TheNintendo DSwas aJRPGmachine, to the point where it’s incredibly hard to narrow down a list. There are just so many amazing titles that picking the best was a challenge akin to anyend-boss battle.
While theGame Boy Advancehad its fair share of amazing JRPGs, they were limited by the hardware, as they were akin to aSuper Nintendoin performance, and they couldn’t go online.
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The Nintendo DS had more than just two screens: it had the support of some of the best third-party studios known for JRPGs on the planet. The system hadThe Pokemon Company,Square Enix, andAtluscranking out amazing title after amazing title.
The Nintendo DS’ JRPG library greats are dominated by some of the biggest franchises in history, but one outlier managed to beat them all at their own game.
10Pokemon Platinum
Fixing Sinnoh’s problems
Pokémon Platinum
It’s no secret thatPokemon Diamond & Pearlhad issues at launch, mostly the crawling battle speed and the massive level jumps between opponents.
Not only didPokemon Platinumfix these issues, but a new story involving the trippy Distortion World and Giratina was added, fleshing out themachinations of Team Galactic.
These small changes helped to elevate the Gen 4 era, creating the greatest iteration of the Sinnoh games. Frankly speaking, Pokemon Platinum outstrips the remakes on the Nintendo Switch, as least it had some effort put into it.
9Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Sky
Heaven is missing an angel
Dragon Quest 9
Dragon Quest 9went with the unusual route of offering character customization for the party and full multiplayer support. On the surface, this might make it seem like the stories wouldn’t be as personal as normal.
Nothing could be further from the truth, as Dragon Quest 9 has some of the best quests and storylines in the series’ history.
In Dragon Quest 9, you play as a Celestrian: an angelic being, who witnesses a calamity that forces them to the Earth without their powers. In order to return to the heavens, they must complete good deeds and reclaim their power.
With an expansive job system and equipment crafting, Dragon Quest 9 is stuffed with gameplay and customization for the player’s hand-made party. These are just the push needed to keep the player moving through the amazing story, seeing it through to its conclusion.
It’s a shame that Dragon Quest 9 is currently locked to the Nintendo DS, as its visuals haven’t aged that well. Fortunately, the developers have strongly hinted that they want to bring it backvia a remake, meaning fans could return to this classic in the future.
8Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded
Keyblade across two screens
Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded
It took decades for the mainlineKingdom Heartsgames to arrive on Nintendo systems, so fans had to make do with spin-offs.Kingdom Hearts Re:Codedwas the best look at the previous entries, as it involved Sora revisiting locations he was familiar with from the past.
The hardest part of the doing a 3D action game on the Nintendo DS is the lack of a second joystick for camera movement. Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded handled it as well as any game could, mostly by limiting the size of the battle arenas.
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Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded added aFinal Fantasy 10-style skill point system, which tied well into the Command Deck mechanic brought over fromBirth by Sleep. The combat feels great, even with the hardware limitations, with a ton of customization options to keep the combat feeling fresh.
While not the only Kingdom Hearts game on the Nintendo DS, it’s the one more welcoming to newcomers.Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Daysis also a fine game, but it requires more knowledge of the franchise to enjoy.
7Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Surviving demonic lockdown
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Straight off the bat,Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivorhas an amazing hook. The player is a teenager who is trapped with their friends in Tokyo, in an area where monsters are running loose. A clock appears over their heads, counting down the days until they die.
It’s up to the player to make allegiances, defeat enemies, and gather monsters, to push back the clock and escape the lockdown.
TheShin Megami Tenseigames are known for their first and third-person adventures. In the case of Devil Survivor, it introduced an isometic perspective, with battles taking place across large maps. This helped to give Devil Survivor its own identity within the franchise.
The player must bind groups of demons to their allies, leading to controlling a small army of foes. In order to succeed in the grueling battles, players must make the most of every terrain and demon type advantage, so they can survive the horrors emerging in Japan.
6Pokemon Black 2 & White 2
A true wilderness
Pokémon Black 2
The originalPokemon Black & Whitewere decent games, with some interesting takes on existing concepts and some new mechanics thrown into the mix.
