Most movie tie-in games from the early 2010s are, to put it bluntly, garbage. They were rushed, ugly, and felt like a chore. But if you dig through the dusty library of the Nintendo DS, you’ll find Thor God of Thunder DS, a weirdly polished exception to the rule. While the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of this game were being absolutely thrashed by critics for being clunky and uninspired, the DS version was quietly being developed by WayForward. Yeah, the Shantae and Contra 4 people.
That pedigree matters.
WayForward didn't try to make a generic 3D action game on hardware that couldn't handle it. Instead, they leaned into what they do best: gorgeous 2D sprites and tight, crunching combat. It’s basically a love letter to 16-bit brawlers, but with a God of Thunder skin and some surprisingly deep mechanics.
The WayForward Touch: Why It’s Better Than the Consoles
Honestly, it’s hilarious how much better the handheld version is compared to its big brothers. On the PS3, Thor felt like he was wading through molasses. On the DS? He moves like a freight train. The game is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up that uses both screens of the DS simultaneously. You aren’t just confined to the bottom panel. Thor can launch an enemy into the upper screen, jump up after them, and continue a juggle combo in mid-air.
It feels fluid.
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The sprite work is the real star here. While the Wii and 3DS versions (developed by Red Fly Studio) went for a more stylized 3D look, WayForward stuck to high-quality 2D animation. You can see the weight in Mjolnir when Thor swings it. The lightning effects don’t just look like yellow static; they fill both screens with a "smart bomb" style flash that actually feels powerful. It’s one of the few games on the system that makes the DS feel like a powerhouse rather than a limitation.
Breaking Down the Combat and Runes
Don't go into this expecting a button-masher where you just spam 'A' until everything dies. Well, you can do that early on, but you’ll get bodied pretty quickly once you hit the later realms. Thor God of Thunder DS builds its entire loop around a surprisingly robust combo system.
You’ve got your standard melee, but you also have:
- Grapples: You can pick up enemies and hurl them into other groups.
- Hammer Throws: Mjolnir acts as a projectile that you can upgrade to create shockwaves.
- God Powers: Activated via the touch screen, these are your "get out of jail free" cards. Summoning a massive tornado or a chain-lightning strike usually clears the screen, but you have to manage your Odinforce meter carefully.
Then there are the Runes. Instead of a traditional leveling system, you find hidden Runes throughout the levels. These are split into three categories: Head, Body, and Hammer. You can only equip one of each. It adds a light layer of strategy. If you’re struggling with a boss, you might swap a damage-boosting Rune for one that increases your invulnerability frames during a dodge roll. It’s not Elden Ring levels of depth, obviously, but for a 2011 DS game? It’s impressive.
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The Bosses Are Actually Epic
Most DS games struggle with scale. WayForward solved this by making the bosses absolutely massive, often taking up both screens. You aren't just hitting a giant toe; you’re climbing these things.
The boss lineup is a "who's who" of Norse mythology and Thor lore:
- Ulik the Troll: A brutal introduction to the game's parry and counter mechanics.
- Ymir: A frost giant king that requires some serious platforming to take down.
- Hela: Her fight is more of a pattern-recognition test, almost feeling like a bullet hell in certain phases.
- Surtur: The fire demon himself, which is a visual spectacle for the DS hardware.
- Mangog: The final big bad who really tests whether you’ve mastered the combo system.
These fights aren't just "hit it until it dies." They have phases. They have patterns. They require you to actually use the verticality of the dual screens. It’s a far cry from the "swing the Wii remote and pray" gameplay of the other versions.
A Story That Isn't Just a Movie Rehash
One thing people get wrong is assuming this is just a beat-by-beat retelling of the 2011 movie. It’s not. While it uses the likenesses of Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, the plot is its own thing. It kicks off with a Frost Giant invasion of Asgard where Sif gets frozen/injured. Odin enters the Odinsleep, and Thor—being the impulsive hothead he is—decides to go on a rampage through the Nine Realms to get revenge.
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Loki, of course, is whispering in his ear the whole time. You travel to Vanaheim, Muspelheim, and Niflheim, encountering enemies that never even appeared in the MCU films. It feels more like a playable comic book than a movie tie-in.
The Reality Check: It’s Not Perfect
Look, I'm not saying this is a 10/10 masterpiece. The game is short—you can probably wrap the whole thing up in about 5 hours. It can also get repetitive. Because it's a brawler, you're essentially doing the same three things: walk right, kill five guys, walk right, kill a boss.
The difficulty curve is also a bit of a mess. Some levels are a total breeze, and then suddenly you’ll hit a room full of shielded enemies that will stun-lock you into oblivion if you don't play perfectly. It can be frustrating, especially since the checkpointing isn't always generous.
Why You Should Play It Today
If you still have a DS or a 3DS lying around, Thor God of Thunder DS is worth tracking down. In a sea of mediocre licensed games, it stands out because the developers actually cared about the "feel" of the character. You feel like a god, but the game demands enough skill that you don't feel bored.
It’s a relic of a time when developers like WayForward were given small budgets to make handheld versions of big blockbusters and ended up outclassing the "main" games by a mile.
Actionable Next Steps for Retro Collectors:
- Check the Label: Ensure you are buying the Nintendo DS version, not the 3DS version. They are different games developed by different studios.
- Search for the Manual: The game explains the Rune system, but having the physical manual helps for quick reference on which icons correspond to which buffs.
- Master the Roll: The invulnerability frames on Thor’s ground roll are your best friend. Use them to bypass projectile-heavy sections in Muspelheim.
- Save the God Powers: Don't waste your touch-screen attacks on small mobs. Save the full meter for the "Warbeast" encounters or mid-bosses to avoid getting overwhelmed.