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3DS Hidden Gems?
- Thread starter Empyrean Heaven
- Start date
Check out Yumi's Odd Odyssey! (JP name: Umihara Kawase.)
Fantastic, physics-based platformer where you control an anime girl who navigates around by casting a fishing pole, latching onto various services, and swinging around each stage.
It's a great game and one of the best platformers on the system. Doesn't have a retail release though. Eshop only.
Fantastic, physics-based platformer where you control an anime girl who navigates around by casting a fishing pole, latching onto various services, and swinging around each stage.
It's a great game and one of the best platformers on the system. Doesn't have a retail release though. Eshop only.
PassiveObserver
Member
Kokuga arrived on the eShop as one of the few original arcade-style games on the platform (ie. non-Sega 3D Classic). Check out the lovely chunky poly aesthetic, courtesy of G.rev.
QuixoticNeutral
Member
If you have any interest in turn-based tactics, Code Name: STEAM and SteamWorld Heist are absolutely essential. People slept on the first especially, but it offers a very robust campaign and is really the only XCOM-alike to truly push the genre into a full 3D play space, whereas Heist does the opposite and flattens XCOM into a side-scrolling 2D plane that is all about setting up ricochets. In their own ways, both of them are bold efforts to take the uncertainty and suspense of XCOM and displace it away from RNG-based probability.
CN:S is also the place where Advance Wars music has been hiding in the absence of a new Advance Wars. It's criminally overlooked and doesn't play quite like anything else, even as it draws on various elements from IntSys strategy, XCOM, and Valkyria. It provides a satisfying level of challenge and mechanical exploration for strategy veterans, too.
Turn-based squad tactics have been in an outstanding place in the past few years, and these games are two of the reasons why, deservedly mentioned in the same breath as Invisible, Inc., XCOM 2, and (the little I've played of) Mario + Rabbids. And each of them has an incredibly distinct mechanical identity.
CN:S is also the place where Advance Wars music has been hiding in the absence of a new Advance Wars. It's criminally overlooked and doesn't play quite like anything else, even as it draws on various elements from IntSys strategy, XCOM, and Valkyria. It provides a satisfying level of challenge and mechanical exploration for strategy veterans, too.
Turn-based squad tactics have been in an outstanding place in the past few years, and these games are two of the reasons why, deservedly mentioned in the same breath as Invisible, Inc., XCOM 2, and (the little I've played of) Mario + Rabbids. And each of them has an incredibly distinct mechanical identity.
Ladies and gentleman here's the lost planet spinoff E.X. Troopers: the best and only tps on the system aside for maybe kid icarus and that bad gears clone. Yep i't japanese only but i played trough the whole game not knowing the meaning of a single word, yet aside of that i'ts in my opinion one of the best games in the 3ds and you can totally see the love the developers put on this game that sadly tanked horribly. If you can give it a chance
emilioasis
Member
Ohhhhh YES!!!
Nachtfalke
Member
This so much. My favorite 3DS game.
Sal Paradise
Member
Fantasy Life
Return to PopoloCrois
Attack of the Friday Monsters
and more recently, Ever Oasis.
Return to PopoloCrois
Attack of the Friday Monsters
and more recently, Ever Oasis.
HyperZone<3
Member
Crash City Mayhem!
available on the eShop and in retail (good luck finding a copy tho). Its a mission based driving game, and pretty much all the missions are against tight deadlines/races against the clock. This is actually the latest installment in the intermittently produced, low-profile driving game series Runabout, which has seen previous installments in America as Felony 11-79 (PS1) and Super Runabout (Dreamcast).
Okay now that we've got context out of the way, I'll explain why its awesome. Its because the controls for driving your vehicle are super tight and responsive, but invariably every mission involves at least some degree of ramming the shit out of everything in your path while dashing towards you next objective. Penalties for hitting objects are practically non-existent, and is often encouraged.
The entire game has a great midi-butt-rock soundtrack, the story is delightfully bonkers and is actually funny on purpose. The graphics kinda suck, and the framerate is choppy, but its the kind of technical jank that doesn't really get in the way of the fun (EDF-like, if you will). The only major strike against it that the mission design requires you to replay stages at harder levels to progress further to unlock new ones. Its an unfortunate bit of padding but the game still rocks, is pleasingly difficult, and is a ton of fun to play.
buy it fools.
available on the eShop and in retail (good luck finding a copy tho). Its a mission based driving game, and pretty much all the missions are against tight deadlines/races against the clock. This is actually the latest installment in the intermittently produced, low-profile driving game series Runabout, which has seen previous installments in America as Felony 11-79 (PS1) and Super Runabout (Dreamcast).
