Discussion What are your favorite (semi-)obscure 3DS exclusives?

[paranoodle]

Like a lot of people, I made the transition to the switch, etc etc, and there's been a LOT of really good 3DS->switch ports in the last few years, but I've been revisiting my 3DS favorites as well as some of the backlog I never got to, and I was curious if anyone had some fun recommendations for it that I might not have heard of. We all know The Big Hitters for the console, but I think it'd be nice to highlight some of the slightly less famous games people have enjoyed!

Any genre (I have my preferences but maybe someone else will stumble on your suggestion), any language (if you think there's a really cool game that was never localized, I wanna know about it), no strong limits on what exactly "semi-obscure" covers short of like, generally famous franchises/names (an obscure spin-off to a big franchise is still fine).

I'm personally replaying Ever Oasis right this minute and it's one of the prettiest games I've enjoyed on the 3DS, and it's among my favorites on there along with Fantasy Life. Until recently I would've also gone to bat for The Alliance Alive, but there's a switch remaster out now so it doesn't count anymore.

So, what hidden gems do y'all want to convince someone to play?

 

[Clix]

Oh, 3DS love. Favorite Nintendo console. I’ll reevaluate when the Switch moves on to their. next system.

Ever Oasis is great. Overlooked gem of a game. Really wished it got a Switch port because it would play so much better. The New 3DS nub is not a good substitute for an actual right analog stick for camera control.

Have yet to play Alliance Alive but have heard great things. The Switch version is really expensive now for some reason :/

It has its faults, but Code Name: Steam is quite good. The demo may have rubbed some the wrong way but they used that feedback to improve the game and did a patch for the biggest issue, the the turn load times. Also, it’s ten bucks new since it sold incredibly bad.

Pilot Wings Resort is relaxing fun. Sure it’s based off of Pilot Wings which is a signature SNES launch title m, but it’s never been big and it’s a spin-off, so this should count.

Now this one may be a bit controversial because while it is based on a very popular series, the game is niche, and didn’t sell very well outside of hardcore fans. Persona Q. Loved that game and it has funny writing, fantastic music, and so many cool mechanics.

On the eshop, Gunman Clive is a lot of fun. It’s pretty much Mega Man but a western.

 

[9-Volt]

This shit right here. One of the last games Imageepoch ever did and Stella Glow was a legit SRPG, very close to FF Tactics/Tactics Ogre in terms of quality. Harem themed story might put some off but the game play and battles were top notch.

 

[steviestar]

I spent hundreds of hours on the 3DS Etrian Odyssey games. The genre they belong to is super-niche (dungeon crawlers with class-based JRPG combat), but if you're into that sort of thing they're a wonderful time. Etrian Odyssey IV in particular is one of my favorite games of all time and is also a great entry point for anyone new to the series.

Absolutely fantastic music too. Yuzo Koshiro is a god.

 

[Red Monster]

Not sure how obscure it is, probably not at all, it this is the first thing that comes to mind.

 

[paranoodle]

Oh, 3DS love. Favorite Nintendo console. I’ll reevaluate when the Switch moves on to their. next system.

Yeah same here! I've had all the Nintendo handhelds starting with the GBC (I was a tad too young for the regular GB), and while I have a number of GBC/GBA/DS faves, the 3DS is really the one where I found the most games that really stuck with me. The Switch might overtake that but the hybrid nature means it still feels a little different on that front imo. Like, it doesn't completely compare to handhelds only.

Ever Oasis is great. Overlooked gem of a game. Really wished it got a Switch port because it would play so much better. The New 3DS nub is not a good substitute for an actual right analog stick for camera control.

Honestly same, it'd look GORGEOUS on the switch. I'm actually using Citra to replay it right now at 3x native resolution and it looks fantastic even with just basic texture upsizing. Using a PS4 controller too and it handles way better with a real right stick.

