Reject Switch 2, Return to DS

Well, I haven't dumped a block of text on here since the the new year, for a few reasons. Mostly, though, I've been in a kind of gaming funk for a while now. I have indulged almost exclusively in backlog titles this year, with the only new releases being visual novels (and Doom: The Dark Ages, which I'm still sorting out my feelings on). I'm not joking in the least when I say my most anticipated release of 2025 is PowerWash Simulator 2. I do want to see what the fuss is around Expedition 33, and Death Stranding 2 will be a fascinating train wreck, but I can't say I'm breaking down the door to play them. From my stack of old games, many I was expecting to love didn't hit. After this happened a number of times, I began to feel like the problem was with me. And I don't want to waste everyone's time just complaining.

As for the big launch of the Switch 2 next month, it's much the same. I'm sure Mario Kart will be a fun time. That said, I could probably play it for an hour or two at a friend's house and get my fill. Donkey Kong's new face is weird and I'm tired of pretending otherwise. And while I played both Metroid Prime and Kirby Air Ride on the GameCube, I was never as loud of a supporter as some. I haven't yet seen the must-have software that DEMANDS spending the $1500 or whatever to get. That's the same situation I was in for the first year of the original Switch. Once Smash Ultimate was announced, I caved and proceeded to enjoy dozens of great games on the system over the years. That could happen again, but I don't think my funk can be fixed by buying yet another expensive gadget. Rather, I have found a way out of the tunnel by returning to a nostalgic form factor.

The Nintendo DS has to be my most-played handheld. A stalwart companion, I remember taking my black DS Lite pretty much everywhere. Yet, when I took inventory of the games I played while the system was current, the number was smaller than I expected. That just means I have tons of new-to-me titles to experience as well as unfinished business with games I was unable to beat back then.

One of the best-selling DS games, and Nintendo games period, that I never owned for myself is the original New Super Mario Bros. This sub-series grew to be disliked by many Mario fans, not without reason. But I've played the Wii and Wii U iterations and generally find them to be overhated. They may not be the most inventive games out there (and they certainly aren't “New” anymore), but even the least inspired Nintendo platformer has better level design than most things you can compare it to. In this case, I wanted to measure up the DS hit with Super Mario Bros. Wonder - which, let's be real, is a NSMB game with a graphical facelift. And, given that I went through the rigamarole of 100% in Wonder, I felt like speeding through this game.

Go that route, and NSMB takes around an hour to finish. As in Mario's past adventures, digging around in certain levels rewards shortcuts to future worlds. The consequence of that is a voluntary difficulty spike, so the game started kicking my ass towards the end. In 2D Mario, I've always had an issue with refusing to slow down for any reason. The selection of powerups you can lose in that way is pretty slim here. There's the obligatory fire flower, and the mega mushroom that's more of a cheat item. The mini mushroom opens new paths, but you're extra vulnerable. And the blue shell I don't think I was able to hold onto for more than 10 seconds. I think a flight-granting ability was deliberately withheld here, to the benefit of the level design. Nothing is going to blow your mind, but the fundamentals are great. Introduce an obstacle, develop it, then move onto the next thing. It's the most obvious thing you hear when making a platformer, yet still not everyone has a handle on it like Nintendo. Contrary to its reputation, NSMB throws a lot of weird ideas at the wall, which does lend it some staying power. Other than the title, the worst-aging aspect is the art style. The blurry 3D models might have been a good look 20 years ago, but it really can't hold a candle to the excellent 2D art on the DS, some of which we'll discuss later. It would be hard to recommend NSMB as the ONE Mario game you NEED to play, but I don't think it sold so many millions undeservedly.

For an example of platformer that doesn't quite measure up, let's look at a previously unfinished childhood game, Drawn to Life. Made by the folks who would go on to do Scribblenauts, this has similar themes of creation. You might be reminded of Actraiser, as you split time between embodying God in a top-down overworld and your avatar in 2D action stages. It's not that involved, though - the interstitial segments are just story content with some occasional drawing of stuff that shows up in your village. It's a game that compensates for stiff platforming controls with the novelty of having it done by a guy you drew yourself. Unfortunately, upon loading my ancient save file, I discovered that I have not improved at drawing at all in the intervening years. In fairness, the resolution you have to work with would make it tough for anyone to create something that looks good, and it will inevitably clash with the appealing pixel art.

Once you get into the levels themselves, you're met with a structure that rubs me the wrong way. No pun intended, because you actually do have to look around for black goop to rub on the touch screen, as well as villagers to rescue and pages for the Book of Life. Until you find all of these, you can't progress. I generally prefer these trinkets to be optional. In this case, you have so little screen real estate, backtracking can be less than ideal. I'm also probably overstating it. The stages aren't huge, and as long as you're keeping an eye out, you'll be okay. Ultimately, though, the mechanics are too basic to carry the game on their own, and the drawing gimmick loses its luster after a while. It's thankfully not a long game, and the story does become kind of sweet at the end. I don't associate the DS with a lot of voice, so there being a full credits song with lyrics took me by surprise.

Clearly, I wasn't thinking big enough.

