>handheld games never make it into the conversation Literally pokemon cannot stop being talked about even now (though I would say it hasn't been "great" since the 5th generation) Also can you better define what you mean by "true handheld" games?

In my opinion it's not a useful distinction. Switch is a hybrid, but even before that there wasn't any real difference between a vita game and a home console game. Plus so many games were released for multiple platforms. Tons of old games got ported to a handheld at some point so does that make them handheld games? And what about emulation, handheld PC gaming devices, or weird devices like the sega nomad; isn't basically everything a handheld game if you want it to be?

Ocarina of Time is a console game and a handheld game at the same time while being 15 years apart. And 3DS version mogs hard

Strange Journey 7th Dragon 2020 Yggdra Union Hotel Dusk

>>2066578 >mogs

>>2066458 >Also can you better define what you mean by "true handheld" games? A game made with handheld hardware in mind and not a port from another console/release from another console. Like the Pokémon games or Dissidia. >>2066481 >Tons of old games got ported to a handheld at some point so does that make them handheld games? Unless they received major changes like Persona 4 Golden, I wouldn't really count ports for this. They weren't designed with certain handheld hardware in mind and I do think that makes a notable difference.

>>2065774 Handheld games typically don't make it into lists because they're viewed as inferior cut down versions of home console titles made for quick play on inferior hardware whether that statement is true or not is up for debate but you can see shadow of that mentality even today with quips aimed at the switch's guts

>>2066481 >there wasn't any real difference between a vita game and a home console game. I would say the DS and 3DS are a bit more unique, but that is also because of the numerous gimmicks it had, for better or worse.

>>2065774 It literally sold the concept of the Gameboy, and is arguably better than the NES version on the fact that you can play head to head with another player.

That usually happens because there's a home console version counterpart that isn't rushed to the market. That said, Aria > Symphony, easily

One of my favorite games of all time. Yes, it's a remake of a PS2 game, but it adds so much content that it's almost a different game.

>>2068894 How are the other handheld metroidvanias? Most people only talk about Aria. Sage for double post.

>>2086834 They're pretty good!

>>2086834 I've finished them all but Portrait of Ruin, as it's double character gimmick doesn't apeal to me as it kills immersion and atmosphere for me, same reason I probably won't play the next Bloodstained game, that and no clear improvement on the art design. Portrait also doesn't have a big open ended castle I believe and it's more streamlined instanced levels, same with Order of Ecclesia unfortunately, I expected Draculas Castle on that last game to be much more open compared to the streamlined levels it had, but no, just a bunch of corridors with some teleports, just sad. I might finish Portrait just to finish the whole handheld collection, plus Charlotte is cute. I'd rank them Aria of Sorrow > Dawn of Sorrow > Harmony of Dissonance > Order of Ecclesia > Circle of the Moon >Aria and Sorrow Are top tier, tons of weapons and items to fuck around with, and half aren't useless like in SoTN, big open Castle that gradually opens up, Monster Collection minigame inserted into the RPG mechanics. The only things that really bring the games down is that the Luck stat is completely broken in both games and raising that stat means fuckall in terms of drop rates and criticals, and while that's fine in Aria, it completely breaks Dawn of Sorrow as you upgrade weapons with Souls and your build will be anemic if yoh don't use them to upgrade your weapons, so your options are to either grind for hours or put up with stupidly tanky enemies from the mid game to the endgame where the Shop Owner sells you some decent goods. Thankfully there's a romhack for both games that fixes that If you like dungeon crawling Action RPGs, you should absolutely play these. >Harmony of Dissonance No weapons besides your whip and subweapons but you do get spells and improvements to your whip. From the get go most of the castle is explorable and the game will not fucking hold your hand, you will get lost, you will backtrack, you will love this game, you will hate this game, in subsequent playtroughs only the love remains. Best thing to do on your first run is to pay attention to where you're being sent and keep playing linearly until you get the keys that open up the castle, else you will find a fuckton of dead ends and will backtrack like crazy. I 200% this game yes, 200% and I don't regret it, thougt some of the music is busted. >Order of Ecclesia It's an instanced level based game but with the RPG mechanics, the combat is fantastic letting you dual wield weapons including faster attacks if you hit the right rhythm, shit is hard way harder than previous Igavania games and will make you use the right weaknesses on enemies way more than other games, there's a hub with likeable characters that give you quests, Shanoa a cute, and yet all of it is brought down by it's instanced level design which just makes you want the seamless Castle back. The levels are big enough for exploration and have sidepaths and tons of secrets, but it's just not enough, 2 levels are even a shitty boring straight line. I have no idea why they did this, storage limitations maybe? But it brings down a 10/10 to a 7/10. Play Bloodstained Ritual of the Night if you haven't instead, Miriam isn't as cute as Shanoa and neither the 3D or the art design come close to as good as the Castlevania sprites, but it takes a lot of inspiration from Aria/Dawn/Order and it's a fantastic time. >Circle of the Moon There was an attempt, whip only with upgradss based on enemy drops, big open castle, lots of broken all secrets, and yet all you will find is HP/Mana upgrades while going up, all you do in this game is go up, get staggered, fall down and go back up again while struggling with some really shit jumping controls, the double tap to run is cool, bit the level design and the jumping are fucking terrible. Your average jump height is extremely high and you can barely control it, whole the levels either make you go up or put you in a corridor where you can't even jump to avoid enemies because the ceiling is too low for your fuckhuge jump height. It's a noble blind step into the handheld market, but it's just not very good.

>>2065774 >Are there any more handheld games you would consider one of the greats? I present you the very definition of hidden gem: Little Magic (GBC). It was the one original project done by Altron, a company that previously only worked on shovelware. The GBC port is a remake of a SNES game with several improvements, including a better art direction and a cute story about a witch in training. Gameplay wise, it's basically a sokoban-style puzzle game with a timed explosive mechanic. You set off explosives to move a heart statue to its resting place, then reach the exit. Over 100 levels plus postgame and an unlockable character. The level curve is merciful but the sheer amount of different hazards and enemies you have to deal with makes lategame quite a challenge. There are barely any resources of it online. It's an incredible game that was severely overlooked.