Have yet to play Alliance Alive but have heard great things. The Switch version is really expensive now for some reason :/

If you like JRPGs I'd definitely recommend it if you can find it at a decent price. It was well worth the ~$65 for me (I double-dipped for both the original and the remaster), it's pretty lengthy and has decent replay value if you like NG+ runs where you can make different choices.

snip

Never tried those four, and only heard of two of them before, I'll go take a look!

This shit right here. One of the last games Imageepoch ever did and Stella Glow was a legit SRPG, very close to FF Tactics/Tactics Ogre in terms of quality. Harem themed story might put some off but the game play and battles were top notch.

I'll have to admit I'm one of the people who was put off by what I'd heard of the story, but one of my friends swears by this one so I guess I really should get around to checking it out.

I spent hundreds of hours on the 3DS Etrian Odyssey games. The genre they belong to is super-niche (dungeon crawlers with class-based JRPG combat), but if you're into that sort of thing they're a wonderful time. Etrian Odyssey IV in particular is one of my favorite games of all time and is also a great entry point for anyone new to the series.

Absolutely fantastic music too. Yuzo Koshiro is a god.

I'll admit I dropped off the series after what happened with the lead artist, but man if I didn't have a really really good time with that series until then. Total agreement with EOIV being my favorite (in the series at least, but it's up there in general), the only ones I never played were the Untold remakes (I think they were remakes?), and I didn't vibe with the mystery dungeon spin-offs for some reason. But I spent a completely unreasonable amount of time on IV, it was so much fun.

Not sure how obscure it is, probably not at all, it this is the first thing that comes to mind.

No idea either but if it's fun it's fun! I still need to play that one, I've played most of both series but never the cross-over for some reason. What's the gameplay like, is it a mix of the two?

 

[Raytro]

As a Pikmin fan, my only answer is obviously...

Hey! Pikmin


It has his flaws, but I think it's still a pretty underrated game. I had a good time playing it, even did 100% with amiibo and all. Really not perfect but a cool little game having a special place in my 3DS library.

 

[Phil32]

Two games that immediately came to mind were Shinobi that released early in the 3DS's life, a great action-platformer, and LBX: Little Battlers Xperience, a toy mech game from Level-5. I loved collecting parts and doing battles in 3D arenas with its third-person perspective. The game rocked to me.

 

[Deleted member 1250]

Two games that immediately came to mind were Shinobi that released early in the 3DS's life, a great action-platformer, and LBX: Little Battlers Xperience, a toy mech game from Level-5. I loved collecting parts and doing battles in 3D arenas with its third-person perspective. The game rocked to me.

i own the psp ver. this and the ps vita sequel as well

 

[Niraj]

I would have mentioned Fantasy Life if you didn't already, so I'll say Pocket Card Jockey. One of the most fun and addictive games on the 3DS eShop, it's a weird mix of a card game and horse racing from Gamefreak.

 

[Ramune]

Until recently I would've also gone to bat for The Alliance Alive, but there's a switch remaster out now so it doesn't count anymore.

This was digital only here and I purchased it at like midnight the moment it went up I think. I was so excited for it, and it’s pretty great for what it is!

I’ll go one step further and say I also loved Legend of Legacy. Great Hamauzu score, cute character designs, and I liked the (very) sparse storytelling being more about the island. Do we know what that team/Cattle Call are working on now?

 

[Lord Azrael]

No idea either but if it's fun it's fun! I still need to play that one, I've played most of both series but never the cross-over for some reason. What's the gameplay like, is it a mix of the two?

Also not sure if it counts as obscure, at least not around these parts, but it's my vote as well.

Gameplay is a mix yeah. Realized in pretty much the best way they could've. They complement each other really well. Traditional Layton gameplay during the investigations, and traditional Ace Attorney gameplay during the trials. But with fresh, new mechanics introduced that even crossed over into future mainline entries.