On a list of DS hidden gems, odds are good that Elite Beat Agents will show up. What some may not know, though, is that it's a sequel to a Japan-exclusive title called Osu! Tatake! Ouendan which came out a few years earlier. Since I have a magic DS that grants my wish of playing any game, I wanted to try that one first. Various citizens are having very stressful days. They dramatically call out for Ouendan, and a trio of buff cheerleaders arrive to dance until the poor saps gain the motivation to accomplish the impossible. All the story is conveyed through comic panels, and while the text may be Japanese, the physical comedy translates just fine. You will experience scenarios like a racehorse pursuing a burglar or a dad turning huge to fight a kaiju. Even if I didn't understand every cultural touchstone, every new episode was a delight to discover.

Even on normal difficulty, though, the game can be unforgiving. Your life is constantly counting down, kept at bay by hitting notes and massively depleted with every miss. You can get in situations where the note chart won't give you the chance to recover and you're struggling just to stay afloat. Here's a tip that I had to figure out for myself. In every other rhythm game I've played, releasing a held note counts as part of the timing. Here, though, you want to keep the stylus held down until after the note disappears. Releasing it before then will count against you. Until I realized that, I heard the intro to Linda Linda about a dozen times. Still, this is a great game with quite a legacy. I should have realized it earlier, but the Osu browser game is a clone of this title and takes its name from it. In addition to Elite Beat Agents, there's another JP-only sequel to Ouendan, and the director also did Gitarooman (which is also very difficult for me). I'd like to get around to all of it if my wishes come true.

I'm sure that for many people, Professor Layton is synonymous with the DS. It's where the series began and, unlike Ace Attorney, those games have yet to be ported to modern hardware. I played the crossover between the two franchises last year, and I was surprised how much I loved it, specifically the puzzles from the Layton side of the equation. I was eager to jump back and start the series from the beginning, but… I'll be honest, I'm kind of struggling here. The puzzle design ethos here is pretty different. A lot of the time, it's more like a math workbook. You'll just get a paragraph of text and have to work out the answer with a pen and paper. Except half the time, it's a trick question. You go through all that brain twisting, and then the game essentially mocks you for the effort. Maybe I need to stick with it some more, or should I just jump to the later games?

The big-ticket item today is another widely beloved game that I didn't understand at the time. From the lucrative world of Pokémon, it's Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. I found this to be impossibly difficult as a kid. But as the years went on, I consistently heard people say it was one of the best Pokémon products out there. Really? A second chance was in order. I intended to pick up my old save, but some time in the last 15 years, my brother had deleted it and started his own. His partner was Bulbasaur (my favorite Pokémon) and his self-insert was a cute Riolu (if you don't know, he evolves into Lucario from Smash). Satisfied with this and with just 40 minutes recorded, I played from there.

Mystery Dungeon is a series of roguelite dungeon crawlers spanning many platforms and franchises. You traverse floors of rectangular rooms and snaking hallways, collecting treasure and fighting enemies in the process. The Pokémon setting is well-suited to this, and knowing generally what each creature will be able to do is an advantage. Generation 4 was my sweet spot, when I could still name all of the Pokémon (The similarly loved Black and White singlehandedly killed my enthusiasm for the franchise, though I did go back and finish it eventually). In any case, it was nostalgic coming back to this setting. The work of creating unique sprites for the hundreds of Pokémon in the game must have been a mammoth undertaking, and they all look great. Everything is clearly readable even so small on the screen.

Explorers has a reputation as the best story in the franchise. To me, that's saying pretty much nothing, but I can't really refute it either. It starts as a typical isekai adventure, with a sprinkling of amnesia and mysterious powers to really round out the tropes. The storytelling is also very kid-coded, complete with flashbacks showing you events from the literal same cutscene you are currently watching. But I can't deny a cozy charm that emanates from the guild and its members. Once things get intense in the second half, you're invested, and some genuinely effective scenes are pulled off.

The success I was missing from my first attempted playthrough depended on two things. First, linked moves allowing you to take two actions in one turn, which can be incredibly strong. Second, using seeds that inflict status effects on bosses. They can trivialize encounters that are otherwise daunting. The size of dungeons in the main story is typically manageable. Sometimes, they just spawn you on the stairs anyway. Even if you fail, it shouldn't take long to try again. However, losing your items can make you spiral if you get unlucky. Also, keep in mind that everything I just said does not apply to the postgame. Like many Pokémon titles, a mountain of content remains after the credits. However, I was so instantly, methodically, and repeatedly destroyed by the first postgame boss that I don't think it's in the cards for me. Still, I'm glad to say that Explorers pretty much lives up to the hype, and is one of the better Pokémon spinoffs you can try.

So, that's a sampling of the portable games I've occupied my time with this year. Simple yet ambitious, they are the perfect thing for someone like me who doesn't need to keep up with every cutting-edge advancement. I will definitely keep coming back to the DS library. Below are some of the titles on the docket:

• Okamiden - Being a huge fan of the original Okami, I want to play through this before the sequel inevitably ignores it.

• Dragon Quest IX - They got me with the marketing when this came out, but I fell off very early. I have been put off since by the reported length. I'll probably chip away at it while I watch Star Trek or something.

• Hotel Dusk - DS adventure games are especially cozy, and the art really stands out. I'd also like to try sister game Trace Memory, as I still have good feelings for the Switch remake despite its faults.

• Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time - Not the most loved of the series, but I imagine I'll find something to enjoy (at least the soundtrack!).

• Mario Kart DS - Okay, probably not, but it would be funny. And it wouldn't cost $80.

Let me know about your recommendations and favorite DS memories!