Because a handheld that sold 150 million units deserves more than just a top 10
Over the far-too-many years I’ve been with Destructoid, I don’t think there is an article I’ve written that’s caused me as much trouble as this one.
Despite the fact you’re seeing more of these on this website, listicles are hard. Whether it’s something simple like ranking family games or trying to sum up an entire console catalog in just ten spots, writing articles like this can cause a type of anguish no review or impressions piece ever could. I’d much rather try to explain the gameplay of the latest Nobunaga’s Ambition to an octogenarian than try to whittle down a list of the best Nintendo DS games.
But I do it because I love the Nintendo DS. In my opinion, it’s the greatest gaming device the company has created. With its combination of touch and classic controls, the Nintendo DS provided developers with an opportunity to change how we envision the games we play and how we interact with them. The device was a perfect marriage of the industry’s past and its future. There were gaming experiences on the DS that you simply couldn’t get anywhere else. Games like Feel the Magic: XX/XY or Cooking Mama or Scribblenauts would not have resonated the way they did if those experiences were tied to classic controls.
And that is what makes creating a ranking of the best Nintendo DS games so difficult. Because it would be easy to list 10 excellent traditional games and call it a day. Chrono Trigger DS would probably top that list. But the Nintendo DS was not a traditional system, and to ignore its greatest experimental or “blue ocean” titles would do the system an injustice.
That’s why I expanded this list to 15. I needed that extra space to ensure it would be as widely representative as possible. And I ran this by the Destructoid full-time staff, so this isn’t just my personal top 15—clearly because Dragon Quest Monsters: Rocket Slime is nowhere to be seen—but a list I believe ranks the best games of the Nintendo DS catalog for this website as a whole.
Which is to say, please don’t be a hater if your favorite game ain’t here.
15. WarioWare D.I.Y.
Consider WarioWare D.I.Y.‘s placement on this list as representing every artistic or creativity app created for the Nintendo DS.
We had the Art Academy games, KORG DS-10, and the wonderful Electroplankton, which would would be on this list if let you save and export the music from it. The Nintendo DS was an outstanding system for those who wanted to flex their creative muscles. Remember Flipnote Studio?! A lot of developers saw the Nintendo DS stylus as a tool rather than just another way to play a gam. Those teams set about creating a suite of edutainment titles that had people believing they were artists, animators, or musicians. Or, in the case of WarioWare D.I.Y., game developers.
Years before Nintendo had people making their own Mario levels or recreating Red Light, Green Light in Game Builder Garage, Intelligent Systems gave players the opportunity to make and share their own microgames. WarioWare D.I.Y. featured an intuitive and extensive game creation suite that covered art, animation, music, and design. Everything budding game developers would need to make their own WarioWare masterpieces. WarioWare D.I.Y. felt like the culmination of all the artistic apps that had come before it, and that is why it’s one of the best games on the Nintendo DS.
14. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
Henry Hatsworth in The Puzzling Adventure is one of the best examples of how the dual-screen handheld created new gaming experiences.
Developed by current Madden developer EA Tiburon, Henry Hatsworth is part platformer/part match-3 puzzler. On the top screen, players control Henry as he runs and jumps his way through five different worlds, looking to reassemble the Gentleman’s Suit. Enemies Henry defeats on the top screen are sent to the puzzle realm on the bottom screen. There, players have to clear the enemy blocks before they reach the top of the screen and are revived in Henry’s world.
While seemingly developed for the casual players who flocked to the Nintendo DS Lite, Henry Hatsworth is a certified hardcore banger of a game. It’s a shame this game never got the widespread recognition it deserved. But I guess that’s what happens when you release your game five days before Pokémon Platinum and the same day as #5 on the list.
13. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Atlus was one of the most dependable developers of the Nintendo DS era. This system introduced me to the company through such games as Etrian Odyssey and Trauma Center: Under the Knife. Both are excellent candidates for this list, but Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is a cut above even those excellent titles for the handheld.