It’s the sequels that truly shined.Pokemon Black 2 & White 2gave fans what they’ve always wanted: a diverse and mixed roster of wild Pokemon to choose from, not just the brand new ones plus the Kanto favorties.
Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 are easily the most fun entries in the franchise to replay if you want a whole new gameplay experience. This is especially true for people who want to doa Nuzlocke run, as the return to Unova offers the most diverse options for players restricting their team options.
5Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Judging the competition
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire Of The Rift
The originalFinal Fantasy Tactics Advanceis an amazing title, though its tone can be a bit too dark for some.
The sequel brightened things up, with a young boy from the real world arriving in Ivalice to have fun adventures, as they form an adventuring guild and explore the fantasy world.
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Final Fantasy Tactics A2 expands on the class & race options from the first game, while retaining the Law system that limited the powers players can use in combat, forcing them to think on their feet.
There is an absolute boatload of content available in Final Fantasy Tactics A2, with hundreds of missions and battles to participate in. The thrill of growing the strength of the party and the guild is what keeps everything so fun, expanding power in the hunt for the truth about the mysterious realm of Ivalice.
4Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bride
The game of life
Dragon Quest 5
Dragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bridedoes something few RPGs do: follow a character’s life from childhood to adulthood.
In the case of Dragon Quest 5, the player goes from being a kid, to escaping slavery in their teens, meeting the love of their life, having children of their own, and eventually forming a party members with their own family.
The Dragon Quest series is composed of some of the finest JRPGs in the medium’s history, yet Dragon Quest 5 still stands out. It’s the same classic gameplay loop transposed onto an excellent story with genuine heartbreaking moments.
It’s just a shame Dragon Quest 5 hasn’t been remade in the modern era, as it’s far more deserving thanDragon Quest 3, which is much lighter on story.
3Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver
Johto’s final form
Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver
ThePokemonseries officially peaked on the Nintendo DS with the Gen 2 remakes. Frankly, everything that has been released since has been a disappointment by comparison.
Pokemon Gold & Silversuffered from Kanto being extremely bare and for most of the new Pokemon being shoved into end-game areas, leading to players using the Gen 1 critters again.
Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilverfixed these issues, allowing the best games of the classic era to achieve their final form. No other Pokemon game has this much content in its single-player mode, with two regions to explore and an epic journey to complete.
There’s a reason copies of Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver still command ridiculous prices online: it’s because no one wants to part with their copy. Why sell it when the desire to return to Johto still crops up every once in a while?
2Chrono Trigger
Doing the time warp again (again)
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Triggermight be the best JRPG of all time, so what can the Nintendo DS do to improve it?
This is a tricky question, as the game added several polarizing elements to the base game. These include a Pokemon-style monster battle simulator, a new set of quests in the Prehistoric Era, and an expanded post-game that leads into an ending tying intoChrono Cross.
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The monster arena and new quests can easily be ignored, as they’re just fluff with no substance. The post-game, however, is fantastic, especially as it brings a measure of closure to some long-running questions.
The new elements also don’t take away from the fact that Chrono Trigger is among the best games of all time, and for some players, especially in Europe, it’s the only way they can legally play it.
1The World Ends with You
The game that justified the Nintendo DS
The World Ends With You
Square Enix produced the best JRPG on the Nintendo DS and it didn’t even need the words “Dragon Quest” or “Final Fantasy” to leave a mark.
The World Ends with Youstars Neku, a young boy who is killed in a mysterious accident. He wakes up as a ghost on the streets of Shibuya, allowed to participate in the “Reaper’s Game” and complete missions, in order to win a second chance of life.
What makes The World Ends with You so unique is that it makes full use of the Nintendo DS’ twin screens, with the player controlling characters on both, with the touchscreen on the bottom and buttons for the top.
This means there’s a delicate balance between managing both characters that makes combat so much fun, something that’s lost in thegame’s modern ports.
There’s also the amazing story, deep characters, expansive combat options, unique setting, and absolute banger of a soundtrack. The World Ends with You is the total package and all Nintendo DS owners owe it to themselves to play it.
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