Too many great Nintendo DS games have been forgotten. With the Switch 2 adding a GameCube virtual console and making use of a touchscreen and motion controls, now seems like the perfect time to break out some of Nintendo’s handheld classics.
There are so many DS games we’d like to see return that it was hard narrowing this list down to just 10. But we did it. Just.
10
Super Scribblenauts Is Perfect for Joy-Cons
Super Scribblenauts lets you type the name of almost any object, and it appears in the game world to help solve puzzles. This was a groundbreaking feature when it first appeared in the original Scribblenauts.
Even better, Super Scribblenauts added adjectives, letting you change nouns to create things like a “flying, purple elephant” or a “spooky, giant dog.” Bringing this game to the Nintendo Switch 2 makes perfect sense. The Switch 2 has new Joy-Cons that can work like a mouse, and motion controls that could be used like a pointer.
This would make interacting with the game a lot easier than it would be on a traditional console that’s plugged into a TV and only uses a gamepad. Scribblenauts is a classic game emphasizes fun and creativity, and isn’t that what Nintendo is all about?
Super Scribblenauts
- Released
-
October 12, 2010
- ESRB
-
e
- Developer(s)
-
5th Cell
- Publisher(s)
-
Warner Bros. Games, Konami
- Engine
-
Objectnaut
9
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors is the first entry in the Zero Escape series, a visual novel with escape-room puzzles. The gameplay switches between reading story segments in Novel sections and solving puzzles in Escape sections to advance.
Bringing this game to the Nintendo Switch 2 would be a smart move because the game didn’t necessarily need two screens. It was more like a way to access things a simple menu could have given you.
What’s important is that the core point-and-click and text-based gameplay would translate well thanks to the touch screen, and even an on-screen mouse cursor would work. It really wouldn’t take much to port this game over to the Nintendo Switch 2.
999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
- Released
-
November 16, 2010
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Chunsoft
- Publisher(s)
-
Spike Chunsoft, Aksys Games
- Franchise
-
Zero Escape
8
Advance Wars: Dual Strike Was the Best
Advance Wars: Dual Strike is a great game in the turn-based strategy series. The main gameplay involved moving units on a grid, capturing objectives, and fighting enemies, much like a military-themed version of chess.
This game kept the original gameplay style but added a lot more content. You could choose from almost 30 different Commanding Officers, each with their own personality and unit bonuses.
A big new feature was the Dual Strike system, which lets you team up two COs and even use a powerful “tag CO power” where both take a turn. While you could use the touchscreen, the turn-based gameplay means you can take your time with buttons if needed.
Advance Wars: Dual Strike
- Released
-
June 23, 2005
- ESRB
-
Everyone // Cartoon Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Intelligent Systems
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
- Multiplayer
-
Local Multiplayer
- Prequel(s)
-
Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising
- Sequel(s)
-
Advance Wars: Days of Ruin
7
Pokémon Conquest Needs a Remake
Pokémon Conquest is a special strategy Pokémon spin-off RPG that combines the world of Pokémon with the historical simulation gameplay of Nobunaga’s Ambition. It came out on the DS in 2012 and gave players a new way to experience Pokémon.
The game took place in the Ransei region, a land inspired by feudal Japan. Your mission is to take over all seventeen kingdoms by fighting turn-based tactical battles on a grid. You would gather warriors and their partners, with each Pokémon usually knowing just one move.
Tactical RPGs have done well on the Switch, so this could be a clear winner. Since the Pokémon brand has grown even bigger thanks to hits like Pokémon GO and Netflix shows, a new Conquest could attract a much larger audience now.
Pokemon Conquest
- Released
-
June 18, 2012
- ESRB
-
E For Everyone due to Mild Cartoon Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
-
Koei Tecmo
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo, The Pokemon Company
- Multiplayer
-
Local Multiplayer, Online Multiplayer
6
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars used an isometric camera angle and a cel-shaded art style that made it look like the loading screens from other games in the series. This gave it a comic book-like vibe.
Even though the DS wasn’t as powerful as home consoles, the game included almost everything from the bigger GTA titles in a way that worked perfectly for a handheld. You explored Liberty City, mixing the classic top-down gameplay of the older games with features from the 3D era.
The Nintendo Switch 2 could use the minigames that broke up the action, like hotwiring cars, crafting Molotov cocktails, or giving tattoos. You even used the microphone for things like blowing on scratch-off cards or calling a cab.
