Nintendo has been a legendary name in the video game industry for generations, whether it's through their cutting-edge gaming consoles or their multitude of successful first-party franchises. Nintendo is a game developer that's constantly looking toward the future, but it has also never forgotten its past. Nintendo loves to put older classics back in the spotlight with next-gen ports.
There have been multiple announcements this year alone where past hits like Super Mario RPG, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door are heeded to the Switch with fancy remakes. It's great whenever Nintendo can celebrate retro classics, but the Nintendo DS's unique control scheme and play style make some of its games particularly challenging to faithfully remake.
10 Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
Release Date: March 30, 2008
Ninja Gaiden is one of the more punishingly difficult action franchises. It started in the '80s and faithfully carried over into the Xbox's Ninja Gaiden Black reboot. The Nintendo DS game Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is an original entry in the rebooted series set between the first two games. Ninja Gaiden completionists would love to see this title included as a bonus in a Switch collection.
However, Dragon Sword is almost played exclusively with the stylus, and traditional buttons are only used for blocking purposes. Dragon Sword utilizes a completely different playing style than the rest of the handheld's titles, and it's incredibly connected to the Nintendo DS rather than just being a game that's on it.
9 Trauma Center: Under The Knife
Release Date: June 16, 2005
Atlus' unique Trauma Center franchise was a Nintendo exclusive that found success on the Nintendo DS and Wii, both of which relied upon intuitive motion controls as players simulate various surgeries. Trauma Center always felt more natural on the DS than the Wii due to the stylus' precision over the Wiimote.
To some extent, Trauma Center can feel like the player is actually wielding surgical tools. Trauma Center's failure to resurface following Nintendo's motion/touch control days speaks toward how essential it was for the series and not worth remaking without it.
8 Kirby: Canvas Curse
Release Date: June 13, 2005
Nintendo's Kirby has been around for more than three decades, and there are now nearly 40 games in the diverse franchise, many of which feature unique gameplay that takes advantage of their respective consoles. Several Kirby games were released on the Nintendo DS, but Kirby: Canvas Curse was an early release that showcased what was possible on Nintendo's new touch-based handheld.
Kirby: Canvas Curse is played exclusively through the use of the stylus, as the player creates a rainbow pathway for the game's spherical characters to travel across. A sequel of sorts, Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush, was released for the Wii U, but it seems like any chance of a Canvas Curse remake would have been back then.
7 Elite Beat Agents
Release Date: November 8, 2006
Rhythm games haven't gone out of fashion, but they're hardly as dominant as they used to be. The Nintendo DS indulges in this musical genre, and most of these games specifically cater to the handheld's stylus and touch controls. Elite Beat Agents didn't quite take off to the same mainstream acclaim in North America as it did in Japan.
However, it's still one of the most enjoyable games on the DS. Elite Beat Agents combines catchy music with exact controls and a heightened sense of humor. Elite Beat Agents is long overdue for a remake, but the franchise's dormancy reflects Nintendo's desire to keep it as a DS exclusive.
6 The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Release Date: June 23, 2007
The Legend of Zelda has been one of Nintendo's strongest ongoing series that's found success across both its home and handheld consoles. It's been encouraging to see classic handheld Zelda games like Link's Awakening receive robust Switch remakes. However, the pair of Zelda games on the Nintendo DS, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, make for much trickier adaptations.
Both of these games make heavy use of the DS's stylus mechanic, and it's difficult to imagine either game without it. If Nintendo could have found a way to port and remake Phantom Hourglass, then they surely would have, but it just loses its charm without this tactile gameplay quality.
5 Okamiden
Release Date: September 30, 2010
Okamiden is an underrated spiritual sequel to Okami, one of the Wii and PlayStation 2's most striking action-adventure titles. Okamiden didn't pop as much as its predecessor, even if the franchise's Celestial Brush mechanic feels the most natural on the Nintendo DS. The stylus is used to freeze time and draw ornate patterns on the handheld's touch-screen.
Okamiden's best chance for a modern remake would be if it's packaged together with the original Okami, but even that seems like a stretch. Capcom seems to have given up on this series; what's more likely would be a reboot that retains the lore and visual elements but completely overhauls the gameplay.
4 Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin
Release Date: December 5, 2006
Castlevania's Game Boy Advance games were recently remastered and ported to modern consoles in the Castlevania Advance Collection. The Nintendo DS's trilogy of Castlevania games, Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia, haven't received the same treatment, likely as a result of the latter two titles' reliance on the stylus and touch controls.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin is the strongest of these three games, and it's truly unfortunate that it's still locked away on the DS. Players use the stylus not only to orchestrate certain spells but also to handle the game's teamwork mechanic. Many Castlevania fans would likely prefer a new version of Portrait of Ruin that ditches these gameplay mechanics, but it's yet to happen.
3 WarioWare: Touched!
Release Date: February 14, 2005
WarioWare and its wild micro-games have become a popular way for Nintendo to showcase the features of its various consoles. WarioWare has been making waves since the Game Boy Advance and most recently shook things up with the Switch's WarioWare: Get It Together! WarioWare: Touched! is a Nintendo DS entry in the franchise where all of Wario's micro-games are played with the DS's touch-screen or microphone.
It's easy to see why these specific mechanics would prevent WarioWare: Touched! from a proper remake. That being said, many of the title's micro-games were included in WarioWare Gold for the Nintendo 3DS. It was also made available on the Wii U's Virtual Console because of its touch-screen capabilities.
2 Pokémon Ranger
Release Date: March 23, 2006
Pokémon's mainline RPGs are still some of the most popular releases from each gaming generation. Pokémon's versatility has also opened itself up to many creative spinoffs. The Nintendo DS embraces this with many of its titles, including the Pokémon Ranger series. Players control a Pokémon Ranger, rather than a Trainer, whose goal is to protect both Pokémon and nature from dark forces.
Pokémon Ranger relies upon the stylus as the primary tool to tame and control Pokémon as well as complete the various environmental puzzles that plague the Rangers. Pokémon fans would love to see the entire Pokémon Ranger trilogy get a proper re-release, but Nintendo has clearly decided that the DS's control scheme is too complicated to redo.
1 Yoshi Touch & Go
Release Date: March 14, 2005
Yoshi Touch & Go feels more like an entertaining tech demo and proof of concept than a full-fledged game, but it properly banks on Yoshi and Baby Mario's popularity. Yoshi Touch & Go focuses on a high-score mechanic rather than a set number of levels to complete. Yoshi moves around on his own, and it's the player's job to direct his movement through the creation of cloud pathways with the DS's stylus.
The DS is also used to neutralize enemies and fire off eggs. Yoshi Touch & Go also makes creative use of the handheld's dual-screen mechanic for horizontally lengthy levels. Yoshi Touch & Go was available on the Wii U's Virtual Console, but it's unlikely to make any future appearances.