Okay now that we've got context out of the way, I'll explain why its awesome. Its because the controls for driving your vehicle are super tight and responsive, but invariably every mission involves at least some degree of ramming the shit out of everything in your path while dashing towards you next objective. Penalties for hitting objects are practically non-existent, and is often encouraged.
The entire game has a great midi-butt-rock soundtrack, the story is delightfully bonkers and is actually funny on purpose. The graphics kinda suck, and the framerate is choppy, but its the kind of technical jank that doesn't really get in the way of the fun (EDF-like, if you will). The only major strike against it that the mission design requires you to replay stages at harder levels to progress further to unlock new ones. Its an unfortunate bit of padding but the game still rocks, is pleasingly difficult, and is a ton of fun to play.
buy it fools.
Deadpool_X
Banned
I don't see Gunman Clive or Gunman Clive 2 mentioned anywhere. It's like $1.99 and classic Mega Man action.
Aaronrules380
Member
Etrian Odyssey series is an amazing dungeon crawler jrpg series, and IV is one of the best starting points
blu
Wants the largest console games publisher to avoid Nintendo's platforms.
And Fairune 1 & 2.Witch and Hero
There are demos for the first and second games. I bought the second, because I liked the QoL addition in the sequel.
OuterLimits
Member
If you like RPGs, then you have a ton of good choices. Some really good ones that are less well known are:
7th Dragon
Stella Glow
Rune Factory 4
Mercenaries Saga 2 and 3(eshop only games)
7th Dragon
Stella Glow
Rune Factory 4
Mercenaries Saga 2 and 3(eshop only games)
BlueBadger
Banned
Not really hidden, but every single Ace Attorney game... ever.
<3
<3
TheShampion
Member
Ika-chan is super short, but it has that Cave Story charm that I love.
And to answer the question above, I would go for DQVIII as a better first entry to the series, but they're both great.
And to answer the question above, I would go for DQVIII as a better first entry to the series, but they're both great.
MarmiteBadger
Member
Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl is my personal favorite on 3DS. I was never really a big fan of first person dungeon exploration, but this game got my interested. Mainly with drawing out the map as I explore and each character's skill tree.
If you haven't played it, definitely download the demo and give it a try.
emilioasis
Member
e-shop:
Pushmo
Crimson Shroud
Liberation Maiden
Sakura Samurai: Art Of The Sword
Box Boy
Art Of Balance
Retail:
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
Fantasy Life
and every Etrian Odissey Game
Pushmo
Crimson Shroud
Liberation Maiden
Sakura Samurai: Art Of The Sword
Box Boy
Art Of Balance
Retail:
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars
Fantasy Life
and every Etrian Odissey Game
Mountainmohawk
Member
I'll second Shinobi and the Box Boy series.
Some others:
Gotta Protectors
Nano assault ex
Some others:
Gotta Protectors
Nano assault ex
sixteen-bit
Member
Don't sleep on Yumi's Odd Odyssey
thanks, yea I've been weighing both and it ain't easy cause they're both supposed to be so good. I hear 7's a little longer, maybe? I'm wondering if 7's story is more or less engaging than 8's.
Gai Murakumo
Member
I always loved Shinobi 3D. It is a fantastic game that was great during the early days of the 3DS.
The Gunman Clive games are really fun and nice looking platformers. Also pretty cheap, I think the first one was just $2. Steamworld Dig is probably not as hidden, but I'll mention it nonetheless. It's a fun Dig Duggy take on Metroidvanias.
As for games that have already been mentioned I very much endorse Pushmo/Pullblox, the Box Boy series, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Rhythm Paradise.
As for games that have already been mentioned I very much endorse Pushmo/Pullblox, the Box Boy series, Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and Rhythm Paradise.
denpanosekai
Member
I came in to say Apocalypse. SMT4 had huge hype leading up to its release, being announced in a Nintendo Direct with a sweet launch edition. Apocalypse is a much better game in many ways but I feel like it barely sold a fraction of the original. It's got tons of contents (almost DQ8 level), feels like it never ends (and you don't want it to) and has quite a few didn't-see-that-coming moments.
