Welcome, once again! This is a sequel to another article about hidden (and not so hidden) games on the Nintendo DS. The library is filled to the brim with games that are largely unknown to the public. Only a true connoisseur has access to the knowledge that I’m about to impart you. Just like with the previous entry, not every game in here is good, but sometimes you have to taste the bad to appreciate the good.
AUTOR'S NOTE: although this article (as well as the previous one) focuses on games that are largely unknown, I also like to include games that, within their franchises, get less recognition. In a way, they're also hidden games, although not in the most strict sense. Please, bear with me.
SONIC CHRONICLES: THE DARK BROTHERHOOD
At least the art is cool.
- Release: 2008
- Developer: BioWare
1. Long battles: battles in Sonic Chronicles try to imitate the dynamic style present in some turn-based RPGs, such as Paper Mario. While this is true, at least in theory, it’s very poorly executed. There are two reasons: the time it takes to execute a move (it can be up to 10 seconds in certain moves) and the fact that executing all commands properly doesn’t empower the move, but rather makes it not fail. That means that if you miss a single command, you waste a turn. Wonderful.
2. The Chao system: Chao in Dark Brotherhood are items that you can equip, and they boost specific abilities of the playable characters. The main problem with Chao is that obtaining them is purely up to luck, so you have no control over which one you can obtain. This is particularly bad when you consider that some Chao have skills that can break the game easily.
3. Cream the Rabbit: Cream is the strongest and most broken character in the game. She has important supporting abilities (mainly healing ones) and more MP than the rest of the team. Although her action commands are easy to miss, if you happen to have the Chao that allows you to ignore the command system (yes, that’s a thing), she’s pretty much an infinite battery for the team. This means that even if you have the worst strategy ever, you’ll most likely win.
4. Armor pierce: plenty of enemies have absurdly high defense, so the only realistic way of defeating them is by using moves that pierce armor. The problem is that the game gives no indication that these moves exist, and the defense of said enemies is never infinite, so one may think that you simply need to grind to beat those enemies. Although this may seem that it incentivizes experimentation, it's just poorly implemented. However, the worst part is that there’s a chance that you’ll never get said moves, because the moves that you can get are up to you upon leveling up, not predetermined, so if you don’t pick them at the right time… well, you’re done for.
5. Several points of no return: points of no return, by themselves, are common in older JRPGs, and if they exist, they tend to happen towards the end of the game or the end of a part (think of Final Fantasy VI). In Dark Brotherhood, they are too common, and for no real reason.
6. Useless New Game+: the best New Game+ in most games tend to offer you something new in comparison to the first playthrough. For example, the Ratchet and Clank games have higher difficulty in their NG+ and sometimes bring you new weapons. Others, such as Yakuza, don’t offer anything in particular, but at least those games are fun, and you have the incentive of getting the achievement for beating the game in the hardest difficulty with ease. Sonic Chronicles is of the latter, so because of how awful the game is, the NG+ is absolutely worthless.
7. Horrendous music: just listen to this...
OKAMIDEN
In spite of worse graphics, the DS entry manages to capture the artistic spirit of the original.
- Release: 2010
- Developer: Capcom.
The gameplay is different from the previous entry. For starters, the camera is mostly fixed. Chibiterasu itself can’t attack, but it can use the Celestial Brush (as well as its partners) to attack enemies. The Celestial Brush itself can be used to direct the mounted companion to certain places to solve puzzles.
It’s been a while since I beat this game, so I have a lot of blanks and information is a bit incomplete. What I can assure you, however, is that the art style is superb (even if the graphics are worse than in the first game because of the difference in console), the music is just as beautiful, and the story has some cute moments. Oh, yeah, and you don’t visit almost any place from the first game, which is a pity. Recommended if you enjoyed the first game, but think of this as more of an spin-off instead of a sequel.
AUTOR'S NOTE: user @TentaclesMod pointed out a few things that I got wrong. This is a result of, well, me not bothering to replay the game again after a million years, unlike Solatorobo. You can find the original comment below, but I'll post it here as well. Credits to them:
"There are six total partners, although the first one is Issun and he's truly useless. Chibiterasu CAN fight on his own, there are even different kinds of weapons, like swords and disks which play differently. The partners add to your damage significantly, but there are even short segments where you have no partner (when you lose a partner due to story reasons and before you get the next), for not mentioning that Issun seriously does nothing, is not until Kuni that you get your first real partner."
Again, my apologies!
KIRBY: MASS ATTACK
As with other games near the end of the cycle, the spritework is marvelous.
- Release: 2011
- Developer: HAL Laboratory
The game is played solely with the touch screen. You collect as many mini Kirbys as you can and direct them with the stylus. There’s no absorption and, therefore, no abilities, so the Kirbys have to work together to go back to normal. It’s a cute game, different from the usual and plays quite well. It also has some fun minigames that you can play in your spare time. Give this one a try if you like Kirby!
