In the RH discord, the admins grant the role of “Device Minimalist” to Patreon subscribers who own a large collection of handhelds and are willing to commit to downsizing to 20 devices or fewer. I’m not chasing that role, but ever since I spent a year not buying handhelds, I’ve been asking myself, “How many handhelds do I actually need?”

Like many of the YouTubers in the retro handheld extended family, I put my favorite handhelds on display in a bamboo dish rack from Ikea. At the moment, I’ve settled on the idea of having six handhelds. These would be the ones that would cover every base and be all set up, ready for action. Any new purchase would have to replace an existing handheld on a 1-in-1-out arrangement. So why six? Well, it’s because that’s how many handhelds those bamboo dish racks hold at a time, helping keep me from going overboard again.

I hoped the only real decision to be made would be whether my Nintendo Switch would count as one of the six. However, as I started to mentally thin the herd, I realised there are three devices which I can’t yet part with, as they contain the saves relating to three games which are disproportionally important for me to complete. I know that if it came down to it, I could just transfer the save, but in each case, there is something about the device that is perfect for the game in question. Which means that the device is to be kept, at least until each playthrough is complete.

As a fan of patterns, I also noticed that each of these three are games I first played on original hardware in the late 90s or early 00s, and since these have remained relevant to me all these years later, they were probably worth writing about.

Game 1: Final Fantasy Tactics (The Lion War ROMhack) for PS1

I’ve restarted Final Fantasy Tactics maybe 8 or 9 times, and I’ve never made it past Chapter 4. Maybe this time will be the one that leads to completion.

My favorite part of the Retro Handheld scene is the RH GOTX. While I wouldn’t become an active participant until the following May, one aspect that first grabbed my attention was Final Fantasy Tactics coming second in the 2022 Game of the Year voting.

I first played FFT on my original PSP in the form of The War of the Lions remake, and other than Football Manager (I am British after all), it was the game I poured the most hours into. It was also one of my first RPG experiences, and I was woefully unfamiliar with how to navigate things like the class system and character upgrades. Nevertheless, the characters and plot were good enough for me to persevere, right up until my skill issues were horrendously exposed.

Later, I bought it digitally for a PSP Go, but found the screen too small for a game where the text is important. Then I grabbed it for my Android tablet, but that version has terrible controls. After I got into handhelds, I tried to run it on my RG351P, and then again later on a PS Vita, before moving to “The Lion War” ROMhack of the original version, which includes many of the improvements of the remake but with clearer dialogue, which I truly appreciate.

The Device Saved From Exile: Anbernic RG40XXV

Final Fantasy Tactics Romhack on RG40XXV

The Lion War ROMhack requires either DuckStation or the SwanStation core in RetroArch to function correctly. Up until recently, this meant that it couldn’t run on lower-end PS1-capable devices like the Miyoo Mini. Even so, now that a Swanstation core is available, the slow load times for the core cause me frustration. This led me to the 35XX series of devices.

While it only has the same 480p resolution as the smaller devices, for a game where being able to glance at the full battlefield and especially where it’s a huge benefit to be able to work out the number of squares between units, a 4-inch screen is actually a considerable benefit. The standard PS1 style face buttons also mean I much prefer it to my RG-ARC.

Game 2: Wings for Amiga

My childhood gaming device was an Amiga 600, a very late cycle refresh of a device which was widely looked down upon by other Amiga owners, much in the same way most people view the Wii Mini. I’ve restarted Wings at least 15 times, and I’ve never made it past the point where enemy planes start to shoot you down during bombing runs. Maybe this time will be the one that leads to completion.

Wings is a game about pilots during World War 1, a time when combat planes were often made out of a wooden frame, which had a stitched canvas stretched over it. Playing Wings is an exercise in mortality. Any form of collision results in irreversible permanent death, and while if you’re shot down, your character still has the chance to make an emergency landing, these are HARD. The game is not designed to allow the reloads of previous saves, so when your character dies, they die.

You then take control of a new rookie who was recruited to sit in the still-warm pilot’s seat, taking over the task of updating the diary entries. One of the reasons I’ve never completed it is that I am fully committed to ensuring that my original pilot makes it through the war, which (in the days before Save States) meant replaying large parts of this game.

There are two aspects that create the game’s unique immersion – the musical score and the diary entries. It’s often said that “War is Hell”, and I don’t think any game has managed to communicate this better than the ongoing diary entries shown on screen between missions. However, it is arguable that even this high level of writing is secondary to the score.

While there might only be four different musical themes, each is incredibly evocative. One covers victory, duty, and the relief to be alive, one covers failure and grief, and a third covers the absolute “oh no not again” monotony of living knee deep in mud and essentially starving, while still being asked to risk your life on an almost daily basis.

It’s a game that I don’t think translates well to other systems. One of the most aggravating gaming experiences I’ve found in retro gaming was loading up the GBA remake for the first time to find out that while the game itself was intact, the music, atmosphere, and indeed misery of the original had all been removed, making it essentially soulless.

The Device Saved From Exile: My Customized Miyoo Mini Plus

Wings on my “Coke Zero” Miyoo Mini+

I don’t think I’ve ever been as pleased with the result of a customization job as I have been with my “Coke Zero” MM+. This is the result of a number of salvaged parts, a painted shell from eBay, Sakrura Retro Mod buttons, and a comfort grip made by my fellow Brit, RetroBreeze.

While Wings is a game which generates an increasable atmosphere, the game can get a bit samey if played for long stretches. Each mission is essentially one of three available formats – Dogfight, Strafing, or Bombing. The game works best when played in short bursts, maybe one mission at a time. This might be perfect for an operating system like MinUI, which doesn’t include an Amiga emulator, but I’ve stuck to playing it on the equally quick OnionOS. Playing on a 3.5-inch screen is also much easier than playing on the 2.8-inch screen on the original MM, especially when trying to pick off enemy planes at a distance.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past for SNES

I’ve restarted LttP exactly six times, and I can remember each one specifically. I’ve never made it past the 2nd dungeon of the Dark World. Maybe this time will be the one that leads to completion.

I can actually clearly remember all the times I’ve started this game. I originally bought it for my Game Boy Micro, which I still own. When I bought it, iPhone gaming was just becoming a thing. The first handheld I truly loved was my Anbernic RG351P, and the GBA version of LttP was one of the first games I emulated.

I later moved to having a TrimUI Model S as an everyday carry, and restarted LttP on that device, this time the SNES version, and that led to another restart when I sold the Model S without transferring my save. The last two saves were from when Link to the Past was voted first as Game of the Month in October 2024, and then again when it was voted Game of the Year for 2024 – it is heavily frowned upon to use an existing playthrough for RH GotX games.

The Device Saved From Exile: MagicX XU Mini M

XU Mini M running Zelda alongside my original GB Micro

I’m still searching for the perfect micro handheld, one that would have an emulation station frontend, have good PS1 performance, Bluetooth, and still fit inside the right pocket of my jeans. The closest device I’ve found is the XU Mini M with a Bluetooth adapter, and while it’s functional, it isn’t pretty and doesn’t flatter your trouser line. I was about to give up on mine until I realised I was enjoying using it as my LttP device for an RH GOTY playthrough. For this reason alone, it survives another day.

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