While I probably spent more overall time playing my 3DS, I truly adored my Nintendo DS system. Sure, not every game made great use of the stylus, but there were still several that were well worth your time.

Surprisingly, there were even more DS adventures that people have never heard of or played. Including some truly exceptional games that still stay with me today.

Whether you’re looking for an FPS horror experience, a turn-based RPG, run-and-gun mayhem with Little Red Riding Hood, or fun with a gang of Kirbies, you’ll find something amazing in this list of rare DS games.

If you haven’t played these, then get ready to add them to your collection soon! You can thank us later.

10

Scurge: Hive

Parallel World Metroid

I’ve been a fan of the Metroidvania genre for a long time now. And one game I don’t think gets enough credit was Scurge: Hive.

In many ways, it was inspired by the Metroid series, with players controlling a bounty hunter named Jenosa Arma.

Where it was different, however, was how the titular Scurge infects her early on, and fighting against that infection becomes integral and a key pillar of the fast-paced experience.

The game also distinguished itself with a top-down, isometric style as well as colorful graphics. While Scurge: Hive is a pretty short experience, it’s also nicely challenging and features a truly memorable final boss battle.

There’s probably a universe in which Samus was forgotten and Jenosa became an iconic hero. Sadly, we don’t live in that universe, but many amazing DS are still in this one!

9

Dementium II

Where Reality and Nightmare Blur

While most don’t think of the DS as the most graphically impressive system, the folks at Renegade Kid milked some truly amazing performance out of it in their Dementium games.

Not only were both FPS shooters you could play with a stylus, but they looked damned good considering the limitations. Better yet, they were both quite spooky, at least for this gamer.

That said, Dementium II was by far the superior adventure. The way reality and nightmare constantly blurred, as well as the uncertainty about the sanity of the main character, made for a rousing and twisted adventure.

The controls in the game worked well, which was necessary given how challenging the foes in the game tended to be. From shambling Chestmaws to unkillable Lost Souls and even horrifying Wailers, the game didn’t lack disturbing variety.

Where the game showed up most was in the brutal boss battles against mind-bending horrors, including the vicious Wendigo Witch. An amazing and surprising horror adventure on a Nintendo handheld.

8

Radiant Historia

Time is a Battlefield

One of the publishers I grew to adore in the DS era was Atlus. They seemed to publish amazing game after amazing game, with great consistency. But one of my favorites from them was Radiant Historia.

Time travel might be unpopular in most fiction, but here it was well implemented.

Player choice, along with the powerful White Chronicle, allows you to jump back and forth in time, changing events and opening up different endings.

Stocke might be a regular soldier at first, but throughout the game, he becomes a powerhouse.

In battle, you’ll make clever use of a grid to push foes around, jump turn order, and combat even the most fearsome foes.

Honestly, my only complaint about the game is that it felt like there was more story to tell. Thankfully, you can find just that in Perfect Chronology.

7

Pokémon Conquest

Fiercely Feudal

While it would be fair to say I want all of these DS games revisited on the Switch or Switch 2, one I’m especially fond of was Pokémon Conquest.

This weird mashup of Samurai Warriors and Pokémon with grid-based tactical formatting was so strange that it just worked.

Your monster companions may only have one attack available in the game, but you can empower them with special powers once per battle.

The game also had a lot of replayability and a variety of colorful characters to play as.

Even though Pokémon Conquest is shorter than mainline adventures, it’s a game that’s fun to play multiple times in order to choose different alliances.

6

Kirby Mass Attack

Kirby Flash Mob

I’ve been an unashamed fan of Kirby since I was little, and I still maintain the little pink hero is just as great as Mario, Samus, or Link.

That said, I was pleasantly surprised by how they mixed things up for him in Kirby Mass Attack.

After a villain foolishly splits Kirby into 10 identical copies, it’s up to the player to find a way to wrangle the rambunctious horde.

While not every DS game used the stylus well, here it was perfect, flicking Kirbies at foes, or summoning them as a terrifying horde of fluff.

The number of them was important for several clever puzzles as well, not to mention during epic boss battles.

Best of all, the game featured medals that were challenging to collect and which unlocked a ton of additional content. Truly an underrated and outstanding Kirby adventure.

5

Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ

What Big Teeth You Have!

I’m just gonna say it—everything about Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ was absurd.

It was an over-the-top, twisted fairy tale where you played a gun-toting little girl and fought against nightmare twists on well-known stories.

I still remember when I was at a local Gamestop, saw the game, and picked it up then and there. I had no conception then how rare it would be, as a sought-after collectible.

Even though I enjoyed the game, it can only work on the DS. You use your stylus to control Red on the bottom screen and dodge all sorts of chaos launched from the top screen.

This is not an easy game, and you’ll need to not only master the timing of foes’ attacks but also perfect Red’s dodge maneuver.

Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ might not be the best DS game ever, but if you’re looking for something strange and unique, look no further.

4

Okamiden

Legacy of a Goddess

After the broad success of Okami, it shouldn’t surprise any of us that there was a sequel.

Okamiden was a cute and charming little adventure that was somewhat held back by being on a less graphically powerful system.

It involves the child of the goddess Amaterasu, cheekily named Chibiterasu, as well as the children of many other familiar faces from the first game.

You’ll use the power of Guidance to help control your partners in battle, as well as manipulate the Celestial Brush.

Where the game was most clever was using the stylus on the bottom screen to create brush strokes, something that the original could have benefited from.

We’re nearly at the end, and I saved some incredible and rare DS games for last!

3

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter

Steampunk Fantasy Awaits

While there are plenty of steampunk adventures out there, not too many feature a world of cat creatures called Felineko, dog creatures called Caninu, and steampunk technology.

That’s just what you’ll find in Solatorobo: Red the Hunter, where you control the titular dog man and his powerful mech suit.

The game will have you alternate between hurling foes, swinging your mech’s arms around, and exiting it to use Red’s stun gun and solve various puzzles.

Along the way, you’ll also unearth some shocking secrets about the world of the game. There’s even bonus content, such as a racing mode called Air Robo GP.

It might sound great, but if you don’t already own it, picking up a copy of Solatorobo: Red the Hunter nowadays will set you back a pretty penny.

2

Retro Game Challenge

Who Needs WarioWare?

There was once a used game store called FuncoLand. It was a bit of a rarity, and I only managed to visit it once in a blue moon.

One of those times was right before it closed permanently, where I found a copy of a DS game called Retro Game Challenge.

Much like with Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ, I had no idea how rare it would prove to be. But I quickly discovered how incredibly fun and silly Retro Game Challenge was.

In the game, you’re trapped in a simulation courtesy of the Arino, and must fight your way out by completing various challenges in each game.

The games themselves range from Ninja Gaiden-style platforming to shoot ’em ups, and even an old-school RPG adventure. You’ll also unearth useful secrets in a fake game magazine.

It was weird, but Retro Game Challenge was also a lot of fun, and a game that deserved some sequels in North America. But we saved my favorite rare DS game for the final entry.

1

Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier

Haken and Kaguya’s Wild Adventure

By all rights, I should have never even known about Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier.

I wasn’t someone who played any Super Robot Wars games. Yet I was a regular reader of IGN, which is where I learned about this fascinating RPG adventure.

I was initially drawn in by the art. When I picked the game up, I found I also loved the frenetic, tactical combat and the utterly hilarious banter between the characters.

Nowadays, fanservice is frowned upon, but when done well, it can lead to wonderfully fun adventures. This is a perfect example of that.

While North America never got the sequel, Exceed, Haken Browning and Kaguya Nanbu show up in other Bandai Namco games, such as Project X Zone.

It might be a niche DS game you’ve never heard of, but Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier is a fantastic and delightfully silly adventure.