Although first released in 2004, the Nintendo DS still has plenty of games that are well worth playing in 2022, ranging from entries in the Pokémon franchise to installments of WarioWare. Although older consoles are difficult to come by for retro gaming enthusiasts, consoles from the 2000s now fall under that banner. Handhelds are especially becoming more and more nostalgic as their prices are usually better than consoles and their games hold up surprisingly well.

One era that’s on the precipice of being retro is the Wii, PS3, and Xbox 360 generation and it’s still relatively easy to find a console at used game stores. The Wii in particular has great emulation and PS3s and Xbox consoles have gotten fairly affordable in the past years. However, above these consoles stands the DS, the best-selling console of the generation, and while some Nintendo DS games have gotten restrictively expensive, it’s fortunately not hard to find a DS Lite or DSi for around $100.00 these days.

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The Nintendo DS is a system that’s fondly remembered for its massive library of games, but there are a few titles specifically that have stood the test of time and can still be enjoyed in 2022. The touch screen of the DS led to a lot of creative game design concepts like Brain Age, Drawn to Life, and Art Style: PiCTOBiTS. In addition to those, there are some of the smaller titles for the system that have either found a cult following or deserve one. Pokémon Conquest, WarioWare DIY, Radiant Historia, and Meteos are all games that deserve a replay and could be considered essentials of the DS library.

Pokémon Conquest Is A Crossover Nintendo DS Game Worth Revisiting

Cover artwork for Pokemon Conquest featuring various warriors posing.

Pokémon might be known for having strange spinoffs like Pokémon Ranger, Pokémon Puzzle Quest, and Pokémon Rumble, but one of the more confusing crossovers is with a tactics-based RPG that started on the NES. Nobunaga’s Ambition is a long-running series with entries as recent as 2017 that’s mostly stayed in Japan, save this crossover. The game takes place in an alternate version of feudal Japan, with the main characters being warlords with battles taking place across different gaming.

The collectible aspect of the original games are still present, as each warrior that players obtain in the game can link to any Pokémon and get bonuses for doing so. The strategy is deep and its portability factor makes it a worthwhile purchase even today. It’s definitely a one-of-a-kind Pokémon experience and a great addition to the large library of tactical games that’s available for the system.

WarioWare DIY Is a Microgame Creation Sandbox

Penny and Wario Asking You to Make Games

WarioWare: Get it Together and its Wario Cup might have brought attention back to the series, but WarioWare DIY is a forgotten gem from the Nintendo DS era that allows players to create their own microgames, right down to the art assets. Hours can be spent putting together these simple games, even just for sharing and playing locally. The game’s interface takes a second to get used to, but the tutorials will get players right back into the swing of designing microgames like it’s 2009.

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The thing that makes this so much more fun than traditional game makers is the ability to design for the touchscreen. Tapping, drawing, and interacting with the touchscreen was already fun but building games around it is another level of interactivity that can’t be achieved on console. There’s a lot in terms of design that was added to Super Mario Maker (a game that is ridiculously easy to die in) later down the road, but the freedom that WarioWare DIY gives players is unparalleled for a handheld system of that generation, only made possible with the Nintendo DS touchscreen.

Radiant Historia Is An Epic Nintendo DS RPG With Time Travel

Radiant Historia Splash Art

This game isn’t on the affordable side these days, but Radiant Historia is definitely one of the most sought-out Nintendo DS games for a reason. The rarity combined with its epic scale and great reviews make it an RPG worth finding a copy of. Radiant Historia’s gimmick is its commitment to time travel as a game mechanic, allowing players to make radical changes to the story depending on what actions they take and what they know.

The story is complex and the game rewards players for remembering elements of the future and altering the past. The game has a complex battle system with both a turn-based system and a battle grid. There was a remake for the recently updated and supported Nintendo 3DS called Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, but the original is less expensive and its art style is still pleasing in the non-3D pixel art form.

Meteos Is A Cult-Classic Puzzle Game For Nintendo DS

One of the better reviewed but somewhat forgotten games of the Nintendo DS era is Meteos, a match-three puzzler designed by Masahiro Sakurai that rivaled Bejeweled and other similar games in terms of gameplay. Players had to drag symbols downwards in order to create three of a kinds, which then turn into rockets that they must find more matches on. Making enough matches on a rocket sends it up to the top screen, which eliminates all the blocks being carried with it. It’s a game which eases new players in but has a high skill ceiling for combos.

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Much like the other underrated hidden gems for the Nintendo DS, Meteos never found an audience quite like Puyo Puyo and Tetris did, but it’s still a great arcade puzzler. There’s a multitude of modes to try, from the serious story-based Star Trip mode to the lighthearted Simple and Time War modes. Its unique line-based combo system as well as its touch controls make it a fun and engaging play even today.

The Nintendo DS not only made a bunch of games easier to play, it also made a bunch of experiences more enjoyable. The heavy use of the touchscreen as a menuing feature allowed game developers to get creative with how players interacted with their games, and the amount of both hardcore and casual titles flourished due to its control scheme and mass appeal. Picking up many of these games is a great way to experience classic games without breaking the bank on a new console or an expensive Nintendo Online subscription.

As the “retro” label widens in scope, preserving games like these will be tougher due to the unique system they released on. Emulation can help with archiving these games, but the systems that run them will always be the best way to play, given the touchscreen. The Nintendo DS is a fantastic piece of hardware that still functions well refurbished in 2022, so getting one while they’re still available is a great way to start collecting older games.

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