The DS ROMS is the classic Big N success story. Dual displays were a left-field sphere, and the coupling with touchscreen functionality was ingenious. The backward compatibility of GBA titles has established it in public as a true successor to the brand.
Nintendo is known for focusing on family fun and bringing people together to play games on their systems, and the DS is no exception. With a host of great multiplayer games, it’s still one of the best consoles for spending time with your loved ones.
Let’s take a look at the best DS roms to do just that.
Children of Mana
Among all mana games, this is one of the lesser-known entries in the Mana series, made internationally famous in 1993 for the SNES by Secret of Mana.
This action RPG is beautiful and plays like a charm. It offers different fighting styles depending on the weapon your character equips, and overall it seems like a perfect fantasy dungeon crawler – for the first hour or so longer.
After a while, it started repeating with the four-player multiplayer. However, it goes a long way in keeping the game engaging.
WarioWare
True to its name, WarioWare: DIY allows you to “do it yourself.” And by “that,” I mean creating mini-games to play with your friends. This title gives you all the tools you need to create graphics, compose music, and program the mini-games for which the series is famous.
It’s like Super Mario Maker, but for quick and weird board games. Even if you’re not a creative person, the game includes over 70 pre-made microgames, as well as 20 tutorials to teach you the basics of microgame design.
One of the best things about WarioWare is that most of these games can be played by large groups with a single DS while circulating the console.
Sonic Rush
Sonic Rush is one of the best entries in the Adventure career after Sonic’s high-speed hedgehog. It takes the classic side-scrolling races of the original games and the GBA Advance series and gives it a facelift with 3D polygonal characters and highly detailed backgrounds.
It also features Blaze the Cat, a decisive female role with no romantic interest in Sonic, which always wins.
The game’s multiplayer component allows two players to navigate most levels in the campaign, using items or physical attacks to slow down on the way to the goal.
It’s pretty fun, and you only need one map for the whole experience (though having two decks cuts load times).
Contra 4
As one of the few titles in the Contra series not developed by Konami, people had to be wary of Contra 4 on the Nintendo DS. Fortunately, the folks at Way Forward have done a great job creating a game that retains much of what made run and gun so good.
There are bullets everywhere, enemies are dropping like flies, and if you manage to complete the challenge with a friend, you’ll have a life companion. Also, you can play Original Contrast and Super Contrast after unlocking them in Challenge Mode. Talk about great value!
Jam with the band
The above game enters the charts as the best rhythm game on the NDS from a multiplayer perspective, thanks to its simple concept and impeccable execution.
You and up to seven other band members choose a different instrument and play the same song, creating a harmonious symphony and having a lot of fun.
My favorite part about this game is its full composer mode with over 50 instruments to create your hit songs.
Soma Bringer
Monolith Soft’s Soma Bringer is arguably the best multiplayer action RPG on the NDS. Unfortunately, it was only released in Japan. However, I think it’s too good to leave it out.
Some of the most brilliant minds in the industry were involved in its creation, including Tetsuya Takahashi, best known for his work on the Xeno series, and composer Yasunori Matsuda, best known for Chrono Trigger.
The game lets you control one of eight unique characters to raid dungeons and battle enemies in real-time fluid combat. In multiplayer, you do it with two friends.