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Play Overview
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (2005) is a series of fighting games where you control different cartoon creatures as they make their way through randomly generated dungeons, defeating enemies and adding them to your team. It's a simple roguelike game where you take repeated runs at the dungeons, slowly gaining more power and getting further each time. The intuitive and strategic gameplay cycle makes these games stand out.
The latest game is Rescue Team DX, a remake of the original. It offers a unique watercolour art style and wide-ranging battles with the 100's of different Pokemon. You take a personality test at the start to decide which Pokémon you become. The dungeons are then generated fresh each time you enter them. As you encounter and defeat more Pokémon in the turn-based battles, you build your team.
Both movement and actions are turn-based letting you take things at your own pace and employ deep strategies. In battles, you use regular attacks, moves from the main series of games, and special items to give you an advantage over your opponents. Between dungeons, you explore the village and surrounding area, buying items for your fights and doing jobs that give you useful items.
While all the games have similar gameplay, Rescue Team DX has some extra features, such as Mega Evolutions to the Pokémon and an autosave feature. There have been several Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games on many platforms since the original release in 2005, meaning you don't need the latest console to play:
Throughout the series there is an emphasis on lighthearted and accessible fun, but also require strategy to overcome the challenges you face.
Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Thom Robertson and updated 3 weeks ago.
The latest game is Rescue Team DX, a remake of the original. It offers a unique watercolour art style and wide-ranging battles with the 100's of different Pokemon. You take a personality test at the start to decide which Pokémon you become. The dungeons are then generated fresh each time you enter them. As you encounter and defeat more Pokémon in the turn-based battles, you build your team.
Both movement and actions are turn-based letting you take things at your own pace and employ deep strategies. In battles, you use regular attacks, moves from the main series of games, and special items to give you an advantage over your opponents. Between dungeons, you explore the village and surrounding area, buying items for your fights and doing jobs that give you useful items.
While all the games have similar gameplay, Rescue Team DX has some extra features, such as Mega Evolutions to the Pokémon and an autosave feature. There have been several Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games on many platforms since the original release in 2005, meaning you don't need the latest console to play:
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team (2005) DS, Game Boy Advance
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness (2007) DS
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (2009) DS
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Keep Going! Blazing Adventure Squad!, Let's Go! Stormy Adventure Squad!, and Go For It! Light Adventure Squad! (2009) Wii
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity (2013) 3DS
- Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon (2015) 3DS
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX (2020) Switch
Throughout the series there is an emphasis on lighthearted and accessible fun, but also require strategy to overcome the challenges you face.
Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 3 years ago. It was re-examined by Thom Robertson and updated 3 weeks ago.
There are lots of games similar to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (Series). Here are some we picked for you:
Play Style
Duration
Play Time: This game will take between 10 hours and 20 hours to complete. The time to beat the game's main story will vary quite a lot due to the semi-random nature of the gameplay. For players less experienced in the genre, the levels may take a couple of attempts to beat which may result in play sessions of over an hour.
Benefits
This game is good if you want to:
Age Ratings
Content Rating
Rated for younger players in the US. Rated ESRB EVERYONE for Mild Cartoon Violence. From an overhead perspective, players meet various characters, traverse dungeon environments, and battle wild Pokémon in turn-based combat. During combat, players use a menu system to select various actions/attacks (e.g., chop, sting, and ember); damage is indicated by blinking effects (occasional explosions) and a loss of hit points.
Skill Level
7+ year-olds usually have the required skill to enjoy this game. Younger players need to be able to make choices in combat and explore the dungeons relatively systematically. There is also an underlying mystery to solve that requires some comprehension to understand.
Costs
You can only play this on older systems (Nintendo 2DS|3DS, Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii) but can usually find it second hand on eBay.
There are no additional in-game purchases, loot boxes, adverts or subscription costs.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
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Game Details
Release Date: 17/11/2005, updated in 2020
Out Now: 3DS and 2DS, DS, Switch and Wii
Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds
Players: 1
Genres: Battle, Strategy (Action, Adventure, Collecting, Fighting, Role-Play and Traversal)
Accessibility: 0 features documented (Tweet Developer )
Components: 2D Overhead and Pixels
Developer: Spike Chunsoft e (@SpikeChunsoft_e)
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