The 3DS could be considered Nintendo’s zombie handheld. Early in its life, sales were poor. This was mostly because of lack of games, and an uncomfortable layout.
Then it rose from the grave with a new XL version and a ton of content making it one of the most satisfying game devices you can own. So, with that in mind, we’re listing the top five 3DS games.
5) Rune Factory 4
Harvest Moon crosses Legend of Zelda, crosses Animal Crossing. It’s also the last title in the series before series developer Neverland went bankrupt. That’s what makes Rune Factory 4 great. Following an attack on your air ship (yea, air ship) your character falls through a castle roof in front of a dragon that insists you’re a prince, but also says you need to farm. The game itself just blends everything together so well that it makes sense in a fun way. It’s smart, exciting, and rewarding. The only draw back is there can be too much dialogue sometimes. I WANT TO FARM DAMMIT!
4) Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
It’s the sequel to one of the most under appreciated Game Cube games (at least when it came out), so it’s nice to see this one got a little more love. The cool thing about this game is that it’s kind of like the series went full circle with its release. When the original Luigi’s Mansion was in development Nintendo toyed with the idea of packaging a film to go over TVs to play the game in 3D. The idea was scrapped for a variety of reasons, TVs come in different sizes, and you’d have to probably wear glasses (like Rad Racer).
The gameplay is what you remember from Luigi’s Mansion, but with more mansions and you can take it anywhere. So that’s awesome.
3) Fire Emblem: Awakening
This is probably the most accessible Fire Emblem game in the series. That’s not to say it isn’t challenging though. It offers the poorly named “Casual Mode” which changes the formula up a bit so players don’t lose a character forever when they die. But the game is far from casual. It’s a deep strategy RPG where almost every move can have consequences. Depending on how often they’re paired together, players develop relationships, they begin to trust one another, and they can even have children who inherit their parent’s traits.
What makes the game so fun is that players who want a basic level of gameplay can have it, while more hard-core players have tons of things to tinker with. It’s really a game of many faces in that regard.
2) Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
A lot of people through around the phrase “Zelda Formula.” It’s mostly just to describe why the series feels repetitive at times. With A Link Between Worlds, Nintendo just threw that formula out the window and said “go wherever you want when you want” (Nintendo actually didn’t say that, but it was implied).
Thanks to a new rental feature, players don’t go to a dungeon, find an item and use it to get through the stage, and then never use it again. Instead, players choose which dungeon they go to, and can use an item to get through it (but in some cases you don’t need one). It made the game feel fresh and fun. Plus the whole thing where you can turn into a painting was interesting too.
1) Bravely Default
Honestly, Bravely Default might be one of the best RPGs made in a really long time. It follows a rag-tag clan from all walks of life that are forced to join forces for the greater good. It’s exciting, engaging, pretty and smart with some decent voice acting to boot.
But all that is an afterthought compared to the combat. This fresh take on the turn-based formula was really awesome. It all revolves around Brave Points, which are essentially turns. Players can either Default and go into a defensive shell to bank Brave Points. Or they can cash those points in and Brave. It requires some foresight because if you mortgage those points, your character is a sitting target, but if you time it just right; your entire party can take out enemies in one foul swoop.
Bravely Default isn’t just one of the best games on the 3DS, it’s one of the best games I’ve ever played.
Those were the most rewarding games I’ve played on Nintendo’s hand held. But there were a few honourable mentions.
Resident Evil: Revelations, Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D Land.
The 3DS has given me some of the best gaming I’ve played in quite some time. These were my personal favourite games, but my word isn’t scripture. What’s your favourite 3DS game?
