What are the best Nintendo DS RPG's?

Asherdude · Post by **Asherdude** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:39 am

I just picked up a Cobalt Black DS last week and I'm wanting to know what are the best RPG's out for the DS?

UnscathedFlyingObject · Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:34 am

Try Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow. It's an action RPG thingie. I don't like the follow up Portrait of Ruin, but others like it quite a bit.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:45 am

FFIII. Most other RPGs aren't that great IMO (Luminous Arc, Etrian Odyssey, ASH, Tales of the Tempest, Lunar, the Mana games). There's quite a bit to get on GBA if you didn't have one.

If you like freeroaming Castlevanias, you ought to try the Mega Man ZX games too.

it290 · Post by **it290** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:33 am

Don't forget Mario & Luigi.

P_HAT · Post by **P_HAT** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:38 am

Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer
will come soon

Erinu · Post by **Erinu** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:38 am

Pretty much all of them such massively apart from Harvest Moon: A Fantasy Harvest Moon, which I couldn't stand for very long due to the prerendered backgrounds and 3D models which didn't even match. The main character looks like shota material too. Apparently it's a good game, and apparently so is Etrian Odyssey.

DS doesn't really have many (good) RPGs.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:03 am

Orcs & Elves, please buy my like-new copy. Only $20 shipped (within the continental U.S.)

MR_Soren · Post by **MR_Soren** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 1:57 pm

If you like old-school dungeon crawly stuff, customizing characters/party, formidable difficulty, and mapping as you explore, Etrian Odyssey is fantastic. I consider it to be the best DS RPG by a wide margin.

However, if that's not your thing... I don't know. I've played and enjoyed some others, but nothing I liked enough to recommend. I'm personally looking forward to Shiren the Wanderer (roguelike) and Rondo of Swords (SRPG). I think they come out in March and April, respectively.

You might have some luck looking in the GBA library. The Golden Sun games are highly regarded, there are plenty of Final Fantasy remakes, and I've had a lot of fun with the Fire Emblem games.

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 2:01 pm

Get Contact if you find it cheep. It's... different.

neist · Post by **neist** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 2:11 pm

Luckily I'm a handheld gaming enthusiast and I work at a RPG-centric website. Looks like this thread was made for me.

First of all, it probably depends on what kind of RPG your looking for. Some solid suggestions have been made, but theres definitely some things you want to stay away from (in fact, please read up any game we dont suggest before you even consider buying it). Theres just too much junk on the Nintendo DS out there.

Dungeon Crawling RPGs -
Mysterious Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer DS: Remake of the classic on the NDS. If you arent familiar with the Mysterious Dungeon series, the games are all roguelikes. However, the Shiren series is considered one of the better modern roguelikes ever created.

Orcs and Elves DS: Sort of a strange game, and if you can pick it up for 20 bucks, you may want to consider it. The game was developed by John Carmack's wife and the engine was actually engineered by Carmack himself. Its not a very long game, but its first-person roguelike gameplay is definitely attractive if your into the old school feel of western RPGs.

Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja: Another generic roguelike by Success. However, this roguelike is actually quite a deal easier than most roguelikes out there in attempts to attract a wider audience.

Children of Mana: Of the recent remakes of Mana games, this is probably the best of them. More or less this is just a simple dungeon crawling RPG with very little story tacked on. If your looking for some mindless dungeon crawling fun (which is most, if not all, of dungeon crawling games).

Mazes of Fate: This game actually isnt out yet, but its coming out very soon. The original Mazes of Fate was released very late into the life cycle of the GBA, and while we have yet to get our hands on the game, the game is rendered fully in a 3D environment. Its quite pretty and may be worth a look if your into dungeon crawlers. Heres a video of the gameplay: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb3FvY-Kns4

Etrian Odyssey: This game is sort of a retro revamp of games such as Wizardry way back in the day. The game takes place in only 1 town and theres only 1 dungeon. The entire point of the game is exploring the entire dungeon, which is GIGANTIC. The game isnt made for everyone, but you can easily throw close to 100 hours into the title. The only downside is that this game goes for quite a lot of money on the aftermarket, and considering its an Atlus title, its doubtful you'll find it new in any retail store. If you can find a decent used copy, I'd pick it up. Last I checked new copies of this game were going easily for over $70.

