Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness Reviews

• Even better than the mystery dungeon blue rescue team

  
  By A3J66W9ZU3KYFE on 2008-04-24
  In this game, you play as a Pokemon and have another Pokemon as a companion. You enter dungeons with randomly-generated floor plans, collecting items and fighting Pokemon as you complete tasks. The fighting is turn-based, as with most other Pokemon games. One advantage is that you regenerate HP as you walk. However, you need to keep a supply of apples with you because you also get hungry as you walk and if you get too hungry, you faint. However, this is better than not regenerating HP until getting to a town, in regular Pokemon games.
  So far, I have only played this game about 10 hours, (in comparison with over 100 hours on mystery dungeon blue team), but I prefer this newer one. Obviously, since I have played it so much, I really like the first one, so this is saying quite a lot (I am a fan of Pokemon games, in general). Here's why I like this one better:
  1. you can hold more items in dungeons (and this number increases as you progress)
  2. you can recruit new Pokemon even if you have 4 in your party already (and they are automatically sent out of the dungeon)
  This may not seem like a lot, but these two facts alone make the game much more enjoyable. Here's the one thing I have discovered that I like less than the blue team version:
  1. You see your team members' HP as a ratio without also seeing a meter-bar to give a quick visual gauge of your team members' HP (although you do get the meter for your team leader).
  This is a rather small thing, but without the meters, sometimes I don't notice how low the HP of some of my team members become and so I faint from carelessness, rather than 'real' danger. Perhaps there is a setting to remedy this and I just haven't found it yet.
  I will update this review after I finish story mode.
  
  

• They got it right this time

  
  By AGRYVIFLVADGU on 2008-04-29
  This game is a GIANT step forward from the GB Advance version! This is the game that that one should have been. I am really not too knowledgable about the Advance game, since I put it aside as borderline unplayable and a major disappointment. The new version is vastly improved. The following areas are its strong points:
  
  First and foremost, a good combat interface. In this version, your head Pokemon can select one of four moves, just as in the regular Pokemon games. And there is no burdensome double-button punch to use a move. You can also choose an ordinary attack, which is not a move, to save moves: a welcome Pokemon innovation.
  
  Attractively drawn dungeons
  
  Good and varied music
  
  A good story line
  
  Lots of interesting tasks and situations
  
  The real comparison is with the recent Shiren Mystery Dungeon, also a Chun product. This one is less brutal and much larger-scale, though both are excellent games.
  
  Highly recommended for roguelike fans.
  
  I assume that this rating and description can also apply to the "Explorers of Time" version of the game, since the strategy guide says there are only minor differences.
  
  
  

• Underappreciated, great story and fun!

  
  By A16I1TNBSOLQFG on 2008-06-29
  Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness, capitalizes on the failures of the first entry in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. Offering a much more adorable and emotionally intense story, with addictive gameplay, I have found that this one is more of the pick-up and stay playing variety.
  
  Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness launches by asking you, the player, a series of questions that gauge how well your personality traits match against the set of several Pokémon. The answers that the player gives determine which Pokémon they will play as for the entire game. The questions are quite interesting in that they sometimes match, even in its simplest state, the player. For a true Pokémon fan or just someone who knows exactly what Pokémon they want to be there are several faqs are available online that guide you in the way to answers questions to get who you want. After the player has chosen their Pokémon, they proceed to choose their partner. The partners range from the starters from all Pokémon generation games to including a few other choices. I went along and chose the adorably and always cute Pikachu. After choosing the Pokémon, the player proceeds into the Pokémon world.
  
  The main story of the game is to discover why time has been stopping all over the region. One of the earliest opening cinematic sequences indicates that a Grovyle is stealing the games time gears. The mission is to stop Grovyle. I will admit that the story proceeds at a quick pace from the start. However, it is broken into pieces by the ability to go into a series of quests, if one wanted to build up the teams rank. The higher the rank the more items the player can carry or keep in storage. It is difficult to discuss the story any further as it will reveal pivotal events that are vital to the intrigue of the game.
  
