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What are the best action games for the Nintendo DS/2DS/3DS?

7

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Considered

8

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Recs.

May 17, 2019

Last
Updated

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7 Games Considered

Best action games for the Nintendo DS/2DS/3DS	Price	Platforms	Genre
-- Terraria	$19.99	Windows, Mac, Xbox 360/One, PS3, PS4, Nintendo 3DS, Switch, iOS, Android	2D platformer / Minecraft-like
-- Shovel Knight	$24.99	Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Windows, Mac, Linux	Action, Platformer
-- VVVVVV	$9.99	Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Android, iOS, Nintendo 3DS, macOS, Linux	Puzzle, Platformer, Metroidvania, Action
-- SteamWorld Dig	$8.99	-	-
-- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens	$29.99	Windows, PS4, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS	Action-Adventure

Terraria

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Fun combat

It starts out simple, with you whacking away at slow moving zombies and flying eyes, gradually shifting to more fierce and fearsome enemies such as flying demons, agile lizardmen, and many more. To survive you'll have to be always on the move, dodge enemy attacks, and be accurate when you retaliate. There are also plenty of weapons to choose from. Melee weapons such as swords, hammers, lances, and flails. Ranged weapons such as bows, crossbows, rifles, and miniguns. And various items that allow you to cast spells. Whatever you choose, it feels great to destroy hordes of enemies. See More

Top Con

Low replay value for those who play it as an adventure game

Terraria is a sandbox platform-adventure game, so it partly hinges on beating various bosses. If you play it purely for the sake of defeating all the bosses, you might have little else to do afterwards. Restarting the game won't be as enjoyable either because you'll already know what to expect, causing continued play without a new goal feel mundane or boring. See More

Specs

Genre:2D platformer / Minecraft-like

Co-Op:8 Player Online / 8 Player LAN

Controller Support:Android (MOGA / HID), Steam (Full)

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Intriguing world

Terraria uses a bright color palette and an upbeat chiptune soundtrack to ease you into its world. However, once you start exploring and spend time in it you'll notice it's not as cozy as it first seemed to be. Blood Moons that rouse the dead from their graves. Goblin armies trying to destroy everything in their wake. Vast and dark cave systems, filled with odd creatures and various dangers. Ancient ruins, teeming with the restless dead and evil spirits. Pockets of decaying land, thriving with misshapen monstrosities. It's really fun to explore and discover something new about the world of Terraria. See More

Top Con

Progress can feel slow

Quite often you'll have to collect tons of materials to craft the necessary tools, equipment, and boss summoning items to advance. This can take a really long time, especially if you're unlucky with the items dropped by mobs. See More

Top Pro

Lots of community servers, tutorials, and streams

Terraria has a large community of players on every platform including mobile, desktop, and console. Because of this, there are many servers to play on, as well as tutorials and Let's Plays. Finding content or help getting started is quite easy. See More

Top Pro

Allows for freedom of expression for all ages, all at your own pace

Terraria has all kinds of tools and materials you can use to build whatever you can imagine. From housing, to furniture, to weapons, to types of structure, the possibilities are almost endless. This is great for children who enjoy building and problem solving, and for adults who enjoy the same. It also makes for a great objective-less game, where you can do just about anything you want at your own pace. See More

Shovel Knight

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Pretty fun risk versus reward system

In each stage, there are multiple checkpoints you can revive at if you die. The twist is that you can destroy the checkpoints for extra treasure. Doing this also means you’ll have to start from the beginning of the stage if you die. It’s a pretty cool way to increase difficulty and add tension to a playthrough, especially because it’s never forced on you. See More

Top Con

Can be frustrating

While Shovel Knight captures a lot of SNES era’s good parts, it also brings back some of the bad parts. It's mostly the hidden enemies that attack you as soon as you approach their hiding spots, causing you to take needless damage or even die. This adds a really tedious trial and error aspect that forces you to memorize all enemy placements just so you can beat a stage. In addition to dealing with the enemies, the timing of jumps or using special skills at the right moment adds to the frustration. Press the button too early or too late and you'll end up back at the start of a platforming section or worse, dead. See More