A tactical spin-off of the long-running Shin Megami Tensei series, Devil Survivor is the product of Career Soft. Atlus acquired this studio in 2001, and they’re best known for the Langrisser and Growlanser series. That pedigree paid off well, as Devil Survivor stands out as the best TRPG released on the Nintendo DS. It has excellent map design, great customization options, and incredible replay value with its six alternate endings. I had dabbled with tactical RPGs before Devil Survivor, but this is the first in the genre I actually saw through to the end.
12. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials and Tribulations
Shu Takumi’s Ace Attorney franchise started its life on the Game Boy Advance, but it became a worldwide hit when Capcom ported the series to the Nintendo DS. The original trilogy has some of the best video game writing of its era, with the final entry of the original trilogy, Trials and Tribulations, standing at the head of the class with the best cases and characters of the series up to that point.
This is the game that introduced players to Godot, a cocky, coffee-swilling DA with a serious bone to pick against Phoenix Wright. While Miles Edgeworth may be the most popular district attorney to emerge from the series, I will always be waiting for Godot to make his grand return.
11. Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver
Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver are often regarded as the best video game sequels, and with good reason. The titles introduced a multitude of features to the franchise and 100 new types of pocket monsters to catch.
When it came to remaking the games for the Nintendo DS, the developers at Game Freak threaded the needle between offering something new and respecting the legacy of the originals. The end result was Pokémon HeartGold and Pokémon SoulSilver, two games that still stand as the best remakes Game Freak and the Pokemon Company have ever produced. Not only were the games themselves the pinnacle of the classic Pokémon experience, but one of the new features introduced in the games, the Pokewalker, proved to be a powerful little accessory.
According to a study at Iowa State University, the Pokewalker was the most accurate step-tracking device when compared to other pedometers using a treadmill. Not bad for a one-and-done gimmick developed to tap into the video game fitness craze of the era.
10. Nintendogs
Many of the Nintendo DS’ defining games could be considered “lightning in a bottle”. Nintendo was really onto something with its blue ocean strategy, creating new gaming experiences that rope in people who didn’t consider themselves to be gamers. Brain Age was an early example of this strategy, but Nintendogs was the best.
As somebody who grew up failing to properly raise Tamagotchi pets, I leaped at the opportunity for fake pet ownership. Having had to part ways with my IRL dog before I went to college, I was curious if the digital experience could ever compare to the real thing. It ultimately didn’t, but I still put hours into Nintendogs. I raised and washed my pups, took them for walks, and confused my roommates by telling my handheld it was being a very good girl.
Nintendogs won a bunch of awards and ended up as the second-best-selling game on the DS. Sadly, Nintendo couldn’t catch that lighting a second time when it launched the Nintendo 3DS with the sequel Nintendogs + Cats. But even if it didn’t develop into another storied Nintendo franchise, Nintendogs remains the best non-gaming experience on the DS.
9. Meteos
Masahiro Sakurai is most commonly associated with two legendary gaming franchises: Kirby and Super Smash Bros. However, on the Nintendo DS, there is just one game that carries his name: Meteos.
Released within the handheld’s first year on the market, Meteos is a frantic, combative match-3 puzzler. It tasks players with saving the universe from the planet Meteo and its planet-annihilating meteos. As with similar puzzle games, the goal is to keep the screen from filling up with tiles. But making a match doesn’t clear the tiles from the grid. Instead, those tiles are launched from the bottom screen into outer space where they can no longer harm the planets they’re invading.
With the intuitive touch-screen controls and speed options that gave players some wiggle room in terms of difficulty, Meteos shows how touch-screen gaming can create dynamic experiences that classic controls can’t easily reproduce. That’s why Meteos is a legendary puzzler and one of the best Nintendo DS puzzle games.
8. Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Picking just one of the excellent Castlevania games that graced the Nintendo DS was no small task. Between Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia, the franchise had a great run on the system. I lapped up each and every one of these games, but it’s Dawn of Sorrow that stands out as the system’s greatest Castlevania.
Like a lot of early Nintendo DS games, it didn’t make much use of the two screens or its touch controls. It instead used the “Magic Seal” system that made players break out the stylus to finish bosses and open doors. But it didn’t need any gimmicks the Nintendo DS offered. It just needed to continue Konami’s superb streak of amazing Metroidvanias. Despite not really utilizing the unique hardware, Dawn of Sorrow‘s story, gameplay, and customization options easily make it one of Konami’s Best.
7. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
On the very first draft of this list, back when it was originally going to be just 10 games, it had to be pointed out to me there wasn’t a single Professor Layton title to be seen. A foolish error on my part, because there is no other franchise that is as closely associated with dual-screen gaming as this gem from Level-5.
The Professor Layton series’ combination of exquisite art direction, storytelling, and brainteasers made for an inviting experience. It reached beyond the normal gaming community to those who hadn’t picked up a controller in years. I’ve written about this before, but Professor Layton and the Curious Village is one of the few wholesome gaming memories I have with my mom. I treasure this franchise, which is why it was so stupid for me to leave it off a list of the best Nintendo DS games.
As you can see, I fixed that error in subsequent drafts. And while I have those warm memories playing through the original with my mom, it’s the third entry in the series, Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, that stands as the best of the bunch to hit the DS. With 168 puzzles to solve, Unwound Future contains some of Puzzle Master Akira Tago’s best work for the franchise. From the brainteasers to the animation to the top-tier story, everything is a step up from the previous entries.
As the end of the original Layton and Luke trilogy, Level-5 made sure Unwound Future went out with a bang.
6. Elite Beat Agents
I was never that good at rhythm games. With Guitar Hero and Rock Band, I’d never move beyond the most basic difficulty level. I did not think I’d have the coordination to pull it off without getting booed offstage. When Elite Beat Agents was announced, I was certainly interested in the idea, but I didn’t know how well I’d gel with a touch-screen-driven rhythm game. “Surely,” I thought, “I lack the rhythm to get that right.”
I ultimately chose to skip the game, as I was saving all my money for a Nintendo Wii. But when I couldn’t get one of those at launch, I decided to give it a go. That was one of the best decisions of my gaming career.
Elite Beat Agents is a wholesome rhythm game that oozes charm and personality. The premise is unforgettable. Controlling a trio of cheerleaders as they help people get through difficult and usually comedic situations was not something I’d ever picture as the plot of a video game. But that was the beauty of the DS. If there was ever a gaming device to try something new with, it was that one.
As for the touch-screen gameplay, it worked better than I ever could have imagined. I still wasn’t good at the genre and never went above the “Cruisin’” difficulty. But the developers at iNiS, best known for the Gitaroo Man series, managed to make Elite Beat Agents into a touch-screen musical masterpiece.
5. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
It was a very big deal when Rockstar announced it was making a Grand Theft Auto for the Nintendo DS. Arguably, the company had to do it. The DS sold far too many units to not give it a go. In 2009, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars dropped to the best reviews on the Nintendo DS.
The game captured everything great about modern-era GTA games and translated it to a bird’s eye perspective reminiscent of the original games in the series. The last time Rockstar tried that on a Nintendo handheld, it didn’t go well. But Chinatown Wars fires on all pistons with an outstanding story, great new characters, incredible gameplay, and a drug-dealing minigame that I still think about 14 years later.
Getting GTA on the DS was a win in itself. But getting Rockstar to deliver one of its best games ever for the platform is something I’ll celebrate until the battery on my Nintendo DSi XL finally dies and I can no longer corrupt the people of Liberty City with my drug-dealing empire.
4. The World Ends with You
It’s difficult to write about my adoration for The World Ends with You without sounding like a broken record. I’ve talked about this game a lot, and with good reason. TWEWY is simply one of the finest gaming experiences to ever emerge from Square Enix. While a lot of other games on the Nintendo DS were trying to appeal to a broader audience, The World Ends with You went in the opposite direction. This is an incredibly niche game, a hardcore experience designed as something you could only play on the DS (even if that’s no longer true).
What’s most striking about The World Ends with You is how the complicated combat effortlessly plays into the story and the connections players must make between Neku and his partners in the Reapers’ Game. Neku’s acceptance of his partners was something that grew as players familiarized themselves with the different control concepts that came with each new character. That’s a level of ludonarrative consistency you just don’t get in most games.
I know a lot of people were turned off by the difficulty of the Stride Cross Battle System. But it, like most everything else in The World Ends with You, was a one-of-a-kind triumph of design. I will never forget how good it felt to beat this game.
