So I actually think out of all the Handheld consoles, the Gameboy Advance may be my favourite. It was the first upgrade of my Beloved Gameboy, (I never had a Gameboy colour) and the jump in game quality blew my mind. It basically did everything my Gameboy did and more! The fact you could still play the older games on it was huge for me as I wasn't quite ready to let go of my old favourites yet.

The fact it used half the amount of batteries and was in colour was a crazy improvement for me. My parents actually got so frustrated buying me new batteries for my old Gameboy, that we got an adaptor cable for it so it could just be plugged in all the time. I also used to play it in the bath which was wild. I'd drag an extension lead into the bathroom, set up a massive standing lap to be positioned over me and then plug my Gameboy in too. Safe? Lol no. Fun, absofuckinglutey.

I got off topic there. The Gameboy Advance was a gorgeous console. The screen was such a big jump in quality, and the graphics really popped on it.
Golden Sun, what a game. For a starter, it was just beautiful to play. I still cannot get over how well the battle screen was animated. I'd grown up watching my Brother play stuff like Final Fantasy 3 and seeing the animations for fights in Dragon Warrior Monsters, but this was a massive jump in animation and graphics.
For a handheld JRPG, it was just straight up amazing.

I used to squint so hard during the summo spells to see if I could see what was coming to fight for me. They were only on the screen for a blink of an eye as they moved so fast, but to me they were just as amazing as Final Fantasy 7's summons. That and the Djinn system was pretty interesting. I liked how you had to collect little elemental djinn, and then depending on how many of each element you had meant they could work together to become more powerful summons.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, was one of my big time sinks on this console. I put so much time and effort into leveling each class and each job. I imagine if they handed out achivents for games back in those days, it would have been one that I would have platinum'ed. I remember painstakingly completing every quest and then being so sad it was complete.

I loved the world of Ivalice, and I was thrilled when I found out they were revisiting it for Final Fantasy 12.. until I wasnt. I always thought it was a shame that they didn't add the races from Tactics to Crystal Chronicals or Final Fantasy 11. At least I can take some joy knowing Viera and Nu Mou live on in Final Fantasy 14 now.

So Castlevania Aria of Sorrow and it's sequel Dawn of Sorrow on the DS are my favourite Castlevania games.

The reason that Dawn of Sorrow didn't make my list however is the move away from the Gorgeous Gothic artstyle into the anime one that has stuck with later releases. The Anime doesn't distract from the gameplay at all, and Dawn of Sorrow is an amazing Sequel.. but I was so in love with Ayami Kojima's art style it felt like a step backwards.

So the sprites and monster designs in Castlevania have always gripped me. I remember watching my brother playing Simon's Quest on the Nes when I was really little and being fascinated. Then later I watched my first Boyfriend play a ROM of Symphony of the Night of the Night and thinking it looked amazing. Aria of Sorrow was my first Castlevania game and it was brilliant.

I adored trying to collect all the different monster souls for Soma to use. I thought it was a clever way to add magic to the game.



The stunning Artwork of Ayumi Kojima

So I didn't actually intend to get the Nintendo DS at first. Me and my boyfriend at the time were walking past Woolworths (RIP Woolies, you have been missed!) and we saw them in person. A hour later we both had one each. Oops.

Once again I was thrown into the amazing world of watching graphics jump in quality. That is geininly one thing I feel bad for the newer generations of gamers. You never got to expereince the amazement of seeing graphics go from pixels (which we thought were peak tech at the time) to fully 3D worlds. It's crazy how much things have advanced in what I percieve to be such a short amount of time.

The DS really was a game changer with it's touchscreen and stylus, and I think Nintendo was very clever pushing innovation over graphics for that. Some of the puzzles in the following games could not be achieved on any other console. I've included the 3DS alongside the DS because they are esentially the same thing.

I don't think I ever used the 3D aspect of it more than to just show people it could it. It made my eyes hurt. The 3DS however was bigger, stronger and had better battery life which is always a plus to me.

So Another Code blew me away when I first played it. I think in America it is called Trace Memory? I hadn't really played anything like it at the time. I mean, I'd played Point and Clicks before, but Another Code used the new duals screen and extra bells and whistles on the DS to really innovate the puzzles.

