Stylus Adventures Await
Remember flipping open that plastic clamshell and entering another world? The Nintendo DS captured lightning in a bottle during its remarkable run. Millions of us spent hours hunched over dual screens, discovering games that unexpectedly pushed boundaries. Here are some titles that instantly became legendary.
Chrono Trigger | Nintendo DS Lite Handheld gameplay by MGT - Max Games Tech
1. Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver
The ingenious Pokéwalker accessory turned daily walking into meaningful gameplay, tracking steps and rewarding physical activity with rare Pokémon. Players discovered deep emotional connections watching their favorite monsters trot loyally behind them. This is a feature gamers still beg to return in modern entries.
2. The World Ends With You
Tetsuya Nomura's character designs defined a unique visual identity instantly recognizable to fans in this Shibuya-set adventure. The pin-based combat system utilized every DS hardware element—touch, buttons, microphone—creating battles that felt like conducting a symphony of chaos. Square Enix explored themes of teenage isolation.
The World Ends With You (TWEWY) Review - Nintendo DS Version! by InfiniteComboReviews
3. Chrono Trigger
Translation refinements brought subtle but meaningful improvements to an already legendary script. Multiple endings based on when you defeat the final boss give this game unprecedented replay value. The dual-screen implementation thoughtfully separated battle commands from the preserved pixel art that still looks stunning.
Chrono Trigger | Nintendo DS Lite Handheld gameplay by MGT - Max Games Tech
4. Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Each commanding officer brings different personalities and abilities that dramatically alter tactical approaches. Tag-team commander swapping mid-battle crafts devastating combo attacks that turn losing situations into triumphant victories across two simultaneous battlefields.
The deceptively cheerful art style also masks deep gameplay systems.
CGRundertow ADVANCE WARS: DUAL STRIKE for Nintendo DS Video Game Review by CGRundertow
5. Mario Kart DS
Mission Mode challenged players with objectives that were beyond traditional racing. These included collecting coins, destroying item boxes, and completing time trials with special conditions. Snaking, the controversial advanced drifting technique, distanced casual players from dedicated racers seeking every millisecond advantage through continuous mini-turbo boosts.
Mario Kart DS: Nintendo DS (Battle Stage) by Supastarrio
6. Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow
This masterpiece had one main playable character (Soma) with two additional characters in a post-game mode. Drawing magic seals on the touchscreen to finish bosses brought genuine tension. Besides, collecting 110 unique enemy souls drives the addictive progression system, encouraging folks to hunt specific creatures to enhance their abilities.
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow Nintendo DS by IGN
7. Professor Layton And The Unwound Future
London's fascinating alternate timeline setting provides the backdrop for this puzzle adventure's surprisingly emotional narrative about love and loss across time. The elegant hint system ensures players never remain permanently stuck on challenging brain teasers while preserving discovery's satisfaction through progressive clue reveals.
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (DS Review) by TheNintendoCritic
8. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
"OBJECTION"! became gaming's most recognizable exclamation thanks to this courtroom drama. The localization team crafted memorable English wordplay and character quirks that made Phoenix and his eccentric opponents instant icons. Each murder case serves as a self-contained puzzle box.
CGRundertow PHOENIX WRIGHT: ACE ATTORNEY for Nintendo DS Video Game Review by CGRundertow
9. New Super Mario Bros.
Hidden paths and secret exits throughout the eight worlds rewarded curious players experimenting with each level's boundaries.
This recaptures the spirit of exploration that had defined the Super Mario world years earlier. Wall-jumping and ground-pounding mechanics permanently evolved Mario's movement options.
New Super Mario Bros. DS HD - Full Game 100% Walkthrough by BeardBear
10. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels Of The Starry Skies
Akira Toriyama's distinctive monster designs brought charm to every encounter. Strangers gathered in public spaces across Japan to exchange treasure maps through the game's innovative tag mode. Level-5 developed a touching story about guardian angels and their human connections that resonated deeply with some.
The Best Game You’ve Never Played - Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels Of Starry Skies by BogBoy
11. Elite Beat Agents
Rhythm game innovation came through the Elite Agents tapping, sliding, and spinning to the beat using the DS touchscreen with precision timing requirements. Western players received this localized version of Japan's Ouendan with completely different music, including English-language covers of songs by Sum 41.
12. Radiant Historia
Time-travel mechanics let players explore two divergent timelines and their consequences, jumping between key historical moments to form the ideal future. Atlus gave us an intriguing battle system where enemies positioned on a 3x3 grid could be pushed, pulled, and stacked for devastating combo attacks.
13. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Here, players control a recently deceased ghost with no memories, trying to solve his own murder. The "ghost trick" mechanic of possessing and manipulating objects to create Rube Goldberg-like chain reactions remains a highly inventive puzzle system. Also, Missile, the Pomeranian dog, is unforgettable.
CGRundertow - GHOST TRICK: PHANTOM DETECTIVE for Nintendo DS Video Game Review by CGRundertow
14. Kirby: Mass Attack
Controlling up to ten tiny Kirby's at once enhanced the pink puffball's formula in his final DS outing.
The beloved touch-only control scheme had gamers flicking, dragging, and launching their Kirby swarm to overcome obstacles and defeat enemies. All through overwhelming numbers.
Kirby Mass Attack DS All Bosses by Scorbunny Channel
15. Tetris DS
Nintendo's iconic characters and themes from Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and more brought fresh visual charm to Tetris without altering the core gameplay. Six entirely different game modes reimagined the classic block-dropping formula. The standard Marathon mode included Nintendo-themed backdrops that changed as players reached higher levels.
Josh's Hidden Gems: Tetris DS by Nintendad64
16. Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
Playing as the villain became the series' greatest twist when AlphaDream put individuals in control of Mario's arch-nemesis for the first time. The outrageous premise of Mario and Luigi trapped inside Bowser's body while he battles a mind-controlling villain created gameplay opportunities spanning both screens simultaneously.
Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story | Journey to the Center of A Turtle by AntDude
17. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
Writer/director Kotaro Uchikoshi developed this visual novel/puzzle hybrid about nine kidnapped strangers forced to play a deadly game aboard a sinking ship. Mathematical concepts like hexadecimal notation and morphogenetic fields were seamlessly integrated here. Character relationships also develop differently across various timeline branches.
18. Animal Crossing: Wild World
Daily life simulation in a village of anthropomorphic animals became an international phenomenon when this entry made the series portable for the first time. Nintendo implemented creative periodic events tied to real holidays. This gives players reasons to check in throughout the calendar year.
Animal Crossing: Wild World - Nintendo DS Gameplay High Resolution (DeSmuME) by John GodGames
19. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Hand-drawn comic book-style cutscenes replaced the series' typical 3D cinematics. The touch-screen mini-games for hot-wiring cars, assembling weapons, and tattooing gang members added immersive interactions to standard GTA activities. Developer Rockstar Leeds implemented an ambitious weather and day/night system affecting visibility.
20. The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Touch-screen exclusive controls represented Nintendo's boldest reinvention of the Zelda formula. It permitted gamers to draw paths for Link's boomerang and make notes directly on their sea charts. Sailing the flooded world of the Great Sea became more engaging than in Wind Waker through new encounters.
CGRundertow THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: PHANTOM HOURGLASS for Nintendo DS Video Game Review by CGRundertow