  The story soon takes off from their in which you will meet your partner and help them conquer their fear of several things in the world. Generally, the player serves as a way for the Pokémon partner to develop confidence with the benefit of creating a long lasting friendship. The player will soon be inducted into the Wigglytuff Guild (a team of explorations teams) as apprentices, and soon go on explorations quests.
  
  The quests range from a variety of options. The quests can generally range from escort missions, search and rescues, or capture the bandit. There is a ranking system for these missions with different awards being award in respective denominations based on the difficulty. Some missions will reward you by allowing you to explore new areas that do not relate to the main story.
  
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  What makes this game appeal to people who aren't just Pokémon fans, is probably the idea of dungeon crawling, or for those that aren't in the arena of video game terminologists (and yes terminologist is a word), traveling through an infinite number of dungeons with layouts that change randomly. In the past Pokémon was a game in which the only idea is to catch Pokémon, travel through an over world map, and defeat a prestigious class of elite Pokémon trainers or go through a smattering of Pokémon recreational facilities in an effort to gather enough certifications to show that one has mastered the training of their Pokémon. Pokémon mystery dungeon strays away from that tradition and allows the player to play as a Pokémon, gather other Pokémon friends, and explore dungeons in an effort to see all Pokémon and gather treasure.
  Explorers of Darkness raises the bar over the previous version by offering the extensive story, more hilarious characters, more items, more Pokémon, and perhaps a feeling that what you are doing isn't just something random. I could not get into the previous offering for the middle of the game seemed like a chore.
  
  Explorers of Darkness never feels like a chore for it attempts to make sure that you never get bored, whether from the witty and silly way that Team Skull (skulltank, zubat, and koffing) acts and responds, from the way that your partner attempts to bond with you, or the hilarious members of the Wigglytuff Guild. Most of the dungeons are kept short, offer save points (sometimes with access to the players storage), and provide healing for the player before they face a boss. Although that last part may make the game sound easy, some of the bosses are in themselves very difficult even with full health, if your team is not up to par.
  
  Players are able to extend their team by attempting to recruit other Pokémon. Recruiting is generally random. Once you recruit a Pokémon, you can add it to your active team roster and take it with you (only in the most story intense battles will you not be able to use them).
  
  In terms of sound, the game offers an interesting mix of tunes. I only have one favorite and that can be found in the first area of the game, the beach with the Krabby. The other music is a hit or miss for some people, I generally kept it on low while listening to other music but for boss battles or monster houses, I turned it up. The sound effects in the scenes are perfect and sound fitting, if not powerful.
  
  On the graphics side of the spectrum, I would pin this as perhaps a beautiful game to behold. Somehow, the style of pencil artwork seems to expand this greatly and keep it looking fresh. The cinematic sequences are always interesting to see, and really do look beautiful.
  
  After completion of the main story, players are given the ability to continue to play through and accomplish a few more chapters to get to know the guild, open up the ability to evolve, and recruit all 490+ Pokémon, or even rescue others via the Wi-Fi service.
  
  
  
  
  Pros
  +Ability to recruit all 490+ Pokémon on one game
  +Emotional yet fast paced story line (about 20-25 hours to beat main story)
  +Hilarious Characters
  +Varying Dungeon Locations
  +Level Grinding is not required
  
  
  Cons
  -Music could have been a bit more robust in dungeons
  -Some Attacks are a bit too unfair (such as Fury Swipes, can one hit KO, if all 5 hits hit)
  -Dungeons become a bit difficult
  -Monster Houses will kill low-level players or those inexperienced with using the items
  -Unless one really desires to keep his or her items, just save before a dungeon instead of waiting for someone on Wifi service to rescue the team
  
  

• A New and Improved Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

  
  By A76YXASD7CTAH on 2008-06-26
  I'm a middle-aged lady who adores Pokemon, and I've also become addicted to Mystery Dungeon games. I loved the first two Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games (Red and Blue Rescue Teams). I wondered if it was worthwhile to purchase this game, since it would probably be a reworking of those earlier games. (Nintendo seems to prefer updating their Pokemon franchise games, rather than discovering new approaches. We're still playing the equivalent of the original Pokemon Red and Blue, but with two screens and better music!)
  
