Customised DSi Review Part 8

The Nintendo DSi was launched in late 2008 in Japan, but if you lived outside of Japan, you had to wait until early 2009.

It came with many new features that had been missing from the previous Nintendo DS Lite, including a camera and a sound system, as well as offering access to a built-in web browser; an online store to buy DSiWare (though it’s no longer open in 2025 and there’s no workaround to access it, unlike the 3DS/2DS family of consoles) as well as offering SD card support.

But as futuristic as it was for the time it came out, neither the console or the games were exactly accessible for disabled people, especially when compared to modern day accessibility settings and devices in gaming.

And this is hence why I’ve been trialing and testing a customised DSi for the last few years, which has been customised to include a switch interface with two 3.2mm headphone jacks that map to the L and R buttons on the console itself.

In this blog, I’m going to outline a few more games I’ve tried out on it, with summaries about how accessible each one is on the customised DSi, and whether or not these games are made any easier to play on the customised DSi than on a DSi console that hasn’t been customised.

Game 1: Theme Park

A strategy game rated 3+ and published/developed by Electronic Arts, ‘Theme Park’ is a game that makes you the boss of a theme park, as you decide what facilities and other features appear in your theme park. Furthermore, you then get to hire staff, change entrance fees, improve salaries etc, while also getting details about how much money your theme park makes year by year.

The controls for the game include:

• The A, B, X Y or D-PAD buttons for navigating around the theme park.
• The L/R buttons for accessing the next page of text.
• The START button for pausing the game.
• The Touch Screen for selecting items, circling an item or selecting menu options.

So how much have I enjoyed this game and has the customised DSi made this easier to play?

Well overall, I found this game really enjoyable, but it’s a game that you may find more enjoyable if you want a creative and relaxing game to play before going to bed. But what I also like about this game is that you don’t have to hold the L or R buttons down, so I can just press one accessibility switch at a time to scroll through text, so there’s no need to use any additional accessible gaming devices such as clamps.

On a slightly negative note, however, the version of the game I have won’t recognise when I raise ticket prices, but I overall found the game easy to play, but especially because the customised DSi makes it easier to plug in an accessibility switch and to use these to press the L or R buttons.

Game 2: Lock’s Quest

An Adventure game published by THQ and developed by 5th Cell, ‘Lock’s Quest’ has you playing as Lock, who — after a diabolical mechanical army devastates his kingdom — is left as the his country’s only hope to survive an upcoming invasion. Whether you help Lock build customised towers, traps, walls, weapons or other defences, you’ll help Lock and his family defeat enemies, until the kingdom is safe again.

The controls for the game include:

• The TOUCH SCREEN for moving Lock, attacking enemies and moving buildings.
• The D-PAD for camera controls.
• The L/R buttons for rotating buildings.
• The SELECT button for returning to the menu / pausing the game.

So does the customised DSi make this game easier to play?

Well, although I’ve only so far played through a short amount of the game, I had an extremely fun time playing through the start of the game, and so much that I can’t wait to get back to playing through the rest of it.

The accessibility switches I had plugged into the customised DSi reacted extremely well to the game, and I love how I didn’t have to hold the buttons down in order to activate the L and R buttons and only had to tap them once each time I wanted to use them. This made it easy for me to turn buildings and walls around, and therefore I think this is one of the games that is made a lot easier, thanks to the customised DSi, as the game would be nearly impossible to play without the switch interface or the ability to plug the switches in.

However, I also appreciate that there aren’t any complicated button combinations that you have to press in order to attack intruders, with the only thing you have to do in those scenarios being that you have to tap an enemy continuously with a stylus, which is easy for someone who is paralysed from the neck down to do.

So overall, I found the game easier to play on the customised DSi than I would find it on a version that hasn’t been customised, so I’m really looking forward to getting back to it.

Game 3: WarioWare Touched

A single player Action game developed and published by Nintendo, ‘WarioWare Touched’ is a game filled with 5 second mini-games.

It doesn’t require a customised DSi to play.

However, as my main expectations for ordering it was to get some experience playing Wario games, I personally find it a bit underwhelming.

For this reason, while it is accessible, it isn’t a game I’d be in a rush to spend any great amount of time on, and I’d honestly be more interested in saving a version of the game to my SD card then trading it back in.

game 4: Kirby Mass Attack

A platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo, ‘Kirby Mass Attack’ is everything I wanted it to be.

It doesn’t require a customised DSi to play, but it is an EXTREMELY fun game to play, filled with hidden object puzzles, mini-games and more!

Set amongst the background of an evildoer with a magic cane splitting Kirby into ten peaces, the gamer has to help restore Kirby into his original form, as you set off on a fun-packed side-scrolling adventure. As you guide Kirby through numerous different puzzles, mini-games and stages, you’ll have to take charge of up to ten Kirby at once, then defeat enemies who try to hurt you along the way.

So what are my main thoughts about the game and why do I count it as one of my surprisingly favourite games?

Well, the reason I love it is because the controls are really simple, but there’s also a really good narrative that helps guide the game along. Although it becomes really difficult at times, the difficult moments are still made fun, and it has to be one of the only games that I’ve played over the last while that doesn’t require any additional buttons but that I’ve still had an extremely good time playing.

Plus, it is also a good game to play if you want to get your frustrations out, especially if those frustrations extend to certain politicians or leaders of countries (and no, I’m not going to mention any here).

game 5: Mystery Tales of Time travel

A single player Puzzle game developed and published by Most Wanted, ‘Mystery Tales of Time Travel’ follows the story of a French writer who has just moved into the house where her deceased aunt used to live. After moving in, she stumbles upon an old diary, which she soon discovers has the power of transferring her to different historical periods throughout history, including Ancient Rome and Victorian Britain.

Throughout the rest of the game, you have to help the writer find missing objects, in order to help her unravel the mystery.

The controls for the game include:

• The Touch Screen for tapping and scrolling.
• The D-PAD for navigation.
• The L/R Button for scrolling through items, such as for selecting hint, viewing letters within the game etc.

So how much easier does the customised DSi make this game to play and what do I think about it?

Well, like similar puzzle games I’ve played, I like how much the game makes you think, and from the small amount of time I’ve spent playing the game so far, I’ve enjoyed the mystery elements that I feel sort of mix together with gothic elements, as well as history.

But in relation to accessibility, I’ve found the game very easy to play on the customised DSi, as you equally don’t have to hold down the accessibility switches and only have to tap them once. The only annoying thing about the game is that you can only use hints twice per level, so for that reason, it isn’t the best if you feel tired, but saying that, it does make you think, which makes it enjoyable if you have the brain cells to work out what the game is asking you.

So overall, I have found all of these games playable on the customised DSi, though they are all aimed at different people.