Chase Koeneke’s Top 25 3DS Games

The fun thing about doing lists for the best handheld games each year since 2013 is that you can compare your opinions then to what they are now and see what holds up. Some things have decidedly shifted over time. For example, Monster Hunter Stories has dulled a bit since I named it my 2017 game of the year, whereas repeated playthroughs of Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia have given me new appreciation for this entry in one of my favorite series. Even more interesting: 2013 claims three of my top five 3DS game slots. Hell of a year. Read on for all 25 of my favorite games for one of my favorite systems ever.

1. Fire Emblem Awakening

Hardcore Fire Emblem fans tend to dislike Awakening for becoming too casual and too broken, but those are the things I kind of appreciate about the game. Permadeath has always been my biggest gripe about Fire Emblem (well, ok, it’s actually the limited weapon uses, but permadeath is a close second,) so it was great to see Intelligent Systems create an option to never lose characters independent of the difficulty. Awakening has a really fun and varied cast, some strong music and an incredible array of customization to turn your units into literal killing machines. I put over 500 hours into Awakening in 2013 alone and I’m still thinking about it to this day.

2. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

Echoes is right up there too. In a number of ways, I even prefer it to Awakening. From my Best of 2017 list:

Whereas Awakening and Fates are built from a rich history of mechanics from past Fire Emblem games, Echoes is almost experimental by comparison.

This remake of Fire Emblem Gaiden is such an interesting mix of new, old and old made new. A gorgeous artstyle, doing away with the weapon triangle, magic costing health, dungeons to explore, full voice acting and a split story that is one of the more compelling tales in the series. It’s held back by some outdated and boring map design, but Echoes does so much more right than it does wrong and it’s my favorite game in the series to go back to.

3. SteamWorld Heist

From 2015:

It scratches all my itches: Tactical combat, party customization, loot, and then wraps them up in this fun and friendly 2D world.

All still true, but the thing I forgot to mention is what makes SteamWorld Heist so unique: It’s aiming. When you attack in other tactical franchises, your hits are either guaranteed or there are dice rolls to determine whether or not your attack lands. But in Heist, your weapons have a slight sway, requiring skill and timing to hit your shots. It’s a very inventive approach that brings finesse to a genre that’s normally pre-determined. Image & Form made something special here, and while the Dig games are great, I’m hoping that more Heist is on its way.

4. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

One of my big video game shames is that I’ve never finished A Link to the Past, despite numerous attempts. I always get lost somewhere in the middle and become frustrated in having this big world to explore, but still feeling like I’m locked out from experiencing most of it. A Link Between Worlds alleviates this problem by letting you rent equipment, making more of the map accessible at any one time and allowing you to tackle dungeons in the order you prefer. For my money, it’s the best Zelda game of all time.

5. Pokemon X/Y

Despite playing and enjoying every Pokemon game since X & Y, I think this was the last generation I truly loved. The first mainline Pokemon games to move into the third dimension, X & Y’s new coat of paint truly felt fresh, despite hewing pretty closely to the tried and true Pokemon formula. And though it started a disappointing trend of gimmick features in each new generation, X & Y’s Mega Evolution was a real game changer that made it exciting to go back to old favorite monsters and see how they changed. Combine that with a fun array of new Pokemon (and a new type) and you’ve got the best modern Pokemon game around.

6. Bravely Default

7. Dragon Ball Fusions

8. Fire Emblem Fates

9. Monster Hunter Stories

10. Super Mario 3D Land

11. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars

12. Bravely Second

13. Mario Kart 7

14. Pushmo

15. Animal Crossing: New Leaf

16. Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire

17. Kirby: Planet Robobot

18. BOXBOY!

19. SteamWorld Dig

20. Picross 3D Round 2

21. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team

22. Fantasy Life

23. Mario Golf: World Tour

24. Shovel Knight

25. Paper Mario: Sticker Star