Best games
Best Visual Novel games on Nintendo DS
The 10 best Visual Novel games on Nintendo DS, ranked from 1,812 critic and player ratings.
The best Visual Novel game on Nintendo DS right now is Professor Layton and the Unwound Future, with a critic score of 93/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
- 10 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,812 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 29 September 2026.
Top 10
01
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
As with previous Professor Layton games, Unwound Future is an adventure game where the player solves puzzles offered by local citizens to progress the story forward, through dialogue and around 32 minutes of full motion video. The player moves about the game through still images of locations. The player can use the DS touchscreen to tap on non-player characters to start a dialog or to obtain a puzzle, and also can search anywhere on the background for hint coins, with some areas needing to be tapped several times to reveal a secret hint coin or puzzle. Puzzles are brainteasers of many varieties, including visual, math, and logic. There is no time limit to solve puzzles, and the player can get up to 3 hints at a cost of one hint coin each; a new feature in Unwound Future is a "super hint", costing 2 coins, that can only be bought after the other 3 hints have been revealed, but that nearly reveals the puzzle's solution. If the player is correct in solving the puzzle, they gain a number of "Picarats", a form of currency within the game. Guessing the incorrect answer will reduce the number of picarats the player can get on subsequent attempts. Players can visit certain areas in order to play undiscovered or unsolved puzzles that are left behind as the story progresses.
93
/100
02
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
The game is a murder mystery visual novel with a heavy story focus that requires multiple playthroughs to figure out and involves puzzle rooms used to progress through the story with dialogue choices to be made inbetween them.
90
/100
03
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
In the curious village of St. Mystere, townsfolk speak to each other in riddles, lock their doors with sliding puzzles and hide their secrets within brainteasers. When a wealthy baron passes away, his will reveals an elusive treasure hidden someplace inside the village. Now it's up to Professor Layton to untangle St. Mystere's riddles and puzzles, find the hidden treasure, and crack the case.
85
/100
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
As with previous Professor Layton games, Unwound Future is an adventure game where the player solves puzzles offered by local citizens to progress the story forward, through dialogue and around 32 minutes of full motion video. The player moves about the game through still images of locations. The player can use the DS touchscreen to tap on non-player characters to start a dialog or to obtain a puzzle, and also can search anywhere on the background for hint coins, with some areas needing to be tapped several times to reveal a secret hint coin or puzzle. Puzzles are brainteasers of many varieties, including visual, math, and logic. There is no time limit to solve puzzles, and the player can get up to 3 hints at a cost of one hint coin each; a new feature in Unwound Future is a "super hint", costing 2 coins, that can only be bought after the other 3 hints have been revealed, but that nearly reveals the puzzle's solution. If the player is correct in solving the puzzle, they gain a number of "Picarats", a form of currency within the game. Guessing the incorrect answer will reduce the number of picarats the player can get on subsequent attempts. Players can visit certain areas in order to play undiscovered or unsolved puzzles that are left behind as the story progresses.
93
/100
02
Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors
The game is a murder mystery visual novel with a heavy story focus that requires multiple playthroughs to figure out and involves puzzle rooms used to progress through the story with dialogue choices to be made inbetween them.
90
/100
03
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
In the curious village of St. Mystere, townsfolk speak to each other in riddles, lock their doors with sliding puzzles and hide their secrets within brainteasers. When a wealthy baron passes away, his will reveals an elusive treasure hidden someplace inside the village. Now it's up to Professor Layton to untangle St. Mystere's riddles and puzzles, find the hidden treasure, and crack the case.
85
/100
04
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Professor Layton may be a world-famous sleuth, but even he will need your assistance to crack these challenging puzzles. With Nintendo DS stylus in hand, it's time to muster up some mental might!
85
/100
05
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations (known as Gyakuten Saiban 3 in Japan) is the third game in the Ace Attorney series. Players take on the role of Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney known for taking on seemingly impossible cases. While the game focuses on a few specific cases, the overarching story of the Phoenix Wright franchise spans the length of the series, involving obscure characters from large families and intricate webs of lies, plots, and murder. The nature of the series remains generally lighthearted, something that's reinforced by its playful, anime-inspired visual style, but the nature of the crimes committed can be cold and downright disturbing. While the game's legal acumen is highly dubious, its aim seems to be more about producing comedic or stereotypically dramatic courtroom moments. Ace Attorney 3 makes light use of the DS touch screen, allowing the player to examine crime scenes and inspect evidence and character profiles. The top screen is used more for storytelling purposes, displaying various dialogue and conversations between characters. During these sequences the lower screen becomes a selection menu, displaying a series of questions to ask witnesses and further your investigation in search of evidence to use in defense of your client in each chapter.
84
/100
06
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Gyakuten Saiban is a visual novel adventure game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom. It was released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance. The story follows Phoenix Wright, a rookie defense attorney who attempts to have his clients declared "not guilty". Among other characters are Phoenix's boss, Mia Fey; his assistant and Mia's sister, Maya; and prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. The player controls Phoenix through two sets of sections: investigations and courtroom trials. During investigations they gather information and evidence. During trials they cross-examine witnesses, and answer questions from the judge, the prosecutor, and the witnesses. The story is split into four cases.
