Before the 3DS and Switch proved handhelds could deliver serious shooters, the DS had Moon (2009)—a surprisingly ambitious first-person sci-fi adventure developed by Renegade Kid and published by Mastiff. This isn’t just a throwaway handheld shooter—it’s a full-blown atmospheric campaign set on a mysterious moon base, with creepy vibes and plenty of alien blasting.

You play as Major Kane, leading a mission to investigate strange happenings on the lunar surface. What starts as a routine assignment quickly spirals into an alien conspiracy, complete with high-tech weapons, puzzle-solving, and exploration across tunnels and bases. The DS’s stylus control scheme makes aiming surprisingly smooth, and the game squeezes impressive visuals out of Nintendo’s dual-screen hardware. It’s moody, it’s intense, and it feels more like a portable Metroid Prime than a typical DS shooter.

Why should you buy retro games like this one?

1. One of the best original FPS experiences on the DS.
2. Atmospheric sci-fi story with exploration and action.
3. A cult classic that showed handheld shooters could actually work.

If you’re building your DS library, Moon is a hidden gem worth hunting down. Dark, stylish, and surprisingly deep, it’s proof the DS had more to offer than just puzzle games and platformers. And yeah—buy retro games on Retro Games eXchange, because your collection deserves some lunar conspiracy energy.