Action RPGs
The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass: Okay, this really isnt 'quite' an RPG, but its widely considered one by all lovers of RPGs. That being said though, theres not much to say about the game. Its a handheld zelda game thats played in its entirity with touch screen controls.

Turn Based RPGs
Final Fantasy III DS: This is a complete revamp of the FF title that we really didnt see any of. The story wasnt too strong in the original, but its been bumped up slightly to give it at least some hint of a story.

Turn Based Strategy RPGs
Front Mission DS: Not sure if you've played any of the Front Mission games, but this is a DS remake of the first game (which we never got in the US). Not much to say about it besides its a strategy RPG with giant robots. One of the highlights of the series is, and always has been, the incredible level of customization you can acheive on each unit.

Other RPGs
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords: Its not a completely traditional RPG, but its a very, very, very good game. The basic concept is a simplistic RPG mixed with bejeweled, but its easily as addicting as peggle, and you can throw countless hours into the game (I think I'm clocked somewhere around 100 hours).

Heroes of Mana: I wouldnt highly reccomend the game, but if your really a fan of RTS games and you REALLY want to try a RTS game out on the NDS, you may want to try it. Its basically a RTS set in the Mana universe. The controls, though, are far less intuitive than any RTS control scheme ever conceived. The AI pathing is nearly equally as horrible.

Thats all I've played in recent memory, so its the only games I feel overly qualified to comment on. I'm sure I'm missing a ton but at least that gives you some titles to look into. By a general rule of thumb, if the game is developed and published by some incredibly no name developer, its probably good reason to stay away from it. If your looking into some more recent upcoming games, definitely check out Rondo of Swords, Shiren DS, the Dungeon Explorer DS remake, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates.

If you have any questions just send me a pm. I've probably touched every RPG to come out on the NDS. heh.

Octopod · Post by **Octopod** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 2:26 pm

I also Recommend FF3 and the Castlevania games even though they are not RPGs

Arvandor · Post by **Arvandor** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 3:42 pm

You've got me curious about Mysterious Dungeon o_O I've never even heard of it, but I love roguelikes (at least in theory I do... I loved Rogue as a child, and I loved Izuna... Those are the only two I've played).

Funny you should mention the low difficulty of Izuna. I found it to be rather easy (hardest dungeon is the first), but the game got a great deal of flak for being too difficult =/ I don't understand gamers nowadays.

drboom · Post by **drboom** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:41 pm

Got to put my two cents in - Etrian Odyssey is dope. Very fun and very old skool. I just finished it this weekend and have some comments on my gaming blog (link in sig). Don't forget, Dragon Quest 9 will be comming out EXCLUSIVELY for the DS.

neist · Post by **neist** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:03 pm

drboom wrote:Got to put my two cents in - Etrian Odyssey is dope. Very fun and very old skool. I just finished it this weekend and have some comments on my gaming blog (link in sig). Don't forget, Dragon Quest 9 will be comming out EXCLUSIVELY for the DS.

Yea, but DQIX is "aimed" for 2008 in Japan, and probably at least 6 months from that in North America.

Arvandor wrote:You've got me curious about Mysterious Dungeon o_O I've never even heard of it, but I love roguelikes (at least in theory I do... I loved Rogue as a child, and I loved Izuna... Those are the only two I've played).

Funny you should mention the low difficulty of Izuna. I found it to be rather easy (hardest dungeon is the first), but the game got a great deal of flak for being too difficult =/ I don't understand gamers nowadays.

Unforunately Shiren isnt supposed to be as hard as the original, which was incredibly hard, but it is supposed to be harder Izuna at any rate.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:23 pm

I had been waiting for this thread...too bad about Etrian going for so much loot.

Necronom · Post by **Necronom** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 6:27 pm

Soma Bringer! Seems it's an action RPG and it's looking very promising.

http://insomnia.ac/news/2008/02/soma-br ... g-awesome/

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/ybsj/

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:02 pm

CMoon wrote:I had been waiting for this thread...too bad about Etrian going for so much loot.

