The 10 HARDEST Nintendo 3DS Games

10 Hardest Nintendo 3DS Games

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we’re taking a look at 10 of the hardest games ever released on Nintendo 3DS. Keep in mind we’re only counting games made specifically for the handheld, so we’re not counting any Virtual Console games.

“Dillon’s Rolling Western” (2012)

In all honesty, Dillon is one of the most underrated Nintendo characters in the company’s history. “The Last Ranger” and “Dead-Heat Breakers” are incredibly fun games, but the first game can be a bit aggravating for some. “Dillon’s Rolling Western” does a fairly decent job at easing players into the mechanics. Roll around to gather materials during the day, sell them to the town, buy upgrades for your towers, and then, fight the rock monsters at night. Unfortunately, upgrades are incredibly expensive, towers don’t deal much damage, and the town doesn’t give you a ton of money for your findings. You’ll wind up having to blaze from one end of the map to the other and take care of the monsters, which is easier said than done.

“Code Name S.T.E.A.M.” (2015)

We’re sure you’re expecting to see some other tactics game on this list. We’ll get to that franchise in a minute, but “Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.” is another underrated gem we have to address. To beat this game, you will have to get a good grasp on the mechanics fairly quickly. Everything you do, be it movement, attacking, or what have you, requires steam. Spend too much of it in a single turn, and you’re going to struggle for a couple of turns. You need to strike a balance between moving, attacking, and preserving steam. In other words, plan your strategy a couple moves ahead; that is the key to enjoying “Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.”.

“Mutant Mudds Super Challenge” (2016)

Surprisingly, there were a good handful of challenging platformers made for the 3DS. The first “Mutant Mudds” was among them, but it was one of those games that was “tough but fair”. The same cannot be said for the sequel. “Mutant Mudds Super Challenge” is oppressive for a lot of the same reasons why some modern platformers are hard. You got your weird enemy placements, pixel-perfect jumps, insta-kill spikes in the worst spots, and so on. So, if that sounds like your speed, go jump into it! But for those of lesser patience, you might want to steer clear.

“Shinobi” (2011)

Is it really all that shocking to see “Shinobi” rear its head onto a list like this? After all, it’s “Shinobi” - this franchise is known to be difficult just like “Ninja Gaiden”. And we all know what’s in store here: aggressive boss fights that leave little room to counterattack, enemies and projectiles coming from every side of the screen, all while doing your damn hardest to nail every parry you possibly can. Yep, that’s “Shinobi” for you. So, if you’ve conquered any of the other games, we recommend you tackle this one next.

“Fire Emblem: Fates - Conquest” (2016)

On the surface, “Fire Emblem: Fates - Birthright & Conquest” looks like a simple “Pokemon” format where you just buy whatever game has the more appealing characters to you, and you’ll experience virtually the same story as the other version. Au contraire! “Conquest” is notably way more difficult than “Birthright” for various reasons. Players cite a lack of resources and more complex maps as the primary reasons for its difficulty, though a general difficulty spike would be enough to drive most folks away. At least “Conquest” makes up for it by having the more interesting cast compared to its counterpart.

“Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate” (2015)

“Monster Hunter” today is much bigger than it ever was back in the 3DS days thanks to quality-of-life improvements between the UI, tutorials, and combat mechanics. And that is why going back to MH4U a bit of a hard pass. In addition to the clunky menu systems, MH4U features way more aggressive enemies and a complicated “Frenzy Virus” mechanic that makes fights even harder to get through. If you are really that invested in “Monster Hunter’s” different systems across each and every game, then go for it. But if “Monster Hunter World”, “Rise”, or “Wilds” were your first games…exercise with extreme caution.

“Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux” (2018)

SMT4 and “Apocalypse” are challenging in their own respective ways, yet “Strange Journey Redux” is one of the biggest hurdles you’ll ever face on 3DS. Instead of the Press Turn system, your combat prowess depends entirely on your alignment and what kinds of creatures match your alignment. In addition to regularly grinding to level up, you have to keep up with the constant rise in difficulty by fusing and fusing again. The second a fight seems to be harder than the last few, you’ll feel like you’re constantly having to reiterate your strategy. Yeah, “Strange Journey Redux” is not for the feint of heart.

“Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millenium Girl” (2013)

If you’re wanting a difficult RPG on 3DS, there are plenty to choose from. However, the first “Etrian Odyssey Untold” is, by far, the hardest RPG we’ve played on the console. Heck, the entire franchise is known for its higher difficulty that makes even “Shin Megami Tensei” sweat. You’ve got labyrinth-like dungeons, oppressive enemies that pop up super early in the game, and the various minibosses required to fight can be just as big of a threat as the regular bosses. New players may feel like there’s no way over the hurdle and give up before finishing the first dungeon. And that’s a real shame because as you acquire more skills, the game gets progressively more fun.

“Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D” (2013)

Of every game in the franchise, “Donkey Kong Country Returns” is the hardest game since DKC2, and the 3DS version is just as hard as the original Wii version. Jumps that require perfect timing, levels that have way too much going on in terms of hazards, and secrets upon secrets to uncover for those that wish to complete the game. If you’re ready to graduate from Mario, then by all means, give this 3DS port a go. Just know that this is the same level of difficulty as the old DKC games. You might tear your hair out more than a few times.

“Kid Icarus: Uprising” (2012)

Of any 3DS game ever made, “Kid Icarus: Uprising” is objectively the hardest game made for the handheld. Many will quickly point to the obtuse control scheme as the reason. Can you think of any third-person shooter that requires touchscreen controls to aim while the other hand moves the character with a regular analog stick? Not only that, but playing with the 3D slider turned down means you may face some serious depth perception problems, which will cause you to take more than if you had the 3D depth turned on. It’s a really fun game! Just don’t be surprised if you have a harder time playing this compared to most games.

Have you conquered any of these difficult games yourself? Let us know down in the comments, and don’t forget to subscribe to MojoPlays.