Just be advised that the story is more on the Layton side than the Ace Attorney side. If you know what I mean

 

[Deleted member 1676]

So, I know Miku is quite popular herself - but I felt her 3DS outing, Project Mirai DX was a bit overlooked. There were so many fun and cute modes on this game, and I remember loving the fact that unlike other Miku games that are more Arcade-based, this game used the full lengths of the songs (as far as I can remember, at least.)

Honorable mentions go to Mighty Switch Force, Senran Kagura and Fantasy Life. The 3DS is a treasure trove for hidden gems!

 

[Theswweet]

Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure is grossly overlooked, and one of the best games on the system.

 

[Ostia]

7th Dragon III Code: VFD is a really great dungeon crawling series, kind of in the vein of Etrian Oddyssey but closer to a traditional JRPG (no mapping, you control the character in 3rd person, there are flashy battle animations, etc.) Big focus on party building and tough boss fights, with some unique character classes (like the Duelist, who fights by playing elemental trap cards)

Etrian Mystery Dungeon, which takes the rogue lite dungeon crawler style of Shiren the Wanderer and melds it with the class system and party based combat of the Etrian Odyssey series. Incredibly deep and fun game, best of both worlds really. Integrates concepts like FOEs with base defense, managing multiple parties and branching path dungeon delving.

Return to Popolocrois, takes the charming turn based RPG style of Popolocrois and combines it with the farming from Story of Seasons. The farming is really more of a side thing, but there are plentiful rewards for engaging in it. The story is charming and the combat is good though relatively simple.

 

[paranoodle]

I'm reading all the suggestions but I'm gonna try not to go too ham on the quoting, really exciting reading everyone's faves! I'm glad I'm not the only Fantasy Life fan on here (speaking of games I wish got a switch port... or a real sequel ;-; )

I’ll go one step further and say I also loved Legend of Legacy. Great Hamauzu score, cute character designs, and I liked the (very) sparse storytelling being more about the island. Do we know what that team/Cattle Call are working on now?

Legend of Legacy didn't do it as much for me, I think it was a bit too... experimental for my tastes? But it was super interesting to try out (and see how TAA evolved from it) and I got it for super cheap so it was well worth a spin. Didn't get around to finishing it but I had a good 20-ish hours on it.

Looking up their website, apparently they're the ones (or at least, one of the ones) behind Dungeon Encounters, which seems pretty neat? I only heard about it this week (release date listed as 14/10 so it's pretty dang recent) and I don't know much about it.

Also not sure if it counts as obscure, at least not around these parts, but it's my vote as well.

Gameplay is a mix yeah. Realized in pretty much the best way they could've. They complement each other really well. Traditional Layton gameplay during the investigations, and traditional Ace Attorney gameplay during the trials. But with fresh, new mechanics introduced that even crossed over into future mainline entries.

Just be advised that the story is more on the Layton side than the Ace Attorney side. If you know what I mean

Ohh that sounds like a lot of fun actually, I should really get around to trying it then. I originally meant to finish all the games of either series before I did the crossover, but I got distracted halfway through the Layton games so I never finished. Should try to get back to that then!

Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure is grossly overlooked, and one of the best games on the system.

Back when I tried the demo it didn't hook me for some reason, but I've heard really good things about it since, I should really give it another spin again sometime.

 

[Future Boy Nemo]

Attack of the Friday Monsters is an absolutely adorable game. It's also fairly short, so I tend to play it once every year or two over the course of a day. Occasionally you play a game where you can tell the budget was low, but there's so much heart in it the technical limitations become part of the charm; this is that game.

And if you're willing to use 'obscure' loosely, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked is one of my favorite games of all time. Playing it for hours and hours a day during the initial lockdown period of the pandemic is a memory that will stick with me until the end of time, with dialogue like (going off memory here) "This isn't how I wanted to spend the summer. Once the lockdown ends, I want to go shopping, and visit the pool, or see a movie!" "The government is clearly lying about the reason for the lockdown!" I could rave about the story and gameplay for hours, and if anyone has the slightest interest in a game that is Fire Emblem + Pokemon with dashes of Devilman and Durarara, please give it a chance.