MARIO HOOPS 3-ON-3
Aside from the classics, we've got unexpected guests I want White Mage to do unspeakable things to me
- Release: 2006
- Developer: Square Enix
One of the most unique things of the game is the roster. Not only do you have the classic Mario characters, but you also have Final Fantasy characters: the Black Mage, the White Mage, the Moogle and, most importantly, the Cactuar. Each character has their own stats and unique Special Shots, which are very powerful and have to be performed through the touch screen. It’s really cool, and although some characters share the way you perform the Special Shot, each one has their own, unique animation.
I could never finish this game as a kid because it got too hard for me, but it’s a lot of fun, and because each character is different, you can make a lot of team compositions. If you enjoy basketball, definitely check this one out.
SOLATOROBO: RED THE HUNTER
Aside from terrific graphics, the art style and the character designs are superb.
- Developer: CyberConnect 2
- Release: 2010
In all seriousness, Solatorobo is a difficult game to classify, but you can say it’s an Action RPG, albeit not a very conventional one. You control Red, who can either ride his robot Dahak or go on foot. The robot is very strong, and can lift heavy things and enemies. As a result, to defeat them, Red has to lift them and throw them to the ground several times. You can also customize the robot with parts to increase its stats, provided you have space to place them. On the other hand, Red on foot is very weak. All he can do is jump and stun enemies with a gun. It’s obvious that non-robot gameplay is for urgencies and not something important. The story is fine for the most part. It’s not spectacular, but it’s fun enough.
The real strength of Solatorobo, however, is its graphics. Perhaps it is because it was near the end of the lifespan of the Nintendo DS, but they are very good. The backgrounds are well detailed, the pixel art is top notch, the models barely look jagged and, to top it off, it has wonderful character design and masterful color. It’s one of the best looking games on the Nintendo DS.
This was also one of the first games I beat when I got my Nintendo DS, and I barely remember anything about it except the protagonist, his sister and specific parts towards the end. In fact, I’m surprised by how little I remember about the game, which made me start replaying it recently. And it’s as good as I expected! I’m having a lot of fun with it. It’s pretty much a first playthrough, because I didn’t even remember there were flying sections.
THE KYLE HYDE DUOLOGY - HOTEL DUSK: ROOM 2015 AND LAST WINDOW: THE SECRET OF CAPE WEST
I want to kiss the artist behind this arts.
- Developer: CIng
- Release date: 2007 for Hotel Dusk; 2010 for Last Window.
These are two visual novels that use the Nintendo DS’ capabilities to the fullest. For starters, you have to hold your Nintendo DS like a book, which fits a lot because you’re playing a detective, as well as the hand-drawn graphics. You’ll have to write, draw, blow, speak and more. For a visual novel, the gameplay is surprisingly good, and it features some amazing puzzles. There’s one in particular where you have to close the console to get a specific reaction. There’s no other game that goes this hard with the Nintendo DS.
Aside from that, you get not one, but TWO really good detective stories. They are filled with intrigue, have amazing plot twists, the characters are very well written and, to top it off, they sport a great pencil-drawn aesthetic that is timeless. The perfect set of visual novels, Umineko could never. Both games are equally good, I couldn’t pick one over the other.
Unfortunately, the company that did them no longer exists. Nintendo didn’t bother rescuing them from bankruptcy. A pity!
SHIN-CHAN: ¡FLIPA EN COLORES!
The game features the iconic art style from Yoshito Usui, the original creator.
Do you know about Crayon Shin-chan? It’s a manga and anime series created by Yoshito Usui (may God rest his soul) that’s very popular in only two countries: Japan and Spain. Outside of that? Not much traction. You may not know about him, but here in Spain it's quite the phenomenon. As a result, a lot of games release only in those two countries (some of them don't even come out of Japan). But I digress. This is a pretty cool platformer available on the console. The gameplay itself doesn’t do anything in particular to stand out from other platformers, but it controls pretty well, and the levels are fun. On the other hand, you can use the touch screen to paint certain places with color and do something. For example, if there’s a pit, you can paint it blue, and it will be filled with water. It’s a pretty fun mechanic. There are also costumes that give Shin-chan certain powerups, but the color mechanic is much more interesting. It’s also filled with the humor and vibes of the show, so fans will feel at home with one. If you like Shin-chan and happen to know Spanish or Japanese, give this one a try! It even has the Spanish dub!
By the way, the name of the game is difficult to translate because it's a typical Spanish expression. Literally, it's translated as "go mental in colors", and it means to be very amazed by something.
And that will be all for today. Expect more recommendations in the future. Bye bye!
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