The Nintendo DS games are unique to themselves even though they are the usual affairs. The dual screen nature of the stylus just creates a brand new experience. Still, here are seven of the most unique Nintendo DS games.
Most unique nintendo ds games
7. Contact
Contact offers a unique gameplay experience, in all of its facets: story, cast, sound, graphics, battles, multiplayer, and various additional features. The game introduces Terry, the hero, and other characters like the Professor, Mochi, and the CosmoNOT'S. The story begins with the player interacting with the Professor via the touch screen, setting off an adventure involving a green gem, a spaceship, and the pursuit of fuel cells by the CosmoNOT'S.
The most innovative aspect of this game is its unique gameplay mechanics. The player taps B to enter a battle stance, uses the stylus to initiate attacks, and manages various stats that evolve based on combat actions and interactions. Three types of weapons, customization options, and multiplayer features enhance the gameplay further.
The multiplayer concept involves friend codes and Wi-Fi island, where friends' NPCs provide items and decals. Costumes, decals, and stickers add depth to the game, allowing for different magical abilities, armor enhancements, and unique effects. Contact is as great as it is unique. Unfortunately, all of its innovative features are gimped if played today. Even then, the game deserves a spot on this list.
6. Elite Beat Agents
Elite Beat Agents adopts an artistic direction which is a predominantly 2D style complemented by manga-style intros and sharp 3D character animations during gameplay. The gameplay offers a simple yet challenging rhythm-action experience, requiring players to tap, slide, and spin on the Touch Screen in sync with the music.
With five progressively difficult levels, the game provides a satisfying learning curve. In single-player mode, players navigate through various locations on a 3D map, with the success of each level influencing the story.
Elite Beat Agents also has great production in sound, music, and voice acting, featuring catchy cover versions of real songs, creative sound effects, and infectious voice clips. The game's narrative revolves around the Elite Beat Agents, a secret government organization that uses dance to inspire those in need.
5. Yoshi’s Touch & Go
Yoshi's Touch & Go delivers a unique and original gaming experience specifically for the DS hardware. Despite sharing the Yoshi's Island name, the game diverges from traditional platformers, emphasizing puzzle-solving and record-chasing objectives. Its visual appeal, with detailed graphics and vibrant colors, complements the addictive gameplay, while incredible music sets the mood.
The game's four modes—Score Attack, Endless, Challenge, and Time Attack—offer diverse challenges as players navigate vertically scrolling sky sections and horizontally scrolling land sections. In the sky, players guide baby Mario using clouds, encircling enemies to convert them into coins. The land section features Yoshi carrying baby Mario, requiring players to use clouds and eggs for navigation and defeating enemies. Each mode introduces unique objectives, from achieving the highest score to rescuing baby Luigi quickly and balancing eggs with the remaining time.
This seemingly thin game has depth, it lies in the difficulty of achieving high scores and mastering each mode. Yoshi's Touch & Go exemplifies Nintendo's ability to create innovative and entertaining games that fully leverage the capabilities of their hardware. Every DS owner should have had this game in their library.
4. The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road
The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road offers a fresh and imaginative twist on the classic Wizard of Oz narrative, introducing new characters and a unique storyline that loosely follows the original tale. Dorothy meets her companions early in the game, and strategic elements are introduced as players learn which characters are effective against specific enemies.
The game's four seasonal areas, each tied to a different season, showcase impressive graphics on the Nintendo DS, with attention to detail and beautifully designed landscapes creating visually stunning levels. The controls are both user-friendly and smooth.
What makes The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road is that the battles involve choosing characters based on their ratios and strengths, with the addition of magic providing a customizable approach to combat. The semi-automatic battle system strikes a balance between strategy and customization.
While the story is enjoyable and adds new elements to the classic tale, the game's length is not extensive, offering around 25-30 hours of gameplay. Although replay value is limited, completionists and those eager to revisit the unique story may find reasons to return. This game is recommended for fans of the genre and those seeking a creative take on the Wizard of Oz universe. With impressive visuals, engaging gameplay, and a fresh coat-of-paint to an otherwise overly familiar narrative, The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road is not just a unique game but also a great one.
3. Magical Starsign
Magical Starsign offers a distinctive plot where players can customize their characters by choosing between Light and Dark magic before embarking on an interplanetary quest to find a missing teacher. The narrative unfolds across various planets. Magical Starsign captivates with its visually stunning graphics, primarily presented in vibrant 2D sprites. The game successfully avoids the pitfalls of grainy 3D graphics.
The true highlight of Magical Starsign lies in its gameplay as the turn-based combat system engages players with strategic depth, incorporating planetary positions to influence character power-ups. The touch screen interface allows for interactive spellcasting and defense.
The game incorporates an astrology system tied to the elements, planets, and real-time orbits, providing power boosts to characters and enemies of the corresponding element. The introduction of Spellstrikes, activated through touch screen interactions, enhances the battles, allowing players to add an extra impact to spells and defend against attacks. The character progression includes leveling up and learning spells, with impressive final spell animations. Equipment plays a crucial role, with set bonuses for collecting specific gear combinations.
Magical Starsign is a solid RPG on the Nintendo DS, offering a fun concept for an otherwise stale JRPG experience. This may not have groundbreaking innovations but most games which introduces new core gameplay are somehow terrible to play, but Magical Starsign ain't that.
2. Warioware: Touched!
Warioware Touched! takes the unconventional microgame concept to the Nintendo DS, offering a plethora of rapid-fire, quirky challenges that showcase the handheld's touch screen and microphone capabilities.
The graphics, while not graphically intensive, feature a diverse range of styles, including 8-bit and black & white aesthetics, creating a charming visual experience. The game's simplicity in design ensures that the fast-paced microgames remain clear and engaging without unnecessary distractions.
The hyper and addictive music complements the microgame experience, with catchy tunes that evolve as the game's pace intensifies. Sound effects add charm to the microgames. The gameplay itself stands out with its dynamic microgames, each themed around specific characters. The touch screen and microphone interactions add an extra layer of immersion, testing the player's reflexes and creativity. The diverse characters and their unique sets of microgames prevent the experience from feeling monotonous, adding replayability.
Warioware Touched! excels in providing quick and enjoyable bursts of gameplay, making it an ideal pick-up-and-play title. The game's replay value stems from the pursuit of high scores and the charming randomness of the microgames. The inclusion of a toy room with various unlockables further enhances the overall experience, providing additional activities beyond microgame challenges.
1. Guitar Hero: On Tour
Guitar Hero: On Tour merges the console experience of Guitar Hero with the portable innovation of the Nintendo DS, resulting in a mostly successful experiment. The now-defunct RedOctane, embraced a "trial and error" approach during development, leading to the creation of the "Guitar Grip" controller that fits into DS's GBA slot. The innovative control mechanism involves holding the DS horizontally, manipulating a pick-shaped stylus across a virtual guitar while pressing fret buttons with the opposite hand. Despite its imperfections causing discomfort during extended use, the Guitar Grip is considered as good as it could be.
The gameplay, with familiar mechanics from console versions, includes star power, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. The career mode remains similar to console versions, featuring tiers and setlists. Battle mode returns with new weapons utilizing DS features. This is the most unique game on the platform and it is not even close.