The Best Turn-Based JRPGs On The Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS is one of the wildest experiments Nintendo has ever undertaken. That’s saying something for a company that made a VR headset way before they became huge in the 2010s. Two screens for a portable sounded wild, but the touch-based controls made the DS an instant hit.

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It made playing certain genres better, like turn-based JRPGs. Now, for the strategy enthusiasts, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon, and Pokemon Conquest are all great turn-based tactical JRPGs. While good, they don’t fall in line with traditional turn-based JRPGs which operate on a smaller scale and not on giant maps. Let’s get to the standouts.

8 Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

The Final Part Of The Trilogy

• Released: November 29, 2010 (NA)
• Developer: Camelot Software Planning
• Publisher: Nintendo
• Metacritic Score: 79

It took a while for this third game to come out following the two GBA Golden Sun games. The unique thing about those games was that players could transfer progress between them, and thanks to the GBA slot in the DS, players could get a bonus for Golden Sun: Dark Dawn too.

This series has always been about legacy, and this is especially true for this third game, given that the heroes from the first two games are now older and have kids of their own, who are the new protagonists. The gameplay is the same as in previous Golden Sun games, split between solving puzzles in dungeons and fighting frantic turn-based battles.

7 Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

A Demonic Trip To Antarctica

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is a spinoff from the main series, although it falls in line with the typical gameplay style. Players command a group of researchers in Antarctica who stumble upon a demonic realm, which is a unique setting for a JRPG, or a game in general.

Crawling through dungeons is done in first-person, as are the turn-based battles. Players can recruit demons to aid in them combat, and all demons have elemental strengths and weaknesses. It’s a good DS JRPG which was only made better by the enhanced 3DS port.

6 Final Fantasy 4

A Remake And The Definitive Edition Of A Classic

There were two great Final Fantasy remakes on the DS. Of the two, Final Fantasy 3 was the bigger deal because it was the first time it was released in North America, in 2006, after its 1990 debut on the NES in Japan. As important as that release was, the better game is still Final Fantasy 4.

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Final Fantasy 4 was a classic on the SNES, ranking up there as one of the best in the series for a lot of fans. It pushed the narrative and gameplay forward for the series, and the DS remake added a lot of modern features like voice acting.

5 Radiant Historia

Investing In The Past To Change The Future

Radiant Historia is one of the most unique and original games on the DS. It stars a young soldier, Stocke, who loses a battle so horribly that he gets his allies killed. He’s given a second chance via a magic book to rewind time, which plays heavily into the gameplay.

Players can go back to historical events to affect the future, and there is a timeline menu that helps keep track of their progress. The combat is incredibly hard for a turn-based game, forcing players to stay on their toes and spend their actions wisely. This is another example that got an enhanced 3DS port, just like Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.

4 Pokemon Black & White

One Of The Most Compelling Narratives In The Franchise

Pokemon Black and Pokemon White were a big step up graphically from Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl. The character sprites were advanced in their animations and size. The starter Pokemon — Snivy, Tepig, or Oshawott — became instant favorites among fans, even rivaling the original three Pokemon starters from the First Generation games. Plus the story was compelling for a game aimed at kids.

N, the leader of Team Plasma, made for a sympathetic villain in a world filled with wild characters. The classic aspect of battling and catching Pokemon was as solid as ever. Pokemon has always been a standout example of turn-based JRPGs, and Black and White on the DS were prime examples of this.

3 Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels Of The Starry Skies

The Series Goes Co-Op

Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies went through a lot of changes during its development. It was almost an action RPG, but the one thing that did remain throughout was the multiplayer aspect. Unlike other Dragon Quest entries though, players could customize their character.

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Besides following the story, players could also team up for four-player co-op adventures, and the turn-based battles still played out the same. It seems like it was the perfect testing ground for multiplayer, as the next game, Dragon Quest 10: Rise of the Five Tribes, was an MMO that still hasn’t been brought over to North America.

2 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story

Bowser Gets A Starring Role

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is the third game in the Mario & Luigi RPG series, and the narrative is split between Bowser and the two plumber heroes.

Bowser is on a rampage to control the Mushroom Kingdom, but when another invading army comes to town, he has to defend it instead. Mario and Luigi help Bowser by increasing his power from within. Yes, the two brothers are literally stuck inside Bowser’s body, making for some great comedy moments and even better active gameplay. Like a couple of others on this list, this game did get an enhanced 3DS port.

1 Chrono Trigger

The SNES’s Best Makes It To The DS

Chrono Trigger, by all measures, is celebrated as a hallmark of the JRPG genre, and is one of the finer games on the SNES. After a bungled port to the PS1, the DS version fixed a lot of problems.

The load times were better than the PS1 version, and there were some enhancements for the New Game+ route. It’s one of those games that almost demands multiple playthroughs, as the time-traveling aspects provide a lot of alternative endings. The graphics weren’t changed much, but they didn’t need to be, as the pixel art for most SNES games still holds up well. Right now, the DS version is still the best way to experience Chrono Trigger.

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By  Tristan Jurkovich