Summary

• Many 3DS RPGs will be losing online features like multiplayer on April 8, 2024.
• Games like Fire Emblem Awakening have free DLC that will disappear.
• The shutdown marks the end of an era for a system with a unique library and features.

One of the best aspects of the Nintendo 3DS is its exceptional library of RPGs, but many of these games are about to take a serious hit that will leave them permanently compromised in key regards. It's been over thirteen years since the original release of the 3DS, so it's no surprise that the handheld has finally reached its end of life in some key regards. All the same, there's a lot to mourn about the future of the 3DS, especially considering its lack of a proper pocketable successor in the wake of the Switch's hybrid success.

Arguably the best part of the 3DS RPG library is its enormous variety, with everything from classic adventures to truly unusual takes on the genre filling out the catalog. Fire Emblem: Awakening propelled a faltering tactical series back to stardom, while Yo-kai Watch gave Pokémon a legitimate competitor with enough of its own unique flair. Although some of these games have little in common besides the basic building block elements of RPGs, one aspect that many of them share is a reliance on online services to deliver a more thoroughly complete experience.

The 3DS Online Shutdown Will Cut Features From RPGs

Games Like Pokémon And Fire Emblem Are Losing Online Multiplayer

On April 8, 2024, Nintendo is officially discontinuing online services for 3DS and Wii U games. This moment has been a long time coming, following about a year after the closure of the eShop for these systems, but that doesn't make its arrival any less disappointing. The online capabilities of the 3DS were deeply baked into the way that many developers approached the system, and the impact that the server shutdown will have on many of the best 3DS RPGs is hard to overstate.

Reddit 2mock2turtle put in the hard work of noting 3DS games that will lose features after the cessation of online services, and scanning the list reveals a lot of key RPGs that helped shape the system and build up its eventually iconic status. Perhaps the most obvious titans among the affected titles are the 3DS Pokémon games, none of which have been translated to the Switch in any way.

Multiplayer modes aren't the only things that 3DS RPGs stand to lose, as another common use of online services on the system lies in extra able content.

Some side features will be lost from Pokémon Rumble World and Super Mystery Dungeon, but X and Y, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Sun and Moon, and Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are a much bigger focal point. For all of these games in the traditional Pokémon mold, online trading and battling is about to disappear. The same can be said for the Yo-kai Watch games, although they didn't introduce equivalent features until the second game in the series.

Multiplayer may not be as core to the identity of many other RPGs as it is to Pokémon, but they're not the only games affected in this department. Fans of tactics will be losing out on online competition in titles like Fire Emblem Fates and Culdcept Revolt, while farming enjoyers are set to get hit by the cuts to the Story of Seasons and Harvest Moon games. Other impacted games include Fantasy Life and the multiplayer-focused Tri Force Heroes, the latter of which loses a lot of its appeal when played solo.

Extra 3DS RPG Content Will Disappear On April 8

Many 3DS RPGs Have Extra Spot Bonuses

Multiplayer modes aren't the only things that 3DS RPGs stand to lose, as another common use of online services on the system lies in extra able content. Although DLC purchased through the eShop needed to be taken care of before the closure of the eShop in 2023, many games include bonus content typically available for free that's accessible through the game itself rather than a store interface. Once servers go down, anything that falls into this category will only be accessible for those who have already ed it, cutting content from a wide variety of 3DS games.

Fire Emblem: Awakening is one noteworthy example of this concept, using Spot to deliver a pile of extra weapons, characters, and maps. Monster Hunter games on the 3DS take a similar approach, with extra quests as well as some collaboration DLC only accessible through the games, and Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 offers some demons to collect through Spot. Outside the RPG realm, the extra puzzles that can be added to 3DS Professor Layton games represent another major use of this model.

Less clear at the moment is the fate of Dragon Quest 7, which has an extra chunk of story content locked behind a . In this case, the content is accessible through the servers of publisher Square Enix rather than Nintendo's own services, so it may actually persist beyond the shutdown. Square Enix previously cut off Bravely Default's online content after announcing the end of service for its servers, so it's still a good idea for anyone with Dragon Quest 7 to secure the DLC before it's too late, regardless of what ultimately precipitates the end.

The 3DS Online Shutdown Is The End Of An Era

Digital Services Cause Problems For Game Preservation

It's worth reading through the full list compiled by 2mock2turtle, as a lot of 3DS games stand to lose features with the shutdown of online services. There's also an addendum featuring titles that haven't been confirmed to be either impacted or unaffected, including more examples from RPG franchises like Dragon Quest Monsters. Anyone who does have more concrete knowledge on these nebulous entries could do the community a service by contributing information to the list, which has been repeatedly updated by 2mock2turtle over the past several months.

The 3DS has a legacy as a creative system that took a lot of risks, and concepts like Spot gave it a certain something special that hasn't been found since. Seeing all of this come to an end is a grim reminder of the limitations found in the digital era of gaming, as impermanent methods of delivering content have led to games and features becoming inaccessible time and time again. It's not yet too late to get some extra content in a number of great Nintendo 3DS RPGs or hop on multiplayer for one last time, but the end is coming all too soon.

Source: 2mock2turtle/Reddit