8 Best Mario Games For 3DS That You Should Know Update 04/2024

best mario games for 3ds

If you want to play the best Nintendo 3DS games, there are a lot of options because the console has been around for a long time.

The 3DS has had a lot of changes over the years, but each one worked with the one before it. This means that there are a lot of different games to choose from. Even though Nintendo has officially stopped supporting the 3DS and only makes games for the Switch, it’s becoming harder to find one. It’s still true that the 3DS’s name lives on with a long list of great games that can be played in your pocket or purse. Here are some of our favourite ones.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time

As you might have guessed, there are two types of Zelda games in many ways. Adventures in 3D start with Ocarina of Time, which is the type of game that has become the standard for Zelda games on home consoles after that. Classic 2D adventure games like The Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past are another type. The latter game is often praised as one of the best Zelda games. A Link Between Worlds is a follow-up to A Link to the Past. It brings back the 2D perspective and the map of Hyrule from A Link to the Past. In the years since the last game, the kingdom has been mostly peaceful. Suddenly, Yuga, a dark sorcerer, traps the young princess Zelda, who is the daughter of the princess from A Link to a Past, in a magical painting. That peace is in danger, though. This next game starts off with Link, a young apprentice swordsmith who has no connection to the previous game’s hero. He then goes on a quest to save a princess from a castle. Fans of A Link to the Past will enjoy the familiarity, but A Link Between Worlds also turns the Zelda formula on its head by opening up the whole world and renting all of the items you need to play. There are a lot of dungeons and challenges in the game, and this lets players choose their own path through them.

Super Mario 3D Land

Every Nintendo console comes with a lot of games that feature the brand’s moustachioed hero, Mario. The 3DS has a lot of great Mario games, but Super Mario 3D Land is the best. It’s a platforming game that never gets old. The game was a big hit when it came out in 2011, and many people said it was because of its addictive gameplay, great 3D abilities, and impressive level design. People who have never seen the series before will be able to read the title and understand what it means right away, even if they aren’t already fans. There’s a reason Mario is still the face of Nintendo, and Super Mario 3D Land keeps him at the top of the platform game rankings.

Fire Emblem: Awakening

Fire Emblem Awakening

It looked like Nintendo’s Fire Emblem games were going to be killed off for good after they didn’t get a lot of attention with Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon. This is what happened when Fire Emblem: Awakening, the series’ first 3DS game, came out in 2013. It single-handedly revived the series, which now stands tall among Nintendo’s most popular franchises, with 3 Houses being one of the best yet. A straightforward story and more accessible mechanics, like multiple difficulty levels and the ability to turn off permadeath, make the game appealing to both fans of the genre and people who have never played it before.

Metroid: Samus Returns

It’s based on the 1991 Game Boy classic Metroid II: Return of Samus, but it’s also a modern platformer that feels like it was made today. The game takes place right after the events of the first game in the long-running series. They send Samus Aran, who is from Earth, to the Metroid homeworld to find out more about how powerful and dangerous they are. Keeping with the tradition of 2D Metroid games, Samus collects power-ups as she goes. These help her get to places that were previously difficult to get to in the game’s winding world. When it comes to world layout and exploration, it’s very close to the original, but it also has new features like a map scanner to make the game more modern. There are more vibrant set pieces and more precise combat mechanics because of the 3DS’ power. Seeing that this is the first 2D Metroid in 14 years makes you wonder why Samus hasn’t been in 2D for so long. Samus Returns is one of the last big games to come out for the 3DS. It’s a great way to say goodbye.

Bravely Default

Bravely Default

No matter what kind of game you like, the 3DS has a lot of good ones. We might have been able to fill this list with only the best RPGs on the system and still have to make some hard decisions. The best thing about Bravely Default is that when it comes to the best of the best, it is it. This game was made by a lot of people who worked on Final Fantasy, and it’s a classic JRPG from start to finish. Using the game’s job system, players are able to make their characters look and act the way they want. This feature is likely to be familiar to fans of Final Fantasy. Bravely Default’s fights work in the same way as classic JRPGs, with each character’s actions being controlled by the player. Bravely Default, on the other hand, has a lot of different gameplay mechanics, like combo metres and auto-battle, that make it different from other games. Bravely Default was well-received and made a lot of money when it came out. Square Enix decided to make a sequel, Bravely Second. Bravely Default 2 has also been released on the Nintendo Switch, and it adds even more to this game’s formula that worked so well for the first one.

Shovel Knight

Despite the fact that there are many different versions of this game, the 3DS version of Shovel Knight always gets the best reviews. Indie game developer Yacht Club Games made Shovel Knight to look and play like platformers made for the original Nintendo NES. Playing as Shovel Knight, you must move through a 2D world while collecting treasure and fighting off hordes of bad guys from the Order of No Quarter. Each stage is mostly the same, but there are some differences. You have to fight through different terrain, get as much treasure as you can, and defeat a final boss to move on. The gameplay of Shovel Knight is very interesting, even though it looks simple. This makes it one of the best indie games on Nintendo Switch to play, even though it looks simple.

Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (NES)

Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels (NES)

Those who live in western countries might find the Lost Levels to be a little strange. To be fair, Nintendo of America thought that Super Mario Bros. 2 was too hard for western players. To some extent, you can see where they were coming from. It’s a sequel in the truest sense of the word. In terms of difficulty, it picks up where the original game left off in World 8-4.

It wasn’t until we played Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES that we were able to play this game. That’s when it became known as “Lost Levels.” In a modern game, this kind of thing would be called “New Game+.” It’s not bad by any means. It doesn’t have the right balance of challenge and reward that you might expect from Mario platformers. It’s hard from the start, so only people who have played Mario games before should apply. Nintendo Switch Online subscribers can play it on the Switch. Feel free to try it out and see how well you do.

Super Mario Run (Mobile)

Next, we’re going to talk about Super Mario Run, which was Nintendo’s first game for mobile phones (unless you count the ill-fated Miitomo). It’s a good job with clever compromises to make it work with one-touch controls. By tapping at the right time, you can do tricks like make Mario jump high or low based on how long you hold your finger on the screen. Mario runs automatically.

Nintendo added Remix mode to the original game, which lets you play addictive, bite-sized levels of platforming even if you only have your phone with you. As a Mario game, it might not even make it into the top 10. However, it’s a well-made and polished little game that doesn’t have the annoying microtransactions that you see in Nintendo’s more recent mobile games.