3. Tetris DS
The original Tetris, whether you consider that to be the one that was released on the Electronika 60 back in 1985 or the one that came packed in with the Game Boy, is a perfect video game. Design, function, challenge, simplicity; it scores 10s across the board. So how do you improve on something that is already perfect? You make it perfecter.
Tetris DS takes everything great about the classic puzzler and infuses it with new ideas and Nintendo charm. The classic gameplay that captivated millions is still there, but there are also new takes on the concept. This includes a puzzle mode, a mission mode, a competitive push mode, and a touch-screen mode that challenged players to rearrange preset pieces to clear lines. Each of those modes came complete with a classic NES backdrop featuring Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Yoshi’s Cookie, Balloon Fight, Super Mario Bros., and more.
On top of all of that, Tetris DS came equipped with a no-holds-barred online mode for up to four players and a 10-player local online mode. Tetris was already a game that could eat hours of your life. Tetris DS devoured weeks of mine.
While there may be arguments over which version of Tetris is the greatest, it’s hard to deny this impressive package is the greatest puzzle game on the Nintendo DS. In fact, it’s the best mobile version of Tetris to date.
2. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky
During the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii era, it was a great time to be a Dragon Quest fan. Nearly every game in the series that was released in Japan made its way over here. On the DS, long-time fans and first-time players like myself were treated to a smorgasbord of excellent RPGs, culminating in the release of Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Sky.
As the first mainline Dragon Quest game to release exclusively to handhelds, it a lot to prove for longtime fans. Development of the game took years, and Square Enix toyed around with the idea of making it an action game rather than a traditional turn-based RPG. Cooler heads won out, and the teams at Square Enix and Level-5 went on to create an astonishingly deep RPG that continued to grow the franchise’s burgeoning popularity outside of Japan.
Despite the rudimentary multiplayer mode, it was the Tag Mode that made it the most social Dragon Quest game yet. Tag Mode allowed players to exchange treasure maps, items, and gifts with other players while their DS was in sleep mode. Its use was so popular that Nintendo borrowed the concept when creating its SpotPass and StreetPass features on the Nintendo 3DS. When was the last time one game influenced the design and functionality of video game hardware?
The promise of more treasure maps with dungeons to explore meant I kept my copy of Dragon Quest IX in my DSi XL until Nintendo finally killed the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. I still revisit this game from time to time, breaking out the massive player’s guide I bought at a thrift store to look for any last goodies I may have missed. It is the only Nintendo DS game I still make time for today, and that’s just one of the reasons it deserves to be ranked so high on this list.
1. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a pivotal game for me and my relationship with Destructoid. I’d checked out the site a few times but didn’t commit to considering it my gaming site. Despite the hundreds I’d put into my DS and Wii library at the time, my hesitancy to join any online community kept me at an arm’s length. That changed when I read Tony Ponce’s review of Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors.
I was so captivated by what he described that I drove to my local GameStop the next day to pick up the only copy it had left in the original shrink wrap. Over the next five days, I became enthralled by this story of survival, digital roots, frozen Egyptians, and horrendous gore.
When writing the narrative for 999, Kotaro Uchikoshi sought to answer the question, “Where do mankind’s inspirations come from?” His search led him to the works of Rupert Sheldrake and his theory of Morphogenetic Fields. This would become the central theme of the complicated and squeamish story. For the gameplay, he turned to the escape room genre, which was huge online around 2009. His take on the formula cut out the nonsense you’d often find in these games, streamlining the concept while tying these segments into the overall narrative.
According to an interview with Anime News Network, Uchikoshi wrote the story backward, starting with the ending and working his way to the beginning. It’s an unusual technique, but it’s one that worked well. Many routinely cite 999 as having the greatest—and queasiest—narrative on the Nintendo DS. Some go so far as to say it is one of the best-written stories the medium has seen.
If you haven’t played it, this might seem like an odd choice for the top spot on this list. If you have played it, you can probably understand why it’s here at #1. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is a masterpiece that deserves every single bit of recognition it can get.
More Stories by CJ Andriessen
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