"A Perfect Remake - Well, almost"

When it comes to Mystery Dungeon, it was first made simply as a way for people to be able to stand the wait for Diamond/Pearl. But the first game's surprise success with it's innovative gameplay and deep story prompted the makers of the first to make another long awaited sequel. I can definitely say that this sequel to the game definitely improves on many of the flaws of the previous game, making it a very deep, enjoyable game that never seems to get old.

Story - 10/10
The story of this game is, without a doubt, no short of astounding. You start out as a human that has somehow turned into a pokemon and doesn't know why, and also have a strange psychic ability as well. You befriend a partner of your choice, and also begin to work in Wigglytuff's guild. As the story progresses, you'll get involved in a story involving characters like the heroic explorer Dusknoir, the thief Grovyle, and a memory erasing Uxie. It also some of the biggest plot twists I've ever seen, and many parts of the story will make you want to keep playing just to find out what will happen next.

Gameplay - 8/10
The Gameplay is probably one of the parts of the game that has changed the least. It's still the same, easy to remember controls of walking, attacking, and using items. There's always some stragety needed to survive in the dungeons when you're managing how to use your turn, your teamates and items, and watching and fighting enemies. Aside from some optional Touch-screen usage, pretty much nothing else has changed. But the upside is that not much needed to be changed in this department anyway. Linking moves adds more stragetic gameplay, and the developers helped to fix the difficulty of the bosses as well. Now the bosses are actually challenging, and the old tactic of spamming multi-hit attacks won't kill the boss in two turns either.
Also, one thing that disappointed me a little was the fact that Darkness and Time are so similar. There are a few version-specific pokemon, a few items, and thats pretty much it. The games could have been better if they were jointed together in some way, so people would want to get both copies to see it all. With the amazing story this game already has, it was definitely possible.

Graphics - 7/10
To be honest, I was disappointed with the graphics in this game. Now that the game is a DS exclusive, it could have found many great and exciting ways to use its graphic potential. But the makers decided to stick with the pixel look, which limited some of its potential. There are more cutscenes than the previous game, and they look a little bit sharper, but I feel that the graphics still could have been better.

DS Functionality - 6/10
This category succeeds in one way and fails in another. In the succeeding part, helping to rescue friends and trade items can now be done wirelessly, saving the hassles of constantly punching in codes. This is a much needed addition, and was pretty much neccesary or else they should've just made it another GBA game. On the downside, that's pretty much the only was it utililizes the DS. Not much touch screen functions are used aside from some dungeon commands and a sentry minigame. Plus, it would have been nice to be able to battle other teams wirelessly.

Replay Value - 10/10
This is Mystery dungeon other strong area it's known for the best. Even after you beat the main story, you'll do so much more that's just as good. It'll even fill in some of the plotholes from the main storyline, and features what I would consider everyone's favorite 4th gen legendary in an epic post-tale. Plus, there's a ton of other dungeons to explore, the 493 other pokemon to recruit, and all other things that will keep you playing. When you get this game, expect to play it for a while.

Synopsis:
This game is very good for anyone who will give it a chance. People who dislike the RPG genres won't enjoy it as much, but everyone else definitely will. Even though the game didn't improve on everything from the previous game, it has definitely improved on most of them. People who played the previous title must get this game for the sake of seeing the improvement it has made. Even though this game is a perfect sequel, it is still good enough to be a great game that anyone can enjoy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/04/08

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