DS Games Suggestions?!

[Newbiemayor]

If you want a JRPG with lots to do, Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of The Starry Skies is a pretty good choice! (The other Dragon Quest DS games are great too, but the prices have gotten ridiculously high). You can create a custom character, explore a large world (by DS standards), and fight a wide range of monsters. It starts off pretty slow, but the story gets interesting later on.

The original Professor Layton trilogy is still pretty affordable! In it you solve lots of logic puzzles while uncovering various mysteries. The third game in particular is well known for its emotional story.

The Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney series has tons of games on the DS. From the original trilogy to the criminally underrated Miles Edgeworth Investigations games, there's plenty to choose from! Just make sure to play them in order. Otherwise the plot will get confusing.

I second that about professor layton. I love those games but I don't really recommend the latest in the main series (azran legacy) as they made some dumb creative decisions there

 

[fairysyndrome]

oh boy if you like farming sims op i'm DEFINITELY doubling down on recommending rune factory since the series it's tied to is good old harvest moon, parent of the farming sim genre

hi i have a few more recommendations! style savvy DS is really fun if you like character customization and / or setting up fun outfits because the entire game is just picking out fun outfits for people and going shopping for more fun outfits.

magician's quest: mysterious times is a lot like animal crossing but with wizards, so i was going to recommend that one, but uh, i just checked the prices on e bay and you might be better off emulating that one if you get the chance someday. it's really expensive. ditto for another rec i have: 999: 9 hours 9 persons 9 doors (a visual novel / escape room puzzler style mystery game). incredibly good do recommend, but it's more expensive than i was expecting. i still recommend it though! & i second the professor layton recommendations, that series is really fun.

 

[Mimi Cheems]

Hiya guys! Thanks all for the suggestions so far! I'm currently making a list of what I plan to buy once I have the money for them c:

This is what I have written down at the moment.

• Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
• Rune Factory 2
• Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
• Harvest Moon DS
• Super Princess Peach
• Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter
• Pokémon Diamond
• Yoshi's Island
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (I might actually look around to see if I still have this game... I KNOW I have it somewhere)
• Mario Kart 7 (tentative)
• Professor Layton and the Curious Village
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
• aaaand Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective!

I'm looking forward to collecting these games c:
I also bought two silly games that mean a lot to me, Nintendogs Lab & Friends and Cooking Mama! I played a TON of Nintendogs growing up alongside Cooking Mama, so I'm really happy to have these back in my collection ;v;

 

[-Lumi-]

I recently purchased a second-hand NDSL in pretty good condition. And of course, it had to be in my favorite color. Pink!

My favourite colour is pink, too!!

I really enjoyed The Legendary Starfy for the DS! There's only one game that's localized in English sadly, but it's so cute. It's super, super, easy - in the same vein as Kirby games, and it's adorable. Such a cheerful game to play and if you can find it, I definitely recommend it!

 

[daringred_]

Hiya guys! Thanks all for the suggestions so far! I'm currently making a list of what I plan to buy once I have the money for them c:

This is what I have written down at the moment.

• Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
• Rune Factory 2
• Rune Factory 3: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
• Harvest Moon DS
• Super Princess Peach
• Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter
• Pokémon Diamond
• Yoshi's Island
• Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (I might actually look around to see if I still have this game... I KNOW I have it somewhere)
• Mario Kart 7 (tentative)
• Professor Layton and the Curious Village
• Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
• aaaand Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective!

I'm looking forward to collecting these games c:
I also bought two silly games that mean a lot to me, Nintendogs Lab & Friends and Cooking Mama! I played a TON of Nintendogs growing up alongside Cooking Mama, so I'm really happy to have these back in my collection ;v;

ah, i'm actually so excited to see you chose drawn to life :') i just want to say, make sure you get a standalone copy and not the collections edition because i think those are the ones with the (imo crappy) alternative ending. the original is much darker. some people think it was a cop-out, but i still stand by it being the good kind of gut punch that sticks with you (well, it stuck with 12 year old me lol) and the whole game foreshadows it from the start. hopefully it doesn't disappoint you!

 

[DarthGohan1]

Lots of great recommendations already in the thread I'll try not to repeat any... here are a few more for you:

Kirby Canvas Curse
Custom Robo Arena
Chrono Trigger (remake of the SNES game)
The World Ends with You
Elite Beat Agents

 

[kayleee]

I LOVED Warioware on the DS, I played it all the time. I also really liked Harvest Moon DS and Cooking Mama! This thread is making me want to play my DS again lol

 

[iiyyja]

Disgaea and Ghost Trick are solid games. If you like strategy games, you might like Advance Wars

Others: chrono trigger, legend of zelda, professor layton, chrono trigger, castlevania

 

[Misha]

Ahhh the DS was my favourite console I think, I'm so excited for you to experience some great games for the first time!! Gonna give some suggestions, probably a lot that have been mentioned already but I just want to second the recommendation cause I liked them a lot too.

