"A definite improvement!"

Introduction

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time is a dungeon exploring "RPG" based off of games popular mainly in Japan, using the same basic engine. You take a quiz in the beginning that requests you answer a few questions truthfully, and will decide what Pokemon you get as your starter. I found this to be somewhat pointless, while it adds a bit of unique-ness, trying to get the Pokemon you want is infuriating. At least there is GameFAQs to help you! Luckily, it allows you to choose your own partner, but be wise, because you are stuck with those two Pokemon for most of the game!

Gameplay

Of course, the bread and butter of gaming. If you are into Japanese culture, you have probably heard of this style of game, and it is similar to what was done with Doki Doki Panic (SMB2), in that it's a different game with a popular logo slapped on it. That by no means makes it bad, in fact, it's a quite enjoyable little game if you are looking for a break from the normal Pokemon formula. In PMD, you must traverse literally dozens of unique locales, trying to find the staircase on each floor, placed at random. Much to my chagrin, it is usually at the farthest possible point from where you start :( On your merry way, most times you will encounter certain enemy Pokemon, specific to the dungeon, who try to make your Leader's health reach zero, causing a GAME OVER. The annoying part is, you also lose of your partner dies, and a lot of the time he will be wasting all your Reviver Seeds. What are Reviver Seeds? Only the most precious item in the entire game, in my opinion! They bring a felled character back to life, which is invaluable in long, treacherous dungeons. This game is a bit easier than the first, usually staying at a 15-25 floor maximum for most of the game, which is a welcome change. When you are not prompted to complete missions during the story, you can select Jobs from the boards at the Wigglytuff Guild, or choose to take down outlaws, which earn your Explorer Team Points, unlocking more Bag space and rare items. Another point is that you can only have a maximum of 4 Pokemon on your team at one time, or 6* body size.

Story

The story in both PMD games were surprisingly engrossing, with plot twists every couple minutes! This game starts off with whomever you chose as your partner trying to work up the courage to sign up for an Exploration Team at the Wigglytuff Guild. When he can't, he goes to the beach to reflect, and sees whomever your character is lying on the beach, unconscious. Waking you up, they are ambushed by an evil Exploration Team, intent on stealing your partner's rare item. You complete, the first dungeon, then your partner asks you to help him form an exploration team. Treasure Town acts as the main hub for your team, as well as the Guild, where you will spend much of the game.

Graphics/Sound

This game is 2D, so it doesn't push the DS to it's fullest extent, but there are many beautiful 'murals' that appear when the character sees something that is supposed to be amazing or breathtaking. One thing that could have been improved were the attack animations. Often, when you get a powerful move, you expect it the be earth- shatteringly brilliant, only to have the same animation of a different move of the same type (ie. Thunderbolt and Thunder). The character and enemy animations were quite detailed, and you could easily distinguish Pokemon from each other (even Unown!), and prepare accordingly. I don't usually turn the sound on, on handhelds, so I couldn't properly give an opinion, but I've heard it's quite good.

Replayability

PMD will probably take the average gamer 20 hours for the main story, if they take some time to train. There is a semi-long post story that is required to evolve your 2 starters, which is a big pain, and one of the only downgraded aspects from the first game. By the time you evolve them, you will have finished the entire game story. There isn't much to do afterwards. Whoopee! I get to beat a 99-floor dungeon! Fun! I personally had no desire to beat the entire game again, just with a different character.

Final Recommendation

Overall, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time is a solid game that is fun at first, but just runs out of things to offer after you evolve your character, which is what the entire game is leading up to! The game has online, which you can use to answer SOS calls from people who lost while in a hard dungeon, and earn rewards, depending on who you rescued! I felt kind of disappointed in the end, but I'm sure bigger Pokemon fan could get a lot more out of it than I did.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/13/08

Game Release: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (US, 04/20/08)