  Anyways, I was delighted to discover that the story mode in this game is about three times as long as in the previous games. And that there's a second story mode which begins sometime after the first story ends. Lots of new dungeons, and all of those rare Pokemon from Diamond and Pearl.
  
  I've read that this game is excessively talky, and I agree with that. Too much time is spent on clicking through cutscenes and conversations. And yet, when I reached the end of the first story mode, I was so deeply moved that I cried.
  
  Even though I finished both story modes about a month ago (and something like 100 hours of non-story playing time), I am truly enjoying the challenge of beating Zero Isle (the equivalent of the previous games' Purity Forest, etc.)
  
  If I could ask for only one thing... I wish that there were X-Ray Specs in this game! I miss the thrill of sniping those random Kecleon Shops!
  
  This game is more challenging in several ways. For instance, gummies and Reviver Seeds are much more rare. After feeding my Pikachu every Yellow Gummi that I can find, she is still a three-star IQ.
  
  I love the smoother graphics, the wide variety of previously-unseen Pokemon, and the warmth and kindness of the characters' relationships.
  
  My only complaint is that they should have found something better to do with the second screen, instead of just leaving a set of basic instructions there. The dual-screen format is meaningless in this game, because it plays exactly like the GameBoy Advance version of Rescue Team. All of the action is displayed on the bottom screen, and there is no touch-screen activity at all.
  
  I do recommend this game for Pokemon fans, and for people who'd like to try a fairly simple but addictive Mystery Dungeon game. I've truly enjoyed it, and I will pass it along to my niece who is getting her first Nintendo DS later this summer.
  
  

• Mystery dungeon greatness

  
  By A254N9HUWP2FVC on 2008-05-06
  I honestly feel that Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is MUCH better than I expected! I mean, I thought that it would be the same as Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team, but it was better and then some! I must say that one of the best new features would be sentry duty, as it is like a minigame and is like a break from the dungeons. I wish I would have known how easy it was though. I mean, I got it a week after it came out, and four days later, I was working on the final mission before the post-ending. I feel that that isn't that a big of a deal though, and I still think that it is the best pokemon game that doesn't involve catching and training Pokemon like usually.
  
  
• There's just one big hitch...
  By A2SH7OWE8QJYNC on 2008-05-10
  When you (or your partners) faint in a dungeon, you lose all your money (not such a big deal) and "some of" your items. If you have a particularly difficult dungeon to get through and you faint repeatedly, your chances of making it through the dungeon get lower and lower each time, because you finally get to a point where the only items you've got are the ones you find IN THAT DUNGEON. So, you're going through this horrible dungeon, and you find TMs that you can't use, Bands to hold to boost attack (or whatever), Cheri berries and stuff, but no Oran berries, which are the only things I know of that restore HP. Walk into one Monster House room and you're doomed. I've been in the same dungeon for three days now and it doesn't look like I'll get through it anytime soon. Otherwise, a very enjoyable game for people who like closure (like me), because you can totally sweep the floor of a dungeon and make sure you've gotten every item and explored every corridor.
  
  
• Great game!!!
  By A2U2Y6U8BVLMWU on 2008-07-13
  This game is really fun according to my 8 year old son. Some of the dungeons are a little hard, such as Concealed Ruins, but the tasks are interesting and the music/storylines are great. The game is not too long or too short and it isn't too hard either. The scenery is very good. Overall, we recommend this game.
  
  
• For my little sister
  By A1GM0TXIWZ6HG7 on 2008-05-15
  I ordered this game for my younger sister. She really seems to enjoy playing and has managed to balance playing with schoolwork. She plays by herself or invites her friends to play. She says that the graphics are pretty good and the missions can be interesting, but can sometimes be frustrating.
  
  
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Darkness
  By A1CIJC1AHR6DUZ on 2008-05-21
  The game is a lot of fun. The thing I like about this version compared to the first Mystery Dungeon game that came out is the fact that your partner shares your room with you, instead of going off to his own area. This game keeps you wondering what's coming next up to the end. And once you finish, you still have challenges to solve.
  