 

[MilesTailsPrower]

Not sure how obscure it is, probably not at all, it this is the first thing that comes to mind.

Port this to the Switch you cowards

 

[Krvavi Abadas]

I actually imported this while looking for other games because i was completely dumbfounded by the box art.

Spoiler: The reason

Miis, by this point. Had mostly died out in terms of 3rd-party support. So seeing a 3DS game from one that prominently uses them was unexpected.

The only involvement Nintendo had, from what i can tell. Is showing the game off in a early Nintendo Direct.

As for the actual game, it's okay. Basically a touch-based rhythm game. Albeit with the bizarre catch that the bottom screen acts just as one "giant" button. Unlike the usual setup for games like that on the platform.
There's also a whole bunch of management stuff (As the title says, you join AKB48 as their newest member.) but it's difficult to understand since i don't know any Japanese.

 

[Mozendo]

The Denpamen trilogy is nice. Really fun simple RPGs.
Not sure if Pushmo is considered obscured but also had fun with it.

 

[Mr_No_U]

PCJ is a must play IMO

 

[Hero of Hyrule]

Radiant Historia

 

[kpup]

Attack of the Friday Monsters is an absolutely adorable game. It's also fairly short, so I tend to play it once every year or two over the course of a day. Occasionally you play a game where you can tell the budget was low, but there's so much heart in it the technical limitations become part of the charm; this is that game.

The Level-5 Guild games all seem super unique and short, so whenever nintendo announces the eshop's inevitable closing, these games are the first I'm grabbing. I've only played Crimson Shroud from them so far though.

This shit right here. One of the last games Imageepoch ever did and Stella Glow was a legit SRPG, very close to FF Tactics/Tactics Ogre in terms of quality. Harem themed story might put some off but the game play and battles were top notch.

I def regret selling my copy. The soundtrack by yasunori mitsuda is great too.

 

[Cantaim]

PCJ is a must play IMO

This is one of my favorite games on the system hands down. More people need to play it.

 

[TheDok]

Maybe not totally obscure, but the Street Pass Mii Plaza games are seriously fun. Easily put in over 100 hours into them

 

[Ramune]

Looking up their website, apparently they're the ones (or at least, one of the ones) behind Dungeon Encounters, which seems pretty neat? I only heard about it this week (release date listed as 14/10 so it's pretty dang recent) and I don't know much about it.

Oh no way! I was really interested in that so will have to pick it up sooner rather than later.

 

[King_Dodongo]

Dillon (the whole franchise, specially DHB) and Crimson Shroud.

 

[Sheldon]

Denpa Men is not obscure, nor semi, considering there were 3 games, but with advertisement like this it should have been:




A simple dungeon-crawler mixed with Dragon Quest like combat and gacha collecting that turns wi-fi signals into loot boxes was my kind of handheld gaming catnip.

 

[fiendcode]

Just here to talk about GOTTA PROTECTORS again.

https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/gotta-protectors-3ds/

 

[Cat]

Collectable Badge Center

I would hate to think how much time I would have sunk into this, had it not been released so late into the 3DS's cycle.

 

[Imitatio]

This shit right here. One of the last games Imageepoch ever did and Stella Glow was a legit SRPG, very close to FF Tactics/Tactics Ogre in terms of quality. Harem themed story might put some off but the game play and battles were top notch.

This this this. I looooove Stella Glow.

 

[Whelt]

Kokuga is pretty cool. Is this obscure?

Kokuga - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

It's a top down tank shoot em up. I think it's been removed from the eShop in some regions? I never figured out how to beat it because the last level was really confusing, but I enjoyed it.

And there's Shifting World

Shifting World for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Official Site

<p style="margin-top: 0"> Shift the world, from black to white and white to black. Use that to your advantage to overcome the game’s obstacles and find your way out of the room. </p> <p style="margin-top: 0"> …

www.nintendo.com

Puzzle game where you flip the world from black and white to control where you can move.

