Top 10 Nintendo 3DS Games

The most mature title on this list, Resident Evil Revelations was not a game that I expected to enjoy as much as I did when I first booted it up on 3DS. As a long time fan of the Resident Evil series, Revelations attempted to strike a balance between the suspense-filled tension of earlier games and the quicker gun-heavy pace of Resident Evil 4 – and it smashed it. Set on a Ghost Ship, there are times where you’ll be slowly traversing claustrophobic, rusty corridors – jumping at the creaks and moans of the battered vessel – and others where you’re in larger open spaces, like the Ships’ dining area, battering hordes of zombies. These two different paces are paired excellently throughout the story, creating a great tempo to a classic 3DS game. Also, you had to play this game with a Circle Pad Pro, which is basically a second analog stick and – for some reason – my favourite Nintendo accessory ever made!

Since the N64, every Nintendo home console saw a new Smash Bros. released. However, the franchise never made its way onto a handheld console until the 3DS. Super Smash Bros. for a 3DS’ only flaw is that the title is stupidly long. What happened to the days of adding a cool word to the end, like Melee or Brawl? Anyway, the 3DS’ hardware allowed Nintendo to facilitate this massive game on a small cartridge – and oh boy, they packed in the content. Releases briefly before the Wii U counterpart, the game features the exact same fighters as the home console variant and added 17 newcomers such as Pac Man, Shulk and Bowser Jr. It features the 3DS specific ‘Smash Run’, which I preferred to Wii U’s Smash Tour, as well a whole heap of single-player modes – and of course, online. Whilst the smaller screen perhaps struggled with 4 player battles, it worked well for 1v1, which is personally how I prefer to play. So although the 3DS version doesn’t entirely present the hecticness and fun of a traditional Smash Bros. game on the smaller screen, it was a terrific first (and probably last) attempt on a handheld console.

Sure, I may have complained about a 12-year wait for a new Luigi’s Mansion title earlier on. However, I should count my lucky stars. Kid Icarus fans were tortured by a 26-year long wait between the original release on the NES in 1986 and the only other title – Kid Icarus: Uprising – on the 3DS in 2012. Part on-rail shooter, part on-ground action/adventure/shooter, Kid Icarus: Uprising, at the time, felt like one of the most original titles Nintendo had produced in a decade. Created by Smash Bros. series legend Masahiro Sakurai, KIU is full of charm, characters and plenty of action. Each level begins with the on-rail flying section, where you have limited control of protagonist Pit to dodge and shoot oncoming mythical monsters. Throughout these sections, there’s A LOT of dialogue between Pit, Palutena, Dark Pit and other characters, all of which is tongue in cheek – and quite funny if you don’t take it too seriously. These segments end with the on-ground section, where your control of Pit becomes more substantial as you traverse ruins finding treasure, fighting enemies, and usually, a boss at the end. There was also an incredible online 3v3 mode where you could customise your weapons and go into battle – it was pretty addictive! Overall, I love KIU, and if you can get through the hand cramp from the “unique” control setup, you’re in for a quality time.

Before Fire Emblem Awakening, my knowledge and interest in the series was pretty low. Whilst my knowledge is probably no better, my love for the franchise has skyrocketed, launched into the stratosphere by the incredible Fire Emblem Awakening. Following the story of Chrom and his “Shepherds”, you play a master tactician (Robin), who’s got a bad case of the old amnesia. After dreaming of killing Chrom, you awake in a field with no memory and are soon onboarded by Chrom’s memory band of chums. The real-time strategy game has everything you’d expect – various classes with strengths and weaknesses, RPG elements to level up characters, and a “rock, paper, scissor” style match up for battles. However, what really shines is the story and depth of the character building. The story itself unravels and expands numerously throughout its course, with time-travel elements thrown in to keep the player guessing. Whilst the character-building allows relationships between the Shepherds to flourish, unlocking new and engaging dialogue. I loved Fates, I loved Birthright, but Awakening for me is the best on the system and still my favourite all-time Fire Emblem to date.

Of course – it’s a Zelda title. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is a gem of a 3DS game that I feel often gets overlooked. It’s set within the same Hyrule as Link to the Past, which many people saw as lazy and repetitive, but it’s the game’s main mechanic that allows you to see this Hyrule from a whole new perspective. Typically, ALBW is a top-down Zelda game; however, Link gains the ability in ALBW to merge into the walls and move across these like an animated painting. This mechanic is used for puzzle solving, traversing the overworld and dungeons, and defeating enemies. While this mechanic is unique and new to the series, ABLW was also the series’s first foray into a completely nonlinear approach. Whilst Breath of the Wild is probably now the best-known title in the game for how much/how little you can complete, and in whatever order you like, ALBW first dipped its toe in this glorious pool. The game first presents you with 3 dungeons before you gather the master sword, followed by a further 8; however, you can approach eat set of dungeons in whatever order you like. This is partly thanks to the weapon system, a rent-your-own-items setup from Ravio, a quirky character that aids Link throughout his mission. Chuck in the Mother Maimai side quest (one of my favourite Top 10 Zelda Sidequests), which expands an already lengthy game, and you’ve got what I consider a worthy winner for the best 3DS game.