  
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Darkness ROCKS!!!
  By on 2008-06-17
  This game and Pokemon Diamond are the BEST games you can get. Explore a new world as a pokemon. You can get Darkrai, Cresselia, Heatran and all the others! I used to think pokemon mystery dungeon was retarded. When I played this game and bought it, it totally changed my mind. PLEASE get this game. IT RULES THE WORLD OF POKEMON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (p.s. if U get it U rock too!)
  
  
• Good but for kids 7+
  By A2R2A04N1EQDN2 on 2008-09-12
  My 7 year old son is new to the world of gaming and the DS--we got this game along with Mario Kart, and he quickly dismissed this Pokemon game and went with the Kart 100%. I think the depth of the game, and the amount of reading required is a bit much for younger kids to enjoy, but we will revisit in about a year or so. My recommendation-- 7+ years old, and the player has to have attention span and ability to deal with the frustration of not being able to get out of a dungeon, etc.
  
  
• A kid's review
  By on 2008-05-15
  I am a 9 year old kid. This Pokemon Explorers of Darkness has a very intresting storyline but it should be a bit longer because I already finished the game. I am in the last chapter and it took me 20 days to get there.Otherwise it is a very good game.
  
  
• I love this game!
  By on 2008-05-27
  This game is not too long and not too short but very fun. You get to unlock dungeons like secret waterfall and many more. Once you unlock dungeons you can battle in them and unlock stores in treasure town.
  I think this is better than pokemon pearl because you get to go to more places and there is more action. This game is great for any pokemon fan.
  
  
• Pokemon Explorers of Darkness Review
  By A2YR8M8XVV7EDM on 2008-07-03
  I love these rescue games...I feel like a hero when I've accomplished rescue jobs! A lot of the game's graphics are beautiful, and the game is simple to learn!
  
  
• A Seven Year Old Boy's Opinion
  By on 2008-08-06
  I think this game is great because you can make friends and you go on lots of missions. Later in the game you will find a treasure and battle legendaries. Some places like Beach Cave and Drenched Bluff are a little weak. Other places are harder.
  
  
• Incredibly Boring
  By A29BQ6B90Y1R5F on 2008-08-16
  Pros:
  
  +A Surprisingly Interesting Story
  +Very Colorful
  +Tons of Missions
  
  Cons:
  
  -Bland Dungeon Designs
  -Repetitive Gameplay
  -Very Stale and Boring Gameplay
  -Far too easy
  -Not too big on the graphics
  -A Very slow story
  
  Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team (Or Red, depending on which version you had) was not exactly a great game. While it sold very well, it wasn't even close to touching the surface of what other traditional Pokemon games have done. Blue and Red Rescue Team weren't that exciting, they had boring gameplay, were incredibly repetitive and just all around bland. Sadly, Chunsoft didn't really do a whole lot to improve a severely flawed game. In fact, it suffers from many of the same problems as the other Mystery Dungeon games.
  
  Just like the previous one, you are a human that one day wakes up as a Pokemon. You get a partner based off the questions you answer at the beginning. Same basic principle as the first. Then you'll go on missions where you will hunt down outlaw Pokemon or rescue other Pokemon. It's simplistic stuff. The story actually isn't so bad. It's a very slow story, but for Pokemon you're actually getting something good. You won't see a trainer throughout the game. At all. This is all about the Pokemon.
  
  On the other hand, the story and flow of gameplay is repetitive. Seeing the same cutscene before and after each mission over and over and over again gets very annoying when you just want to jump into your next mission. However, it's easily the gameplay that's the worst part of the game.
  
  Just like the Rescue Team games, the gameplay is incredibly stale and boring. You go into a dungeon and explore floors that are randomly generated until you get to your objective. The floors are all very bland and boring. The biggest problem with the random generated floors is when you enter the next area and you're right next to the exit. It happens from time to time. Then again, most of it you'll want to get through quickly, anyway. The environments are so bland and devoid of details that one floor doesn't feel any different from another. It's like walking through an endless dungeon. They have their own themes, but no real design.
  
  The combat is worse. When you approach a Pokemon, you'll engage them. There are no random battles, but that doesn't mean it'll play like an Action RPG. At first glance, combat really doesn't seem all that bad until you realize there's no strategy involved whatsoever. What makes the traditional games addictive, other than catching them all, is the surprising amount of depth that goes into each battle. This is exactly what the Mystery Dungeon series lacks. It quickly becomes a button mashing affair with no real thought or strategy. The game is also unbelievably easy. Even boss battles are an easy, button mashing affair to see who can get in the most attacks. Even though you're given a set of moves you can use, and there's a little bit of strategy here, you'll find that you never actually need it. There's hardly an incentive to pick moves over another. You'll go exploring with a party of four, and you can control their moves as well, but mostly, you'll find you need just one Pokemon to get much of the job done. Combat is just boring.
  
  Much like the previous one, you can get wild Pokemon to join your rescue team. You can only have four in your party at a time, however, but nonetheless you can still get them to join.
  
  What would a Pokemon game be without two versions? With this duo you have Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness. Much like all the duo's, the games don't have that many differences, but you'll need both to uncover and unlock everything. This means you'll either have to buy the other version or convince a friend to do so. Should the worst ever happen and you actually get taken down in a dungeon, you can send out a distress signal in hopes that a friend will come by and rescue you. Unfortunately, you're probably better off accepting your fate.
  
  Pokemon has never been a game to push graphics and sound. Mystery Dungeon is no exception. It's a very colorful game, but hardly takes the DS to the standards it can accomplish. Much of it looks like it belongs on the Gameboy Advance rather than the DS. And with the boring design of the dungeons, there's really nothing here to look forward to in terms of graphics. As I said, however, Pokemon has never been a graphical powerhouse. It doesn't really sound great either. Much of the music is forgettable.
  
  If you enjoyed Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team or Red Rescue Team, then chances are you'll like this one as well. It's essentially the same game. So if you did like Blue and Red Rescue Team, then you can very much disregard this review. If Blue and Red Rescue didn't do much for you, don't expect the latest release to turn you into a fan.
  
  
• I <3 PiKaChu !! (o ^ T ^ o)
  By A38IEZF0P3ZUQJ on 2008-09-07
  This game is a totally *NEW* experience in the Pokemon game series cuz unlike before you were playing as a Pokemon trainer ... Here you are an actual Pokemon !! In the beginning there's a short Aura questionnaire to find out what your Aura color and Pokemon is based on your answers. It's kinda creepy cuz the results of the Questionnaire is very accurate to Real Life. Mine observed that I'm a very relaxed/laid back person and my Aura color was a Calming Blue. Blue is my favorite color and I am a calm person and the pokemon I'm related to his a Meowth. Which I was hoping for something different but you can always take the questionnaire over til you get a character you wish to be. After you get to choose your partner to travel with and I chose PiKaChu cuz he's been my favorite since day one of the Pokemon series. But overall this game has excellent graphixs similar to that of Legend of Zelda and it's alot of FUN !! I like the added feature of Friends Code so you can exchange emails and add your friends so if you play in WiFi mode you can communicate. I suggest even though the price is a little high it's a well worth game to buy.
  
  
• My 12-year-old's favorite DS game
  By A2NX6MFZP8TM6S on 2008-05-27
  I've never played this game, but my 12-year-old says it's awesome. And judging from the amount of time he spends playing it, I have to believe it's got all the right stuff. It's his favorite DS game of the moment. If your kid has a DS and loves Pokemon, I don't think you can go wrong with this one.
  
  
• Mystery Dungeon review
  By A2THS53AK0DPTL on 2008-07-13
  My grandson, for whom this game was purchased, would give this game at least four stars.
  
  
• A definite improvement over the first Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
  By A12EG8H75DEYNP on 2008-11-04
  This game has a much better storyline than the first game. The overall gameplay is the same but I found it to be much more fun. And another improvement over the previous game is that it lasts much longer; you can play all day and you still won't beat it. I gave it 4 stars because it's impossible not to compare it to other games like Pokemon Red version, Silver version, Ruby version, Diamond version, etc. That original series wins over all other Pokemon games because of their repeatability. I think playing this game more than two times would be stretching it. But that's ok because it takes so long to beat it once! Overall it's a must-have for almost anyone with a DS and willing to play a kind of kiddy game.
  
  

• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Explorers of Darkness: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides) (Prima Official Game Guides)
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