot like a Legend of Mana game. It’s a pleasant enough action-adventure game, but the real appeal is in the customization options and the tons of extra content that’s available to players.
Shinobi
Sega’s Shinobi games are a blast to play, and thankfully, they’re both available on the Nintendo Switch’s eShop. If you want a side-scrolling action platformer on your Nintendo DS, you can’t go wrong with either of these games.
