For Mobile May, Retro Handhelds is focused only on games that originated from a portable gaming system (Game Boy, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, etc.). All of the games that were nominated (including the three winners) followed this criterion, putting the “handheld” back in Retro Handhelds (also putting a lot of Castlevania in Retro Handhelds).
GotX is the Retro Handheld Discord‘s version of a book club, and this month we’re looking for some positively pocketable playtime! So come on in, sit down, and let’s play some games!
What is GotX?
GotX is short for “Games of the X“, which can be split into three categories: Game of the Month (GotM), Game of the Quarter (GotQ), and Game of the Week (GotW). Games of the Month are chosen according to a theme selected by community users who have previously beaten a GotM game for the prior month, aka “GotM Champions”.
Three games in total are selected, each falling within a range of release dates, nominated and voted upon by the GotM Champions. Winners each receive their own thread in the GotM channels in the Retro Handhelds Discord, where discussions, arguments, and ultimately fun are had by all.
Game of the Quarter and Game of the Week are selected independently in styles that are slightly different from Game of the Month, and they also don’t follow the same theme as the Games of the Month. Games in these two categories have either a runtime of under two hours (GotW) or a minimum runtime of 25 hours (GotQ), according to HowLongToBeat.
Completing a game (by posting a screenshot with ending credits, a date, and your Discord username) gets you an imaginary internet point that can be redeemed towards very real merch on the RH Store.
Game of the Month (Pre-1996) – Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
- Console: Game Boy
- Genre: Platformer
- Time to Beat: 4 hours
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 follows Wario, the antagonist from Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, as he travels around an island in an attempt to find the treasures necessary to purchase his own castle. Wario traverses through side-scrolling levels, avoiding obstacles and jumping between platforms, while collecting coins and treasure in order to progress.
The only non-Castlevania game this month, Wario Land, involves using the boorish Wario to tackle, jump onto, and knock over enemies, which can then be picked up and thrown. Coins are used as currency in the game instead of increasing lives (heart points do this instead), and can be used on things like opening level exits, activating checkpoints, and acquiring additional heart points.
Game of the Month (1996-2001) – Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
- Console: Game Boy Advance
- Genre: Platform Adventure
- Time to Beat: 9 hours
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon follows Nathan Graves, a vampire hunter out to rescue his mentor from Dracula. Players will traverse an abandoned castle through side-scrolling areas with the usual Castlevania emphasis on exploration and combat. Circle of the Moon expands upon the magic attack mechanics of previous games like Symphony of the Night, allowing players to mix and match powers through the “Dual Set-Up System”.
Also similar to Symphony of the Night, RPG elements like leveling character stats and augmenting stats with weapons are also present. The Dual Set-Up System uses cards that are dropped by enemies (categorized as either Action or Attribute) that can be paired with each other to offer a variety of effects, including passive abilities and offensive or defensive stat adjustments.
Game of the Month (2002 and Later) – Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
- Console: Nintendo DS, Nintendo Switch
- Genre: Platform Adventure
- Time to Beat: 10 hours
Dawn of Sorrow is a continuation of the story from Aria of Sorrow; Soma has defeated Dracula and assumed his abilities, though he avoids corruption with the help of his allies. A new cult is formed that wishes to kill Soma, which would bring forth a new dark lord. The “Tactical Soul” system found in Aria of Sorrow makes a reappearance here, along with the inclusion of the new “Magic Seal” system.
Using gameplay elements from several Castlevania games before it, Dawn of Sorrow has players traversing through side-scrolling areas, using various weapons and spells to gain levels and increase stats. The Tactical Soul system allows Soma to absorb the souls of fallen enemies to gain abilities and attacks. The Magic Seal system requires the player to essentially “trace” a pattern that appears inside a circular seal, which allows Soma to deal a finishing move to bosses. Fail to draw the correct pattern in the given amount of time, and the boss regains health, and the battle continues.
Game of the Quarter – Racing Lagoon
If you’re looking for a meatier game to sink your teeth into, then the Game of the Quarter has you covered. GotQ consists of games that meet a minimum criterion of at least 25 hours to beat according to HLTB. Each quarter, four games are pulled at random from an extensive list of games that meet the minimum criterion, and then community users vote on which game they’d like to play for the next three months.
Completing a GotQ will still net you a single point, but there is also an opportunity to earn two additional points if you manage to 100% the game by completing all of the achievements through RetroAchievements and posting this as an additional screenshot.
- Console: PS1
- Genre: Racing RPG
- Time to Beat: 31 hours
For the second quarter of 2026, we’re continuing our playthrough of Racing Lagoon, a CaRPG developed by Squaresoft that blends street racing with RPG mechanics, like mission completion, stat building through experience, and a gripping story. Racing Lagoon takes place in a hyper-stylized version of Yokohama, Japan, in 1999. The story centers on Sho Akasaki, a new member of Team Bay Lagoon Racing, as he works through the underground racing scene to solve the mystery of the “Fastest Legend”, an event that took place 10 years ago, along with his forgotten past.
One of the most unique-looking games we’ve played in GOTQ in a while, Racing Lagoon has a certain style that just screams 90’s Square. Stylized characters and cars, killer music, and an evocative narrative help drive this one along. The progression mechanics in this game are solid, with your car parts earning “experience” with each race won, unlocking part slots and allowing for improved speed, handling, and power. This one never made it stateside, though there is a fan translation.
Game of the Week, aka RetroBits
If short games and easy points are more your speed, then each Saturday at 5 PM PST, a new GotW is announced. Each game comes with a completion time of 2 hours or less, according to HowLongToBeat, and must be completed before the new GotW is announced the following Saturday.
Completion of the GotM and GotQ will earn you one point (three if you 100% the latter), but GotW will only net you half a point. Unlike the aforementioned GotM and GotQ, the GotW is chosen entirely at random by the GotX overlord Rapid99, selected from a large database of sub-two-hour games.
Above is an example of the four most recent GotW games that we’ve played in the Retro Handhelds Discord. Destruction of Spondylus is the most recent, and we’re still playing it from April 25, 2026, to May 2, 2026.