Specs

Genre:Action, Platformer

Co-Op:2 Player Local

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A unique experience

Shovel Knight has 2D pixel art, a simple gameplay, and a retro feel. It stands out in an era dominated by 3D titles with super detailed graphics and convoluted gameplay because of its influences from classics like Zelda, Castlevania, Duck Tales, and even Super Mario Bros. It’s not just trying to cash in on the nostalgia of older players because it’s a game that can be enjoyed by anyone thanks to its polish. See More

Top Pro

Feels great to play

Shovel Knight has very colorful pixelated graphics, a decent chiptune soundtrack, excellent 8-bit sound effects, and the controls feel really fluid and responsive. So whether you’re just running through a castle, shoveling away at gems in a tunnel, or even jumping on a dragon’s head, Shovel Knight is a blast to play. See More

VVVVVV

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Throwback to Atari/C64 games while playing like a modern game

VVVVVV is very reminiscent of a game one would find for the Atari or Commodore 64 in that the graphics are simple, but the gameplay is anything but as it plays like nothing one would have found back then. It is fast paced and very precise, also extremely tough. See More

Top Con

Not much of a story

The basic plot is that you are trying to save your crew members, but really it is just a loose story to tie the levels together as there is really not much there to discover. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Puzzle, Platformer, Metroidvania, Action

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Use gravity to solve puzzles

The main mechanic in the game is that the player can switch the gravity in any level allowing the character to flip from the bottom of the screen to the top. This is used in an ingenious way in order to solve puzzles and avoid hazards throughout each level. See More

Top Con

Difficult

VVVVVV is a tough game, one that will cause frustration quite easily. Luckily there are unlimited lives in the game, so areas can be played over and over again with no consequences. See More

SteamWorld Dig

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Unlimited replayability with a procedurally generated world

Through the use of random generation the game is able to create a different experience not only for each person that plays it but for each time one restarts the game. Which lends to a bunch of replayability. See More

Top Con

Combat mechanics are basic

Combat consists of hitting an enemy with ones pick or drill, which is time consuming and not really satisfying. It is much easier to just go around opponents, even if it takes more time. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

World is permanently altered as you play through it

To navigate through the world of SteamWorld Dig, you need to dig through the earth, shaping out the tunnels and paths you need to pass through, requiring you to think twice about how to dig so you can get through the tunnel efficiently, and escape when you need to before you run out of power. See More

Top Con

Beginning of the game is somewhat tedious

Until a few upgrades are acquired and teleporters placed around the map for faster travel, it requires a bit of monotonous mining. See More

Top Con

Nice digger, but not really metroidvania

It has stuff to unlock - but you buy most of those options, unlike a metroidvania game. Also, down is always correct, unlike metroidvania. See More

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

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Solid voice work from cast of the movie

The voice acting in Lego Star Wars: Force Awakens is really good, especially if you're familiar with the film. The game features both voice clips from the actual film as well as new voice lines recorded by many of the actors from the film reprising their roles. It's great to hear the actual voices from characters like Rey and Han Solo, giving you the feeling of actually playing through the movie itself with the real actors. The new voice work is generally well done and adds authenticity to the experience. See More

Top Con

Doesn't change up the LEGO game formula

As the LEGO games are meant for younger audiences, it's great that they're easy to pick up and learn, but LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens doesn't offer anything new to the franchise. It's the same setup of adapting the original material with the same type of humor, and the same type of combat. If you've played other LEGO games, you'll pretty much find a similar experience here. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Action-Adventure

Co-Op:2 Player Local (except on Nintendo 3DS)

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Side levels provide backstory for characters and events from the movie

You can unlock additional bonus levels that delve into extra events not shown in the movie, showing what some characters were doing before the movie takes place. These levels are "canon", though with the typical LEGO humor added on top, making them fun to experience if you're a big Star Wars fan. See More

Top Con

Simple and repetitive gameplay

The combat is basically a mindless button-mashing experience that requires no skill and offers no forms of character progression. There isn't anything with depth or intricacy here, as it's meant for a younger audience. The most you'll see to change things up are puzzles that you have to figure out from time to time. If you're looking for something more involved and complex, you're probably better off looking elsewhere. See More