80
/100
07
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Meet Phoenix Wright, the rookie defense lawyer new to the scene with the wildest cross-examination skills in town! Take on five intriguing cases to reveal dramatic, stunning, and even comical court proceedings. Use both the touch screen to investigate the crime scenes, question witnesses and present shocking evidence. “Objection!”...It’s outrageous fun! You won’t be able to put down this laugh-out-loud, riveting adventure!
80
/100
08
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All
The second game in the popular court room battle series from Japan introduces four new cases featuring new characters, plot twists and gameplay features. Players resume the role of Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney who must prove his client's innocence against the toughest of odds and most ruthless of adversaries. Players must exercise their legal prowess as they collect evidence, examine witnesses, analyses testimonies and seek the truth to ensure that justice prevails.
80
/100
09
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, released in Japan as Gyakuten Saiban 4, is the fourth video game in the Ace Attorney series. Apollo Justice is the first game in the series that does not feature Phoenix Wright as the main protagonist, though it is not the first time a different attorney has been playable. The game is set in the year 2026, which is seven years after Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations. Phoenix Wright has been stripped of his attorney's badge, and Apollo Justice, an up-and-coming attorney, becomes his apprentice.
78
/100
10
Ace Attorney Investigations - Miles Edgeworth
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a 2009 adventure video game developed and published by Capcom. It was originally released for the Nintendo DS in Japan in 2009, and internationally in 2010, and later for iOS and Android in 2017. It is the fifth game in the Ace Attorney series, and is set between the events of the third and fourth games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.
78
/100
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Professor Layton may be a world-famous sleuth, but even he will need your assistance to crack these challenging puzzles. With Nintendo DS stylus in hand, it's time to muster up some mental might!
85
/100
05
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations (known as Gyakuten Saiban 3 in Japan) is the third game in the Ace Attorney series. Players take on the role of Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney known for taking on seemingly impossible cases. While the game focuses on a few specific cases, the overarching story of the Phoenix Wright franchise spans the length of the series, involving obscure characters from large families and intricate webs of lies, plots, and murder. The nature of the series remains generally lighthearted, something that's reinforced by its playful, anime-inspired visual style, but the nature of the crimes committed can be cold and downright disturbing. While the game's legal acumen is highly dubious, its aim seems to be more about producing comedic or stereotypically dramatic courtroom moments. Ace Attorney 3 makes light use of the DS touch screen, allowing the player to examine crime scenes and inspect evidence and character profiles. The top screen is used more for storytelling purposes, displaying various dialogue and conversations between characters. During these sequences the lower screen becomes a selection menu, displaying a series of questions to ask witnesses and further your investigation in search of evidence to use in defense of your client in each chapter.
84
/100
06
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Gyakuten Saiban is a visual novel adventure game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom. It was released in 2001 for the Game Boy Advance. The story follows Phoenix Wright, a rookie defense attorney who attempts to have his clients declared "not guilty". Among other characters are Phoenix's boss, Mia Fey; his assistant and Mia's sister, Maya; and prosecutor Miles Edgeworth. The player controls Phoenix through two sets of sections: investigations and courtroom trials. During investigations they gather information and evidence. During trials they cross-examine witnesses, and answer questions from the judge, the prosecutor, and the witnesses. The story is split into four cases.
80
/100
07
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Meet Phoenix Wright, the rookie defense lawyer new to the scene with the wildest cross-examination skills in town! Take on five intriguing cases to reveal dramatic, stunning, and even comical court proceedings. Use both the touch screen to investigate the crime scenes, question witnesses and present shocking evidence. “Objection!”...It’s outrageous fun! You won’t be able to put down this laugh-out-loud, riveting adventure!
80
/100
08
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All
The second game in the popular court room battle series from Japan introduces four new cases featuring new characters, plot twists and gameplay features. Players resume the role of Phoenix Wright, a defense attorney who must prove his client's innocence against the toughest of odds and most ruthless of adversaries. Players must exercise their legal prowess as they collect evidence, examine witnesses, analyses testimonies and seek the truth to ensure that justice prevails.
80
/100
09
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, released in Japan as Gyakuten Saiban 4, is the fourth video game in the Ace Attorney series. Apollo Justice is the first game in the series that does not feature Phoenix Wright as the main protagonist, though it is not the first time a different attorney has been playable. The game is set in the year 2026, which is seven years after Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations. Phoenix Wright has been stripped of his attorney's badge, and Apollo Justice, an up-and-coming attorney, becomes his apprentice.
78
/100
10
Ace Attorney Investigations - Miles Edgeworth
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth is a 2009 adventure video game developed and published by Capcom. It was originally released for the Nintendo DS in Japan in 2009, and internationally in 2010, and later for iOS and Android in 2017. It is the fifth game in the Ace Attorney series, and is set between the events of the third and fourth games, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations and Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.
78
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Visual Novel game on Nintendo DS?
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future currently tops the ranking with a score of 93/100 across 98 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.