SURPRISE AWARD : The Return of Handheld Games
2023 In Revue
Our SURPRISE winner is the return of handheld games!
Etrian Odyssey. Theatrhythm. Ghost Trick. Persona 3 Portable. Style Savvy. These aren't just the handheld hits of the 00s/10s, they're a sizeable part of the remasters, rereleases, and remakes appearing on modern platforms.
Since the February 2023 Nintendo Direct, I've noticed more and more revivals of classic handheld titles and series : Level 5 making a comeback with new Professor Layton, Inazuma Eleven and Fantasy Life games announced for a worldwide release; Nintendo bringing Game Boy and GBA games to their NSO service; the first SynSophia fashion game since the 3DS in Fashion Dreamer; Sony releasing a new PSP (albeit a Wi-Fi-reliant streaming handheld) and Microsoft leaks showing that even they have a handheld on the table for this decade. The multitude of handheld gaming PCs like the ROG Ally and the OLED revision of the Steam Deck have shown an interest in handheld play outside of the console space too.
Going into 2024 we have the 3DS Picross E series coming to Switch, a lavish collection of the later Ace Attorney games, a complete overhaul of the Another Code duology, a collection of Retro Game Challenge 1+2 (Japan-only for now), and an official translation of Touch Detective 3 in a collection of the series (my Nintendo DS bias might be showing here).
For so long, it's felt like the only games to be brought to modern platforms and audiences were console games, with handheld entries being left to fade into obscurity on their original platforms or be kept in living memory only by passionate piracy. Whether this is the long-term effect of the Switch's popularity, the impact of lockdown or just enough handheld-only kids getting the keys to the kingdom at game companies, I wholeheartedly welcome it.
(And please put Donkey Kong (1994) on NSO, thank you.)
This essay was originally part of my Twine game “2023 In Revue” (with a duplicated final paragraph), which you can find here : https://citrusityy.itch.io/2023-in-revue. Thumbnail art by Game & Burger / .