Spring Travel with Nintendo 3DS

Disclosure: In any review for a product or service, products or compensation may have been provided to me to help facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” and "Terms of Use" tabs for more information.

I can remember all my vacation memories growing up started with a long car ride. These car rides would drag when we were younger and would lead to angry parents and uppity children. Then my parents found the magic charm that is the original Game boy. The grey brickish, green screened dot matrix and stereo sound emitting wonder was the first time one could bring Mario and Tetris with you everywhere. Only drawback was Mom would want the Game boy for Tetris too.

Fast forward a few decades and now the handheld of choice is the Nintendo 3DS. Instead of big and grey they are now sleek and brightly colored, with two screens and a stylus. With bright, vibrant colors and graphics that are in 3D, long gone are the black and green screens of yester year. Instead of carrying around a case of games, an entire library of stellar games are now available with a few clicks and downloads directly onto the 3DS through the Nintendo eShop.

This Spring Nintendo is releasing quite a few gems to catch your attention. We are going to take a look at two of the ever expanding online library of 3DS games.

First up we are going to look at HarmoKnight. HarmoKnight is a music/rhythm platforming action adventure game. Yes, its a mouth full but there is one more important characteristic you must know. This game is made by Game Freak. Game Freak is the developer best known for the always fun Pokemon series. HarmoKnight follows a little boy named Tempo and his friend Tappy the rabbit as they try to vanquish the evil Gargan and the Noizoids who are invading. Along the way, he meets a few friends like Lyra the archer and the warrior Tyko. Tempo also meets hoards or enemies to smack with his staff. The game has the simple control scheme of jumping and swinging your staff. If done correctly you jump and swing to the music gaining more notes, which unlock more features of the game. This is a game where you will need to have the music on so make sure you either have some headphones or everyone should be ready to hum along to the catchy tunes. Even though the game play may seem simple and a breeze to master, this is far from true, without an understanding of each level and the ability to keep in rhythm the game can be very difficult. But with practice and trial and error each level goes from an incredible challenge to a rewarding experience.

Next up we take a look at Dillon’s Rolling Western: The Last Ranger. This one follows Dillon, an armadillo, who protects a local village of herders from rock monsters. This game is part action- part tower defense. Between waves of rock monsters Dillon can upgrade to better gear, better towers and better doors to the village, all the while building up the herd inside the village as well. This game is stylus dependent. Dragging and holding the stylus charges up Dillon’s Rolling ability, which builds in speed and intensity leading to speed boosts and devastating rock bashing fun.

Both of these titles are available from the 3DS eShop HarmonKnight retails for $14.99 and Dillon $10.99. Enjoy!

I received the above in order to facilitate the review. All opinions are my own and honest. Please see “Disclose” tab for more info.