 

[Xenoblade 3]

7th Dragon III Code: VFD is a really great dungeon crawling series, kind of in the vein of Etrian Oddyssey but closer to a traditional JRPG (no mapping, you control the character in 3rd person, there are flashy battle animations, etc.) Big focus on party building and tough boss fights, with some unique character classes (like the Duelist, who fights by playing elemental trap cards)

Etrian Mystery Dungeon, which takes the rogue lite dungeon crawler style of Shiren the Wanderer and melds it with the class system and party based combat of the Etrian Odyssey series. Incredibly deep and fun game, best of both worlds really. Integrates concepts like FOEs with base defense, managing multiple parties and branching path dungeon delving.

Return to Popolocrois, takes the charming turn based RPG style of Popolocrois and combines it with the farming from Story of Seasons. The farming is really more of a side thing, but there are plentiful rewards for engaging in it. The story is charming and the combat is good though relatively simple.

I came here to mention 7th Dragon. It was a fun game. I really enjoyed having the 9-man party and switching between the 3 teams.

Good to see someone mentioned EO and Devil Survivor. Great tastes in here

Devil Survivor was great. I really enjoyed the

Spoiler: Devil Survivor Spoilers

Become a Demon Lordand fight against god ending. I really wish we got more story after the ending.

 

[Josh5890]

Have you ever wanted to play the Smash Bros of Fire Emblem games? Look no further than Project X Zone. You get to play a strategy RPG featuring characters from Bandi Namco, Sega, and Capcom. My only regret is that I never got around to picking up the sequel.

 

[TWILTY]

I wanna throw in another couple votes for Devil Survivor Overclocked and Devil Survivor 2 Record Breaker. Both are so good and I love the new content added. when desu 3 for switch

Radiant Historia was great too; I really love the added voice acting to the game.

 

[Sadist]

Somebody named Attack of the Friday Monsters? My man! Back when Level 5 actually made games which were good.

Another vote for the amazing Devil Survivor Overclocked as well. A fantastic tactical RPG. Plus it had one hell of an amazing final battle. I think it took me an hour to bring down the final boss.

Another Atlus one, while based on Persona… Persona Q was super fun; what happens when you throw in the P3 and P4 cast into an Etrian Odyssey? Awesome stuff I tell you.

 

[paranoodle]

Woaaah so many cool suggestions in here, thank you all! I've only played around a third of these and heard of another third, so this was really neat to catch up to. I'm gonna go through and see which of these seem up my alley but there's definitely at least a couple I'll try and find copies of to try out. I hope people found some cool new stuff to try out too!

Also, to clarify - none of these had to be super obscure or anything, I just couldn't find a good adjective that covered "games that not everyone might have heard of by now" without being as much of a mouthful, haha

 

[GamerJM]

Have you ever wanted to play the Smash Bros of Fire Emblem games? Look no further than Project X Zone. You get to play a strategy RPG featuring characters from Bandi Namco, Sega, and Capcom. My only regret is that I never got around to picking up the sequel.

A lot of people liked the sequel more, but I kind of preferred the first. I really like both games, though. They're not super deep, and they go on for longer than is needed, but they're insanely flashy and full of obscure fan service.

 

[Ramune]

Dillon (the whole franchise, specially DHB) and Crimson Shroud.

Crimson Shroud is really really good, yeah. I wish it had become its own little franchise of short RPG campaigns.

 

[Krvavi Abadas]

Dillon (the whole franchise, specially DHB)

Dead Heat Breakers is the only game in the series to get a physical release, actually.

It's nice to have it preserved like this, but it was only released in Europe and Japan.

Making it, alongside Picross 3D: Round 2 and Rhythm Heaven Megamix. Part of a trilogy of titles that were digital-only in North America for whatever reason.