Rhythm Heaven (or Rhythm Paradise if you're in Europe). This might be my favourite DS game. It's a really fun rhythm game, with all these little quirky and funny minigames. I don't like a lot of other rhythm games because they are mostly about pressing a lot of different buttons at the right time, but this one is controlled fully by the stylus (by tapping or flicking) so it feels very natural to play. It can be a bit tough at times, but if you get stuck and can't progress, there is the option to still go ahead even if you don't get a high enough score if you fail a minigame often enough. I can't recommend this one enough, it's so fun and cute, and all the different kinds of minigames are very creative.

(If you like the vibe of that one, especially the funny bits, you might like the WarioWare titles that are on DS, cause they are made in the same kind of style. I never played them beyond a demo, but both WarioWare and Rhythm Heaven feel like a collection of funny partygame type minigames to me)

The Professor Layton series is very enjoyable. It's mostly walking around these very atmospheric looking places where a mystery is going on and it's up to you with the professor and his assistant to unravel those by solving puzzles. There are a lot of different kinds of puzzles, you could always look up some screenshots to get an idea if you'd like the style or the puzzles. There is a hint system built into the game and you can always look up more hints or the solution to certain puzzles if you're stuck, I don't think that would take away from being able to enjoy the game and the story.

I saw you've already played some of them but yes, definitely seconding the suggestion of the Ace Attorney series. So much fun to play, great story/characters with a lot of emotional depth but also so so funny.

Yoshi's Island DS is really cute and so so precious to me, it always cheers me up so I would definitely recommend it, but I do have to warn you that this one has a weird difficulty spike, so if you're concerned about completing a game that gets difficult (I saw you mentioning having a hard time with the main Mario titles for example) this might not be something you'd enjoy?

Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum are all very good pokemon games. I'm biased because these were my first so I love them, but they definitely hold up imo.

People have mentioned Mario Kart 7, which tbh if you know you won't enjoy it don't get it, it's similar to all other ones, but if you think you'd want to give it a go this one is very nice imo. It also has a mission section that I enjoyed a lot and that isn't in other version afaik.

Bit of a different vibe to the "cuter" games that I'm mentioning, but Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is very good. It's basically an escape room type puzzle game, but it's very story-driven and it kind of plays like a good thriller movie - which is usually not my cup of tea but this one is really good. The way the story and characters are remind me quite a bit of Ace Attorney for some reason, with a similar good balance between compelling plot and characters but also genuinely fun bits. The tone is a bit more mature and darker though, but as someone who hates horror games, while this one has a scary atmosphere it doesn't have the same kind of jumpscares and is a point-and-click visual novel style game, so you can take your time with it and it's certainly worth it in my opinion. If you prefer voiced games there is a fully voiced PC version now with optimisations, but the ending on the DS version is so creative that I really like this version.

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks. Very nice and underrated legend of zelda titles, in a really cute style. You play with the touch screen which is why they're underrated by people who like this series usually, but I really enjoyed this personally - although honestly I'd get a screen protector (just a simple stick on one) if you want to play this lmao. Phantom Hourglass is the first game but they're not connected, and people prefer Spirit Tracks cause it has learned from some of the mistakes made in Phantom Hourglass, so you could always get that one if you want to try it out.

I don't know why I keep mentioning puzzle games lmao, but if you like them even without story, Picross DS and Picross 3D are very good, and is how I got into picross-style puzzles. Just very relaxing.

Whew - I've been typing for way too long, sorry that this became such a chunk of text lmao, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of other titles I liked as well.

 

[Mimi Cheems]

Hey guys! Thought I'd leave an update c:

I got to emulate a few of these games so far on the NDSL and this is what I've loved!

Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns
Pokémon Pearl

I also received my NDSL today! I named her Norma, I dunno why, but; here she is!

Spoiler: Norma!

While I'm here, has anyone ever named their consoles? ;v; My 3DS is named Hugh, and of course, here's Norma. I have a habit of naming things. I have always done this. One time I even named a pair of my shoes (Marcy and Darcy, for those curious). I named my iPod from when I was younger 'Carlisle'. I had someone tell me this was weird...? But, it helps me in a way? I think it helps me keep track of my stuff.
EDIT: I have even gone so far as to name plushies, which I find the most normal. My favorite stuffed animal is named Nigel. I have a naked mole rat plushie named Sampson. And then I name animals in games, like, for example, I named my cow in Harvest Moon 'Rupert'. My chicken is 'Harold', and my dog is 'Bernie'. LOL. I like weird names, as you can see.

 

[iiyyja]

Disgaea and Ghost Trick are solid games. If you like strategy games, you might like Advance Wars

Others: chrono trigger, legend of zelda, professor layton, chrono trigger, castlevania

Would like to tack on the Kirby games. They seem like something you'd gravitate toward given your aesthetic.

