Items12The creator’s order
  1. 1The World Ends with You (2007)The World Ends with You (2007) 7.6/10 on IGDBReleased Jul 26, 2007Neku fights on the lower screen while his partner fights at the same time up top. You work the stylus for one character and the buttons for the other. The split gives the two characters a distinct rhythm in the same fight, although getting comfortable with the whole screenful of action takes…0
  2. 2Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (2009)Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure (2009) 8.7/10 on IGDBReleased Mar 17, 2009Defeat a foe on the upper screen and it becomes a piece in the puzzle below. Clear matches in that puzzle to send health and energy back to the platforming game. The fun is deciding when to stop swinging and do a little housekeeping downstairs.0
  3. 3Advance Wars: Dual Strike (2005)Advance Wars: Dual Strike (2005) 8.6/10 on IGDBReleased Jun 23, 2005In DS Battles, the second screen can hold another battlefield. You may have to watch both fronts or move troops from one screen to the other. It’s worth picking for that shift in scale, when a decision that makes sense on one map has to leave you enough resources for the other.0
  4. 4Contra 4 (2007)Contra 4 (2007) 8.0/10 on IGDBReleased Nov 13, 2007Enemies can come at you from above because the stages extend across both screens. A grappling hook lets you get up there and fight from a different height. It’s a hectic use of the extra space, especially if you’re used to keeping your eyes fixed on the ground in Contra.0
  5. 5Sonic Rush (2005)Sonic Rush (2005) 7.6/10 on IGDBReleased Nov 15, 2005A bungee jump can send Sonic dropping from the top screen to the bottom. Both displays make up the same play area, giving the side-scrolling stages room to send you through tall drops and corkscrews. Try this for a quick feel for what a taller handheld level can do.0
  6. 6Metroid Prime Pinball (2005)Metroid Prime Pinball (2005) 6.0/10 on IGDBReleased Oct 24, 2005A pinball table extends across both displays, with Samus rolling through ramps and bumpers as the Morph Ball. You can see where the shot went and follow it back toward the flippers. Choose it for the simplest idea here: give the ball a whole table to travel through.0
  7. 7Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (2007)Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (2007) 8.5/10 on IGDBReleased Jan 22, 2007Turn the DS sideways and it opens like a book. The characters face each other across the two screens when they talk, giving you time to watch a reaction before deciding whether to press someone further. It’s a good change of pace if you want the hardware to make a conversation feel closer.0
  8. 8Etrian Odyssey (2007)Etrian Odyssey (2007) 7.0/10 on IGDBReleased Jan 18, 2007You can draw walls and mark hazards on the lower screen as you work through the maze above. The map you make can even remind you of a note when you pass that spot again. Pick the DS original if you like the idea of keeping your own records as a party skill.0
  9. 9Big Bang Mini (2009)Big Bang Mini (2009) 8.3/10 on IGDBReleased Jan 20, 2009Most enemies are above your ship. Flick a firework at them and a miss can send more hazards your way below. Watching where a shot goes and making room to dodge are part of the same decision, which makes a short round surprisingly busy.0
  10. 10Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (2009)Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (2009) 8.9/10 on IGDBReleased Feb 11, 2009Bowser’s on the upper screen, with Mario and Luigi inside his body on the lower one. When he drinks water, the brothers’ surroundings fill up. The two displays give you the setup and the punch line of the same puzzle.0