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
- Released
-
March 17, 2009
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Rockstar Leeds, Rockstar North
- Publisher(s)
-
Rockstar Games
- Engine
-
RenderWare
5
Luminous Arc Does Turn-Based Strategy Well
Luminous Arc is a tactical turn-based role-playing game series published by Atlus. Unlike many games like it, the game does not force players to grind in order to see credits.
While it never became as famous as franchises like Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics, it is still a fun and well-made strategy RPG. If you’ve never played it, it is likely due to it being stuck on the DS for so long.
Many beloved DS games have not been playable on newer systems due to the need for the stylus, but that’s really not necessary in this case. The Switch 2 seems like a good fit for this title because it can be easily ported, and the story still holds up.
4
Nintendogs Would Work Well With a Touch Screen
Nintendogs was a very popular pet simulation game that came out on the Nintendo DS. It was incredibly popular because it let you raise and spend time with your own virtual puppy.
You could feed, wash, train, and play with the dog breed you picked. It was a fun and low-risk pet experience for people who couldn’t have a real one.
The game used the DS’s features really well, but that could easily be translated to the Nintendo Switch 2. You can touch the screen to pet and play with your dog, and you can use the microphone to call its name or tell it to do tricks, just like you could on the DS. I’d like to see a full-blown Nintendogs reboot on the Switch 2.
Nintendogs
- Released
-
August 22, 2005
- ESRB
-
e
- Developer(s)
-
Nintendo EAD
- Franchise
-
Nintendogs
3
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 Has a Great Style
Hotel Dusk: Room 215 is a gripping adventure game on the Nintendo DS that pulls you in with its distinct style and mysterious story. It really stood out because of its bold sketch-like graphics and rotoscoped characters.
You take on the role of Kyle Hyde, a former NYPD detective turned salesman who checks into the hotel while looking for his missing partner. The game was made with the DS in mind and incorporates the device in many ways.
What’s cool is that the game used the DS hardware in clever ways that stick with you. You held the system sideways like a book, with both screens sometimes combining into one picture. The touchscreen and stylus were key for moving around the hotel, writing in Kyle’s notebook, and solving puzzles. Some puzzles even had you shut the DS itself as part of the solution.
Hotel Dusk: Room 215
- Released
-
January 22, 2007
- ESRB
-
Teen // Mild Language, Mild Violence, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
-
Cing
- Publisher(s)
-
Nintendo
- Number of Players
-
1
2
Add Joy-Cons to Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2
Trauma Center: Under The Knife 2 followed the story of Dr. Derek Stiles and Nurse Angie Thompson three years after the first game. The game tested your skills with complicated surgeries as you dealt with the return of GUILT, a man-made disease, along with other new medical dangers.
While you use the touchscreen to carefully control surgical tools during operations, the Joy-Cons could arguably work just as well. They would likely be better at making the game feel real, and things could get very Surgeon Simulator when you mess up.
The two screens usually showed the surgery on one and patient stats or tools on the other, but that can also turn into a split screen on the Nintendo Switch 2. While some of the DS’s unique mechanics would need clever workarounds, the main gameplay of precise touch-based surgery fits well with the Switch 2’s features.
Trauma Center: Under The Knife 2
- Released
-
July 1, 2008
- ESRB
-
T For Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Vanguard
- Publisher(s)
-
Atlus
1
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is a sequel to the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance series. It keeps the turn-based tactical battles played on a grid and the detailed job system but lets characters of different races take on various roles and learn different abilities.
The game had a huge amount of content, including more than 400 quests that could keep you playing for over 90 hours. This series is well-loved, but is not what you’d be used to if you played other Final Fantasy titles.
The DS’s dual screens were useful for managing menus and viewing battlefield information, but that can be moved to a pause menu. It’s one of those games that could be ported without many issues as long as the team keeps the core element there.
Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire Of The Rift
- Released
-
June 24, 2008
- ESRB
-
Everyone 10+ // Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
-
Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
-
Square Enix
- Franchise
-
Final Fantasy
- Number of Players
-
1
There are plenty of other DS games that should end up on Nintendo Switch 2, but these are the best. If we are only able to get a few, then it’d still be a win.
This likely all depends on how much backing these kinds of projects get with Nintendo. If there isn’t an audience then it won’t happen, but there’s definitely a big fanbase for DS games. If you’re looking for a successful example of a DS port to the original Switch, check out Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective.