We have our first impressions on YouTube as well, check it out!
Yes, you read the title right. Generally, spin-offs don’t really grab my attention. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon is special, however.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon ties (technically) as the longest running spin-off series with Pokémon Stadium, both having 6 games. (Stadium only has 5 if you don’t include the Japan-only first game)
The Mystery Dungeon games focus a bit more on story and setting compared to Stadium and the main series. They give you a view of the Pokémon world from the point of, in my case, a Charmander. It feels a lot less like “fight the best trainers and then fight each other” and a lot more of “here’s something a bit more story-driven.” We’re not talking about Final Fantasy IX here, but it’s got a lot more to it than the main series.
What is Pokémon Mystery Dungeon?
Great question! Take a dungeon crawler, and change everyone for Pokémon. Wait, that sounds way too simple to explain. Let’s try that again.
You’re a human (as in, actually you, behind the screen.) You (still actually you) get turned into a Pokémon, and what one you get turned into depends on how you answer some introductory questions. The game I re-played for this is definitely aimed at children – when it was telling me what Pokémon I got, It told me that I tend to finish homework well. I don’t have homework anymore! (Except this)
Without spoiling too much of the story (the new game is a remake of this and Blue Rescue Team) you end up teaming up with a partner Pokémon that you choose, and help to rescue those in need as you figure out why you’re a Pokémon!
They did something smart with the partner Pokémon setup at the start. I played up until the first dungeon twice. First time, I got a Psyduck, second time Charmander. On my first play through I couldn’t have a water type as my partner. On the second, I couldn’t have a fire type. Likely so that I couldn’t get stuck later on in the game. Nice small touch, Chunsoft!
Outside of it’s story, you’re playing a dungeon crawler. Your aim is to get to the end of the dungeon and either find something, or someone. You move and attack in a grid, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Something quite unique (at least, to me) about the gameplay is that the enemies only move when you do. If you stay still or turn on the spot, they don’t move. If you attack or use an item, they do. Almost like chess.
Combat in the game isn’t the same as in the main games. You always have an attack ready on the A button (in this game), but you can also use some moves like you’d have in the main series games. The A attack can be used as many times as you’d like (think Struggle, but without recoil) but does less damage. The moves allow you to either deal more damage, change the field, reduce enemy stats or hit enemies further away.
Hopefully now you see why I’m more excited for Pokémon Mystery Dungeon than the DLC for Pokémon Sword and Shield. The DLC adds more Pokémon and extra story so you don’t have to buy something like, I don’t know, Pokémon Light Sword and Dark Shield or something. But, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon gives us a nice fresh style of gameplay with the tiny animals that we’ve grown to love over the last 24 years. Maybe this’ll find it’s way into this year’s holiday list!
(P.S, we might end up playing some of the demo for our YouTube channel – make sure to check it out!)