Also the two Kirby platformers (robobot and triple deluxe) are sweeeeeet.
I was actually looking for a bunch of eShop game recommendation videos a few weeks ago because I game on the 3DS. I also don't have a current gen console and my 360 is messed up so it's been my go to thing. I compiled the following list into a notepad document:
In addition to all of the above, I would add Super Street Fighter IV which runs surprisingly well on 3DS! There's still an active MP community on it. I would also add The Denpa Men trilogy because but maybe start with 2 because the QoL improvements added to the later games made them leaps and bounds better. They're easily a 300+ hour affair.
All the 3DS Classics Sega games are worth getting because they're a labor of love by the devs when they go on sale again eventually. If you have 30+ bucks to blow, Rhythm Thief and The Emperor's Treasure is quite good. It gets hard at times (screw the maracas gyroscope songs) but it scratches that Elite Beat Agents itch that's been sorely missing. Speaking of EBA, IIRC, there's an eShop game that's done in a similar style to it who's name escapes me at the moment that was pretty solid.
In addition to all of the above, I would add Super Street Fighter IV which runs surprisingly well on 3DS! There's still an active MP community on it. I would also add The Denpa Men trilogy because but maybe start with 2 because the QoL improvements added to the later games made them leaps and bounds better. They're easily a 300+ hour affair.
All the 3DS Classics Sega games are worth getting because they're a labor of love by the devs when they go on sale again eventually. If you have 30+ bucks to blow, Rhythm Thief and The Emperor's Treasure is quite good. It gets hard at times (screw the maracas gyroscope songs) but it scratches that Elite Beat Agents itch that's been sorely missing. Speaking of EBA, IIRC, there's an eShop game that's done in a similar style to it who's name escapes me at the moment that was pretty solid.
One Foul Note
Member
Amen to that, I came in this topic to recommend those games. They ain't without their flaws, some of the classes are a little unbalanced and they are perhaps a little too similar to each other. But overall I found the Mercenaries Saga games to be very solid Tactic Ogre clones with a lovely bit of strategy combat and character customisation.
Shadow Hog
Member
Since I didn't see it in a Ctrl-F, throwing out Crush 3D. Like, the art style is decidedly more generic than the PSP version it's a port of, but the gameplay held up quite well.
NoPiece
Member
This is such a good game, and pretty easy to find cheap if you shop around. If people don't know, it was produced by Julian Gollop. PC owners will know him as the creator of X-Com, Nintendo fans might know his GBA game Rebelstar: Tactical Command, which is also a hidden gem.
Hero-of-Time
Member
Azure Phoenix
Member
Rhythm Thief and the Emperors Treasure is probably one of the most underappreciated gems Sega has ever released. At its core it's a mix of a minigame collection and puzzle, rhythm, hidden object and point and click adventure game with an incredible sense of style and great music. It has nods to classic Sega games like Samba de Amigo and Space Channel 5 and feels like mix of Elite Beat Agents, Ghost Trick and The Rub Rabbits.
I adore the game to bits and wish so much that it had gotten a sequel on 3DS/Wii U like the director expressed interest in making, but it seems that Xeen are now working mostly on Nintendo's arcade games.
Take a look at the publisher logo on the box and have a guess, I still want to try it out one day.I have been wondering, what ever happen to this game?
gingerbeardman
Member
Pilotwings Resort
pirateluigi
Member
Came here to say this one. Quite an underappreciated gem of a game.
Kamek Koopa
Member
Boxboy games are masterpieces. Specially 1 (Boxboy!) and 3 (Byebye Boxboy).
A-Train 3D is a super in-depth train company management game that is worth checking out. You manage a transportation company and attempt to hit certain profitability goals while building out your network of trains, buses, and subway cars. Station placement is impacted by, and impacts the development of, the surrounding areas. You can also play the markets and transport resources around the world to sell to other towns, or use them to build new stations and housing to build out the cities the way you want indirectly.
Also it looks cool:
Also it looks cool:
TheShampion
Member
7 takes a little longer to get going and has a class system, while DQ8 is more streamlined. From what I have played of both, DQ8 is the more player-friendly, but there are DQ experts on Neogaf who would know better than me.
Ghost Recon is a great recommendation. It does have that X-Com feel to it. I was able to purchase it on the NA e-shop (not sure if it's still available). Definitely worth the money if you like SRPGs.
Steamworld Heist is a masterpiece, especially on the 3DS.