Rhythm Heaven (or Rhythm Paradise if you're in Europe). This might be my favourite DS game. It's a really fun rhythm game, with all these little quirky and funny minigames. I don't like a lot of other rhythm games because they are mostly about pressing a lot of different buttons at the right time, but this one is controlled fully by the stylus (by tapping or flicking) so it feels very natural to play. It can be a bit tough at times, but if you get stuck and can't progress, there is the option to still go ahead even if you don't get a high enough score if you fail a minigame often enough. I can't recommend this one enough, it's so fun and cute, and all the different kinds of minigames are very creative. /QUOTE]

Be careful with your console if you get Rhythm Heaven. I broke the hinges off of my old DS snapping it back and forth

 

[Misha]

Be careful with your console if you get Rhythm Heaven. I broke the hinges off of my old DS snapping it back and forth

I'm so sorry that happened to you! I can't even remember having to snap my DS much in the game, but that's so sad that that broke the hinges

 

[iiyyja]

I'm so sorry that happened to you! I can't even remember having to snap my DS much in the game, but that's so sad that that broke the hinges

I'd get too excited and apply too much pressure to my screen, which would make it snap back. I'm little rough with my consoles

 

[nightglow]

I also received my NDSL today! I named her Norma, I dunno why, but; here she is!

Spoiler: Norma!

View attachment 425417
View attachment 425418

While I'm here, has anyone ever named their consoles? ;v; My 3DS is named Hugh, and of course, here's Norma. I have a habit of naming things. I have always done this. One time I even named a pair of my shoes (Marcy and Darcy, for those curious). I named my iPod from when I was younger 'Carlisle'. I had someone tell me this was weird...? But, it helps me in a way? I think it helps me keep track of my stuff.
EDIT: I have even gone so far as to name plushies, which I find the most normal. My favorite stuffed animal is named Nigel. I have a naked mole rat plushie named Sampson. And then I name animals in games, like, for example, I named my cow in Harvest Moon 'Rupert'. My chicken is 'Harold', and my dog is 'Bernie'. LOL. I like weird names, as you can see.

I've never thought about naming my console. I always called mine DS or Switch or gameboy ect regardless of it's model or technical name. Mom called them all Nintendo lol. I am gonna have to consider naming my Steam Deck when it comes in now lol I always thought the name of that console felt weird to say honestly anyway. We do have a roomba we named Bob. I think that is the only electronic I have named. Is it bad that I talk to him when he gets in my way?

 

[Mimi Cheems]

I've never thought about naming my console. I always called mine DS or Switch or gameboy ect regardless of it's model or technical name. Mom called them all Nintendo lol. I am gonna have to consider naming my Steam Deck when it comes in now lol I always thought the name of that console felt weird to say honestly anyway. We do have a roomba we named Bob. I think that is the only electronic I have named. Is it bad that I talk to him when he gets in my way?

I don't think it's bad that you talk to the Roomba xD When I get irritated with inanimate objects I tend to talk to them, too.

Thinking about it... I haven't named my Switch yet. Maybe I'll name him Norman. Perhaps Brock? Or Edison! Well, I'll figure it out eventually.

I started playing PMD: Explorers of Sky recently. I really enjoy it so far! I realized the beginning is somewhat similar to Explorers of Darkness and/or Time. I got Bulbasaur on my first try. I tend to reset until I get the Pokémon I want, which, in this case, is Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur is my FAVORITE Pokémon of all time, alongside Wigglytuff. My little brother wanted to be my partner in this game, so he chose Munchlax. :3

I think I'm gonna look into Ghost Trick next. I might find a few Kirby games to play, also. I really liked Mass Attack as a kid. So, maybe I'll play that one next to get that nostalgic feel! :>

 

[Romaki]

Nvm, it's a 3DS game D:

 

[Belle T]

The Ace Attorney trilogy gets a "highly recommend" from me. They're still some of my favorite games on the platform, and in spite of recent re-releases updating the graphics and text, they still remain my favorite method of experiencing the games to this day.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga is also really good for the GBA department. It's one of my all-time favorite RPG's. Its mechanics are simplistic enough that a child could easily understand it, but complex enough that a level of skill is required for mastery. It's not a particularly difficult game, but it has a balanced difficulty curve. And the game's art style and humor is absolutely spot-on in such a way that I don't feel its sequels have ever fully lived up to.

 

[Autumn247]

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time
If you like Star Wars, The Lord of The Rings, or Harry Potter, there are some LEGO games for those on the DS that are a lot of fun
Pokémon Leaf green/ Fire red (GBA games) are amazing as well, those were my first Pokémon games

 

[Elissarosalee]

i just started playing my old DS again but i have fire emblem awakening, story of seasons trio of towns, acnl and hhd, fantasy life and two harvest moon games. currently im replaying fantasy life

 

[bellasmaster]

just making you aware of it in case you come across any. keep an eye out if you ever see a WHITE DS cartridge as those are DSi only games. you won't be able to play them on your DS if it's not a DSi.