Top Pro

Light-hearted story

With well-written characters who quip and deliver memorable lines, the story in LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens is wonderful for anyone interested in a lighter, kid-friendly interpretation of the Star Wars universe. The villains are competent without needing to be overtly evil, and the main protagonists are charming in their heroism and banter with other characters. There are some genuinely funny moments that even adults will probably get some laughs out of, making this an ideal game for Star Wars fans of all ages to enjoy. See More

Hyrule Warriors: Legends

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Satisfying hack-and-slash combat against dense packs of enemies

Taking out huge packs of enemies in Hyrule Warriors is incredibly satisfying. Even though your foes outnumber you, you have powerful, flashy attacks to lift them in the air and take them down, dozens at a time. Slashing through everyone with spinning attacks with gigantic swords, for example, never gets old, especially while playing as one of your favorite characters from The Legend of Zelda games. Clearing out maps of all the enemies makes you feel powerful and gives you a great sense of accomplishment. See More

Top Con

No co-op

As Hyrule Warriors: Legends is a port of Hyrule Warriors for the Wii U, this version is somewhat downscaled, as you'd expect for a handheld game, mainly with the lack of co-op and multiplayer options. The rest of the same features are here except those, which is a shame, since some players may mostly have their eye on this game to play with friends. Unfortunately, if you want to play with others, you are better off going with the Wii U version instead or even the Nintendo Switch game, Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, both of which have good splitscreen co-op features. See More

Specs

Genre:Hack-and-Slash, Fighting

Top Pro

You get to play as several characters from The Legend of Zelda series

Hyrule Warriors has a good roster of characters to play as, each of them from The Legend of Zelda games. Aside from the most well-known characters like Zelda and Link, fans of the series get to enjoy plenty of other familiar faces. You can play as Ganondorf, the main antagonist from the series, as well as other characters like Sheik, Princess Ruto, Yuga, Volga, and many more. Even if you're not a diehard fan of the series, you can still enjoy the sheer variety of characters and all their different fighting styles. See More

Monster Hunter Generations

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Addictive and strategic real-time fights against relentless monsters

Monster Hunter Generations is all about going out into the world and fighting terrifying monsters to collect the best loot possible. The monsters are each unique, with their own movesets that you learn and memorize as you get better at recognizing them. Picking the best weapons and armor for the monsters you target is important, since you don't want to end up bringing a sword, for example, against a heavily-armored enemy, when something like a giant hammer would be best. Dodging the monsters' challenging attacks, getting hits in, and making it out alive to collect your loot is such a satisfying feeling, encouraging you to keep at it. See More

Top Con

Not much of a story

Even though this is an RPG, you shouldn't go into it expecting a grand, sweeping story. You're mostly just a mercenary who goes out and kills monsters for loot. The Monster Hunter series has always been more about gameplay over story, though, which is great for players who are looking for these style of games. But if you're more in the mood for something more narrative-driven, then this probably isn't the game for you. See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Top Pro

Incredible amount of gear to forge that suits any playstyle

There's a near endless combination of weapons and armor you can craft from the loot you earn, with plenty of special stats that you can mix and match as you want. You naturally work your way up to creating stronger and stronger gear as you take down more powerful monsters, so you always get a constant sense of progression as you play. You can craft gear with certain stat bonuses, like more HP, strong resistances to help your defense, or boosts to anything else you might need to take down that one monster who keeps giving you trouble. If you want to focus on huge swords and bulky armor, you can do that, and if you ever decide to switch things up for any given fight, all you have to do is hunt down the right materials and make what you need. See More

Top Pro

You can carry over your save file to the Nintendo Switch version of the game

If you already put a bunch of hours into this game, you can carry over your progress and jump right into the updated Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate for Nintendo Switch. This helps a lot in case you're on the fence about buying Ultimate when you've already played this version. Multiplayer is alive and well on the Switch, so it might be worth checking out. See More

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