Role-playing games (RPGs) are fun and exciting games that most people have ever loved to play. RPGs let you take on a whole new persona where you get to live in an adventurous world. For more than a century, Nintendo has taken RPGs on a whole new level.
The Japanese electronic and video game company has created different worlds with different setups. You can choose from casual games where you don't have to rush to achieve a goal to fast-paced ones perfect for individuals with a flair for heart-racing games. Let's take a look at the best RPG Nintendo games today.
Magical Starsign
Magical Starsign is popularly known in Japan as Magical Vacation: Itsutsu no Hoshi ga Narabu Toki. It's a traditional role-playing game with the main objective of finding Madeleine, a powerful teacher at Will O' Wisp magical academy. In this game, you need to team up with several schoolmates and set off on an adventure to find and save your teacher.
The game will take you to space, and you will need to travel across several planets. One by one, you and your team board ships and crash land on different locations alone. You have to face various characters, fight loads of battles, and explore dungeons as you unveil the secret behind the disappearance of your teacher.
In every character, you will see a sign that determines the type of magic they have. During the game, each role grows stronger or weaker depending on the shifting of their assigned planets - stronger when into prominence and more vulnerable as they move out of every respective position.
Dragon Quest: The Chapters of the Chosen
Dragon Quest: The Chapters of the Chosen is the fourth part of the series, Dragon Quest. The game has been around for more than 20 years, making it one of the oldest RPGs you can play. Upon entering the game, you must be prepared and fully equipped, as battles can randomly happen anywhere.
As the game begins, you will be on a journey to face day and night cycles, control heroes, travel via a hot air balloon and have the three-levels of keys. There are different types of heroes, such as Thief, Magic, and Ultimate. There are also other aspects of the game that spice things up. For example, saves are restricted.
Aside from adding excitement to the game, it makes the adventure tougher and more challenging to get through. When you try to save the game while exploring the world, it will force you to shut off your DS, making it impossible to recover life and mana. However, games like this can also be a test of patience for those who want to have fun playing RPGs.
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
An action-adventure RPG, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, was developed and published by Nintendo and was released in December 2009 worldwide. The game portrays a cel-shaded style which many gamers have noticed to be similar to its predecessors.
The gameplay starts in the protagonist's story, who travels across the overworld through a cannon-equipped steam train. Similar to previous installments, the Spirit Tracks' players control the characters through a stylus. However, unlike its predecessors, this game does not have Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
The good thing is if you have a group of 4 friends, you can still play this game together via DS Download Play. Considering that it's the 15th installment of the series, the game stands out among the rest because of its impressive graphics and each character's incredibly expansive personality.
The World Ends With You
The World Ends With You was developed by Square Enix in 2007. It is a role-playing action game featuring an urban fantasy element. This game was arranged into three different chapters based on a 3-week involvement of the main character, Neku, in the Reapers' game.
As a player, you can control Neku and his allies as they travel to Shibuya to complete every mission. Each mission needs to be completed within a certain time, but the good thing is the time limit is not correlated to the player's time passage. The game has a few interesting features, including noise symbols, special pins, and fashion trends.
The player can control the characters through touchscreen actions depending on the recently equipped pins. Moves such as slashing, tapping, holding down, and shouting in the DS microphone can be used to attack an enemy. If you're a gamer who loves a modern-day version of RPGs, then this game might give you what you're looking for.
Chrono Trigger
A 1995 role-playing game developed and published by Square, Chrono Trigger shows the standard RPG gameplay. Many RPG fans consider this game to be the greatest game in its genre and the best game ever created.
The game's story is about an intelligent katana-wielding Crono and his allies as they travel through time, affecting the future. Upon entering the adventurous world of Chrono Trigger, you'll notice that it began on a planet similar to earth in the year 1,000 AD. The protagonist's team explores the past to stop an evil monster from ruining a future civilization.
What makes the game more interesting is unlike other RPGs, it has no sudden battles, and the players don't need to grind to level up their character's feature. Many gamers might have hated the genre, but this one is considered to be the ultimate "game-changer."
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Popularly known in Japan as Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joō, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the second part of the Ni No Kuni series. The game was originally released in 2012 and developed by an independent video game developer, Level-5.
This game falls under the casual and action genre as it offers two gameplay options. You can choose from exploring the other world or fighting adventurous battles. If you opt to explore, you will be put in Skyrim's open world and Final Fantasy corridors. However, if you choose the battle feature, you'll experience a good combination of the Tales series and FFXIII.
The flexible playability options of this game make it more enjoyable for both young and old players. With battles channeled to different options, you can easily overcome most of the challenges you might encounter. The game's quality interface and 3D visuals are features that make Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch stand out among its peers.
Radiant Historia
Radiant Historia was released in Japan in 2010. It is a role-playing game developed by Atlus for Nintendo DS. The game takes place on the continent of Vainqueur, which is split between rival tribes of Alistel and Granorg.
Stocke, an Alistel soldier, is appointed to bear the White Chronicle, a time-traveling tome, to avoid Vainqueur's desertification. Traveling between different periods is an integral aspect of both the plot and the gameplay, and the number of possible timelines unlocked affects the ending.
Radiant Historia received favorable reviews and sales, achieving high sales chart rankings in Japan and the United States. It was compared favorably by many reviewers to role-playing games from the 16-bit console period. Many people praised the added plot and gameplay content in the remake.
Final Fantasy IV
A role-playing video game, Final Fantasy IV, was developed and published by Square and was released in 1991 as the fourth main part of the Final Fantasy series. Despite its numerous changes, Final Fantasy IV on the DS is one of the few remakes that truly honors the original.
Though the plot hasn't changed much (dark knight Cecil sets out on a quest to discover his true origins and save the world), the tale is now told in a stunning 3D cinematic style with voice acting. It makes all of the characters stand out even more.
Combat and progression mechanics have also been greatly improved, with a higher level of difficulty and the power to assign new commands to all game modes. It finally adds role gameplay tweaks to FF4, which were missing in the original.
Pokemon Black and White Version 2
Popularly known in Japan as Poketto Monsutā Burakku Tsū & Howaito Tsū, these are a pair of role-playing video games released as the first installment of the fifth-generation of the Pokemon series.
The games received favorable reviews upon publication, with reviewers praising the improvements in gameplay and the theme. However, reviewers were split on some of the character and Pokémon designs, saying that the games did not innovate as much as they had hoped.
Despite this, the games were commercially successful: Black and White sold one million customer preorders, making it the fastest Nintendo DS title to sell 5 million copies.
Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
It is a role-playing game developed by AlphaDream in 2009. Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is considered the third game in the Mario and Luigi RPG series. It also made use of the Nintendo DS's interactive screens in some of its game mechanics and added other features that would be included in subsequent games in the series.
The game's plot includes Mario and Luigi being ingested into the body of Bowser, their long-time adversary. The gameplay centers on the trio's teamwork, as they use their special attributes to complete tasks, battle enemies, and advance through the game.
By April 2011, it had sold over 4 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Mario role-playing game.
Conclusion
RPG games help you unwind and take your mind off the daily hassles of life. When it comes to role-playing games on DS with Nintendo, you have some of the best choices for both competitive players and those that just want some fun.
