Summary
Now thatNintendois done with the3DS, there is not much hope left for them to bring overJapanese-exclusive titles. Yet, that’s not to say these games will never come over to North America. Just look atTrials 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 likeTrials 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 June 12, 2025 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.
Developed by tri-Ace, the same studio behindStar Oceanand theValkyrie Profilegames,Beyond the Labyrinthis 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 Labyrinthwas 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.
Debuting back in 1991,Super Robot Warshas not stopped producing new games for the best part of three decades, although only the franchise’s30th-anniversary titlemade it to North America. Arguably at its best on portable consoles,Super Robot Warsis a tactical RPG series that incorporates mechas from popular Japanese properties such asGundam,Macross Frontier,Full Metal Panic!, andGurren Lagann.
Super Robot Wars UXand 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.
There are too manyDragon Questgamesto go through that did not venture out of Japan. The 3DS was filled with everything aDragon Questfan could want, permitting they live in Japan; for everyone else, the franchise basically stopped existing for roughly a decade.
Along withDragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3, games such asDragon Quest 10,Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland 3D,Theatrhythm Dragon Quest, and even a 3DS version ofDragon Quest 11were all released exclusively in Japan. In fact, that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Square Enix’s series. The 3DSreally was built for RPGs.
At least,Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Princewas released in Western nations, so Switch owners can play that game.
Mega Man Legends 3is a legendary cancelation for the 3DS. Capcom, however, apparently took some of those ideas for this game.E.X. Trooperswas 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. Troopersis 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 mainLost Planetgames.
While the firstEtrian Mystery Dungeoncame to the West, the sequel was left in Japan. It was released in August 2017, and sincethe 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 betweenEtrian OdysseyandMystery Dungeon,Etrian Mystery Dungeonis a charming dungeon crawler that comes with quite a bit of replay value. Outside thePokemon Mystery Dungeonspin-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 2isone of many RPGsthat crosses over theGundam,Ultraman, andKamen Riderproperties. 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 thatLost Heroes 2never 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 Watchis basicallyPokemonplus 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 Sangokushiis a crossover title withRomance of the Three Kingdoms.
In this way, it’s sort of likePokemon 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 Sangokushiis 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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