Highlights

• Despite the end of the 3DS era, there is still hope for Japanese-exclusive titles to make their way to North America, as seen with Trials of Mana.
• Beyond the Labyrinth, Super Robot Wars UX/BX, and Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 are among the hidden gems of the 3DS library that never made it to Western countries.
• E.X. Troopers, Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2, Lost Heroes 2, and Yo-kai Sangokushi are examples of unique and underappreciated games that were limited to Japan due to various reasons.

Now that Nintendo is done with the 3DS, there is not much hope left for them to bring over Japanese-exclusive titles. Yet, that’s not to say these games will never come over to North America. Just look at Trials of Mana, which was trapped for two decades in Japan.

It may seem like a fruitless effort now to highlight the games the West never received. However, in light of recent localizations like Trials of Mana, one must never lose hope. Plus, there are always the fan communities of fan translators out there. So, in celebration of the 3DS’ near ten-year reign, let’s see what has remained hidden across the seas.

Updated January 4, 2024 by Mark Sammut: The Nintendo 3DS had a good and productive life. The console was an international success, with most major games launching in Europe and America. However, not every title made it to English shelves.

Beyond The Labyrinth

Ambitious Blend Of Genres

Developed by tri-Ace, the same studio behind Star Ocean and the Valkyrie Profile games, Beyond the Labyrinth is an original JRPG with dungeon crawler elements. Four in-game players are summoned by a girl who needs help making her way out of a labyrinth packed with cool environments and deadly creatures.

Boasting a complex and unique combat system along with a storyline that does not bog itself down with dialogue, Beyond the Labyrinth was arguably one of the better early RPGs released on the Nintendo 3DS. It is a shame the game never made its way to Western countries.

Super Robot Wars UX/BX

Epic Mecha Crossovers

Debuting back in 1991, Super Robot Wars has not stopped producing new games for the best part of three decades, although only the franchise's 30th-anniversary title made it to North America. Arguably at its best on portable consoles, Super Robot Wars is a tactical RPG series that incorporates mechas from popular Japanese properties such as Gundam, Macross Frontier, Full Metal Panic!, and Gurren Lagann.

Super Robot Wars UX and its sequel, BX, do a fine job of modernizing the franchise's gameplay and visuals. Although the scenarios are a bit too easy for veterans of the genre, these releases tell fun fan-service stories while still being fun to play.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3

Underappreciated Spin-Off Series

There are too many Dragon Quest games to go through that did not venture out of Japan. The 3DS was filled with everything a Dragon Quest fan could want, permitting they live in Japan; for everyone else, the franchise basically stopped existing for roughly a decade.

Along with Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3, games such as Dragon Quest 10, Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D, Theatrhythm Dragon Quest, and even a 3DS version of Dragon Quest 11 were all released exclusively in Japan. In fact, that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Square Enix's series. The 3DS really was built for RPGs.

At least, Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince was released in Western nations, so Switch owners can play that game.

E.X. Troopers

Weird But Fun Lost Planet Spin-Off

Mega Man Legends 3 is a legendary cancelation for the 3DS. Capcom, however, apparently took some of those ideas for this game. E.X. Troopers was released on both the 3DS and PS3, which is a weird combo of platforms.

While it may or may not borrow from the scrapped demo, E.X. Troopers is also supposed to be a part of another Capcom series, Lost Planet. A third-person shooter with a great anime aesthetic, this release combined single-player and multiplayer, delivering a fun experience that set it apart from the main Lost Planet games.

Etrian Mystery Dungeon 2

Dungeon Crawler With Addictive Gameplay

While the first Etrian Mystery Dungeon came to the West, the sequel was left in Japan. It was released in August 2017, and since the Switch was out in March of that year, Nintendo may not have seen the value in releasing a niche title on a dying platform outside of Japan. That is as good a guess as any, at the very least.

A crossover between Etrian Odyssey and Mystery Dungeon, Etrian Mystery Dungeon is a charming dungeon crawler that comes with quite a bit of replay value. Outside the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon spin-offs, none of these franchises are huge outside of Japan, so this sequel is unlikely to ever see the light of day in Western regions.

Lost Heroes 2

Some Things Are Just For Japan

Lost Heroes 2 is one of many RPGs that crosses over the Gundam, Ultraman, and Kamen Rider properties. This plays like a turn-based dungeon crawler, and the big hook is being able to befriend legendary heroes in these long-running Japanese phenomenons.

It should surprise no one that Lost Heroes 2 never left Japan since the licensing rights would be nightmarish. This sequel also underperformed compared to its predecessor, which probably did little to incentivize a Western port.

Yo-kai Sangokushi

Romance Of The Three Kingdoms Meets Yo-Kai

Yo-kai Watch is basically Pokemon plus ghosts. It took a while for that series to come to North America, but, even when it did, that didn’t guarantee every release would follow. For example, Yo-kai Sangokushi is a crossover title with Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

In this way, it’s sort of like Pokemon Conquest, which was also a tactical feudal-era RPG, but instead mixed with another Koei Tecmo franchise: Nobunaga’s Ambition. As a beginner-level simulation and strategy game, Yo-kai Sangokushi is a pretty decent option; however, it blends two properties that are far more popular in Japan than the rest of the world, so it is not that surprising that this never made it to Western shores.

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