I'd not used sound in a game prior to this, so when I had to use the DS' microphone I was pretty surprised. Another one of the puzzles had me so stuck for ages that I had to ask a friend how to complete it.
It involves closing the shell of the DS to make a paper print in the game. It did not occur to me that you could close the DS while gaming. To me that was pretty much the same as just turning it off. So closing the lid would have never even crossed my mind.
It's been such a long time since I played this game, I don't recall a huge amount about the story. I remember enjoying it though and I was surprised by the ending. I loved the graphics and animated character portraits in the dialogue parts. I think this also went on to fuel my love of Visual novels as a genre.

This game actually went on to have a sequel on the Wii called Another Code: R – A Journey into Lost Memories and it has recently gotten a Switch Remaster - Another Code: Recolletion. That being said, I don't think you can beat the charm of the original. I found the dialogue in the newer switch one to be rather cringy.

Hotel Dusk: Room 215! What a hidden gem this and it's sequel Hotel Dusk: Last Window are. I don't think I've ever played another game that even compares to this one. Firstly, unlike most other DS games, this one is played on it's side. You turn the DS upwards so it's like a book in your hand.

The backgrounds have a bit of colour, but all the animated artwork of the characters is done in a pencil sketch artstyle, which is really striking. I adore this type of character portrait style in games, with different reaction shots to help add more emotion to the dialogue.

Like Another Code it's a Point and Click, Mystery Visual novel type game. The story has a Police Noir type of element to it. It was a bit slow in places, but the story was very interesting. Again I think I have this game to thank for growing my love of visual novels.

Rocket Slime! If I had to pick my favourite Dragon Quest game, it would be this one. Yes Rocket Slime is just a spin off, but it is so much fun and so charming in everything it does.

The game is completely ridiculous. You are Rocket who unsurprisingly is a Slime and all your friends get kidnapped. So naturally you have to summon a massive slime tank to do battle with other tanks.

You go around saving your friends, crafting, collecting ammunition for your tank, and getting into battles. The dialogue is silly, the animations are top tier and I had fun from start to finish.

The pixel art style is bright and absolutely beautiful. The world features the same monsters and character designs as those seen in Dragon Warrior Monsters which I adore. I don't think any explanation will really prepare you for how bright and silly this game is. I just suggest you go and check it out. Rocket Slime is probably one of my favourite games of all time.

Now on to my very first Otome Game. Hakuoki: The Memories of the Shinsengumi

Prior to playing this I had heard of Otome games, as they had been mentioned in Anime. However I had never played a dating Sim. The closest I had gotten to this genre was Harvest Moon 64, where you got to romance a lady and get married. I'd always wanted to play one, so when I finally got my hands on this I fell for it hook line and sinker.

Otome games are now one of my favourite genres of all time. A guilty pleasure if you will. I have a massive collection of them on my Switch, and will likely be sharing those on a separate page as one of my core Fandoms.

Hakuoki has had many different releases and even has an anime - Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. I won't tell you how many copies I have of this game across different systems. However, it did get a very beefed up rerelease across most gaming platforms with extra romanceable characters and expanded storylines. The 3DS version is actually very small in comparison to those available now. The bigger version game has been split into two parts on Steam, Hakuohki: Kyoto Winds and Hakuohki: Edo Blossoms. On the Switch the game has been combined into one part and is called Hakuoki: Chronicles of Wind and Blossom.

It's had spin offs made, a whole bunch of merchandise, and even little themed pop up cafes in Japan. (Otome games are big business, let me tell you)

Basically, you play Chizuru. A young woman who accidentally gets caught in the wrong place at the wrong time dressed as a man in historic Japan. The characters are losely based upon the real life Samurai known as the Shinsengumi who lived in the 1800s... but you know. Make it a romance and add vampires. Why the fuck not.


My final game on this list is Fantasy Life. I stumbled across this game by chance many years ago, and became addicted.

Much like Final Fantasy Tactics Advance this is a game that I considered Platinumed. I put so much time and effrot in to it, completeing all the jobs and all the quests.

Like its recent sequel, Fantasy Life is a brilliant time sink of a game. The story is simple and cute but it's in the gameplay where the game really shines. I found the crafting and foraging system very addictive. It kind of reminds me of how I used to pour myself into leveling up my crafts in Final Fantasy 11. I think I just enjoy that type of gameplay loop. Gather stuff then Make stufff.