 

[astrogamer]

The Legend of the Dark Witch series are a group of pretty solid Mega Man-esque games a mix of Touhou. The first 2 got ported to Steam but the third one (codeveloped by M2) is stuck on the 3DS and is kind of the best one. They did a remastered version on Switch that updated the visuals from pixels to 2D art and various improvements from the later games too

 

[Raccoon]

The dirt-cheap, eShop-only Chibi-Robo!: Photo Finder is in fact the best of the GameCube cult classic's sequels. It has tremendous returning characters and excellent depictions of returning ones, and the mix of tradition gameplay with heavy emphasis on minigames that incorporate the game's new cast suits the character and world very well. The game is held back by the low quality of the 3DS cameras, but the photo element of the game can easily take a back seat if you want it to.

 

[King_Dodongo]

Crimson Shroud is really really good, yeah. I wish it had become its own little franchise of short RPG campaigns.

It had all the ingredients and its own charm. You really felt like you were playing a board game and the music was exquisite.

Dead Heat Breakers is the only game in the series to get a physical release, actually.

It's nice to have it preserved like this, but it was only released in Europe and Japan.

Making it, alongside Picross 3D: Round 2 and Rhythm Heaven Megamix. Part of a trilogy of titles that were digital-only in North America for whatever reason.

Indeed, I got so upset by the lack pf physical releases. I had to give in and downloaded DHB later on but didn't play Megamix for the exact same reason.

 

[Roger Rabbit]

I am an Airport Hero. Fantastic game of air traffic control simulation. They only contain one airport each on 3DS, unlike the DS game, but they look great. Five of them are ports of PSP games.

 

[Donnie]

If it counts as obscure, then certainly

It's not only my favorite obscure title on 3ds, it's just my favourite title on 3ds full stop. A wonderful adventure with tons and tons to do, and a wonderful reciprocal multiplayer experience. A few times now my partner and I have split up the major gathering and crafting jobs between each other and played in tandem, and it's utterly satisfying to see our efforts feed back into each other's gear and progress.

 

[AngryNopon]

I'm seeing a lot of Guild titles being mentioned, it's such a shame Level 5 gave up on the concept.

 

[pronk]

I am an Airport Hero. Fantastic game of air traffic control simulation. They only contain one airport each on 3DS, unlike the DS game, but they look great. Five of them are ports of PSP games.

I've always wanted to try those, I had one of the demos on my Japanese 3DS but never got a full release of one. Did they localise one of them or am I confusing it with a different series?

I enjoyed the Monster Strike 3DS game, and the Puzzle and Dragons (not Mario) RPG was cool too. I should go back and finish them.

Other games people have already mentioned - Ever Oasis, Shinobi, LBX.

 

[Roger Rabbit]

I've always wanted to try those, I had one of the demos on my Japanese 3DS but never got a full release of one. Did they localise one of them or am I confusing it with a different series?

I enjoyed the Monster Strike 3DS game, and the Puzzle and Dragons (not Mario) RPG was cool too. I should go back and finish them.

Other games people have already mentioned - Ever Oasis, Shinobi, LBX.

You might be thinking of the Japanese train series. One of those got localised and released digitally on 3DS, and also had a switch and PS4 review. The western name is Rail SIM Journey to Kyoto.

I don't think any of the Air Traffic Control games did, except for the DS game, which is fun.

 

[pinkpunk]

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology

A solid time-travel story that is fully voice-acted, an adult, no-nonsense, competent protagonist, a refreshingly grounded tone, and a story-mode to skip the grinding? GOTY material. Resonant Arc's video does a great job explaining what's great about this game, and better yet there's a free demo on the eshop with the full prologue/chapter 1 of the campaign.

After originally being sent out to die on the DS (the year the 3DS came out) then again on the 3DS (a year after the Switch came out), I don't know another gem more deserving of the Xenoblade Chronicles Remaster treatment.

 

[Waluijob]

If you're a fan of card-based RPGs, you owe it to yourself to track this down and play it.