There's a sequel coming out in Japan soon that was recently reviewed by the infamous Famitsu. Hopefully, that one will be released here too.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/data/943642.html

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 7:08 pm

Are there any other RPGs that one could recommend to fans of games like Etrian Odyssey for other consoles. There's certainly a lot of really obvious things; but of late I've found rpgs not particularly satisfying and I'm in a bit of a famine between DW8 and DW9 (man, I should go back and finish DW7!) I miss the glory of Wizardry 7 and am wondering if there are other games out there with high customization and dungeon crawling like this Etrian game that I missed.

Gwyrgyn Blood · Post by **Gwyrgyn Blood** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:04 pm

CMoon wrote:Are there any other RPGs that one could recommend to fans of games like Etrian Odyssey for other consoles. There's certainly a lot of really obvious things; but of late I've found rpgs not particularly satisfying and I'm in a bit of a famine between DW8 and DW9 (man, I should go back and finish DW7!) I miss the glory of Wizardry 7 and am wondering if there are other games out there with high customization and dungeon crawling like this Etrian game that I missed.

Etrian is OKAY but the dungeon isn't really that interesting and it's pretty god damn repetitive and frequently tedious. A much better game in the same genre is Wizardry: Tales of the Forsaken Land for PS2, or its sequel Busin 0. Unfortunately, Wizardry is both hard to find, and the load time is pretty awful unless you are running it on a HD. Busin 0 is unfortunately entirely in Japanese, but if you can read kana decently you can at least still enjoy it as a dungeon crawler.

And I guess if you didn't play Wizardry 8 there's always that, but that's for PC.

neist · Post by **neist** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 8:18 pm

Necronom wrote:Soma Bringer! Seems it's an action RPG and it's looking very promising.

http://insomnia.ac/news/2008/02/soma-br ... g-awesome/

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/ybsj/

Yea, but its only coming out in Japan as of current. Considering its a Nintendo title, though, we could get a surprise announcement in some Q2 release schedule randomly. It wouldnt be the first time its happened.

BrianC wrote:
CMoon wrote:I had been waiting for this thread...too bad about Etrian going for so much loot.
There's a sequel coming out in Japan soon that was recently reviewed by the infamous Famitsu. Hopefully, that one will be released here too.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/data/943642.html

I'd normally be pretty skeptical, but Atlus would have to be crazy if they didnt bring over the game considering the last game's success. o.o

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:10 pm

It's funny, I really didn't care too much for Tales of the Forsaken land, but all things considered, I wish I hadn't sold my copy all those years ago.

Asherdude · Post by **Asherdude** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 2:58 am

Thanks. I picked up Final Fantasy III, Izuna, Children of Mana, and Final Fantasy IV Advance. And I'm looking for Etrian Odyssey.

Octopod · Post by **Octopod** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 3:00 am

You could get FFV and FF1&2 GBA.

drboom · Post by **drboom** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:24 am

Or go S-RPG (kind of) with Fire Emblem. The games are crazy fun and last a while. Two came out for the GBA and one for Gamecube and now one for Wii.

Zebra Airforce · Post by **Zebra Airforce** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:27 am

Oh, FFIVA, that one pissed me off. They really fucked up the battle system.

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 6:27 am

drboom wrote:Or go S-RPG (kind of) with Fire Emblem. The games are crazy fun and last a while. Two came out for the GBA and one for Gamecube and now one for Wii.

To be more exact, 3 came out for the GBA but only the latter 2 made it to the US.

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 11:58 am

Anybody here loose interest in Final Fantasy III after your ship is chained down.
I just got sick and tired of the game throwing forced grinding at me.
It's quite strange, of all the quality DS titles that I own, only Phoenix Wright and Tetris DS have gotten any significant playtrough.

JJG · Post by **JJG** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:46 pm

It's amazing nobody has mentioned Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime. I'd say it's easily the best RPG on DS, much better than Zelda.

drboom · Post by **drboom** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 2:55 pm

DQ Rocket Slime you say...I'll have to look into that. I'm about half way through Izuna and need something for my upcomming trip.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:50 pm

What are those dragon quest 'monster' games like? I always assumed they were some sort of 'collect and build up your monster' crap and not a real rpg.

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What are the best Nintendo DS RPG's?

What are the best Nintendo DS RPG's?

Re: What are the best Nintendo DS RPG's?