Seriously folks, digging out my old Nintendo DS for this was an adventure itself. Found it buried under a pile of sketchbooks in my closet, dust thicker than grandma’s winter coat. Blew on that cartridge slot like it owed me money, praying it’d boot up.
The Great Setup Struggle
First hurdle? No charger. Seriously, who loses three chargers over ten years? Rummaged through every junk drawer in the house. Finally found one tangled with old USB cables behind the TV. Plugged it in… nothing. Panicked for a solid five minutes before wiggling the adapter brick – red light flickered on. Felt like defusing a bomb.
- Cleaning Ritual: Wiped the screens with my shirt. Left more smudges than I removed. Perfectionism? Not today.
- Cartridge Roulette: Slapped in Dragon Quest IV. Screen stayed black. Yanked it out, blew hard (like the old days). Second try worked. Magic… or just spit.
- Battery Blues: Got twenty minutes in before that ugly low-power light blinked. Hooked up the charger permanently. Tethered to the wall like an angry badger.
Revisiting the Classics, Pixel by Pixel
Cracked open Chrono Trigger DS first. That opening music hit harder than my mortgage payment. Forgot how much running around Millennial Fair there was. Tried to impress Lucca at the claw game. Spent fifteen minutes – still couldn’t grab that stupid pendant. Saved it for later. Felt like cheating skipping it.
Next up: Pokémon HeartGold. Watched that nostalgic intro with Totodile bouncing. Chose Cyndaquil instead – fire types rule. The Pokéwalker feature? Found mine covered in lint inside an old coat pocket. Stuck a Sentret on it. Walked three steps, got bored. That gimmick aged like milk.
- Dragon Quest V: Married Bianca. Debated picking Nera instead. Childhood trauma replaying itself in pixel form.
- Advance Wars: Days of Ruin: Got my butt kicked on mission three. Fog of war mechanic felt dirtier than my kitchen sink.
- Super Mario RPG: Timed hits were easier back then. Or my reflexes got worse. Probably both.
Epilogue: My Thumbs Hate Me
Played for five hours straight. Screen glare gave me a headache. My right thumb developed a weird cramp – didn’t know that was possible. Real talk though? Despite the janky hardware and aching joints… the core gameplay? Rock solid. Timeless. Found myself grinning like an idiot battling slimes in Dragon Quest at midnight. Still got it.
That’s the real magic. These cartridges look like tiny fossils, but they still pump out pure fun. Even with a crummy screen and dodgy stylus. Takes you right back. Worth the hassle? Absolutely. Until my thumb falls off.