Bold of Nintendo to release a game about toxic work environments

A childhood classic of mine, as I'm sure it is with many people. I'm honestly kind of surprised by its cult status 15 years after its release, but also happy that a game I grew up loving is so heavily revered and has the respect it rightfully deserved as its own work and as a unique spin-off.

But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous revisiting it after such a long time. I had no reservations about the music still being incredible, I was hoping the story had aged as well as my nostalgia had led me to believe, but I remember it being pretty hard, and the gameplay was never the reason why i remembered it so fondly (as I'm sure many people can relate).

But what surprised me most on this revisit is just how well the mystery dungeon gameplay loop works. The menu-based system of traditional pokémon translates into a grid-based roguelike combat system beautifully. It completely changes how speed works and you now have to take into account range and distance. But the dungeons were the real source of my worries. After playing other games with randomly generated dungeons like Persona 4, Pikmin 2, and Chain of Memories (all games I dislike), I was not looking forward to a gameplay experience that was nothing but that. But it's surprisingly very snappy and not archaic in the slightest. They grant you the incredible blessing of a run button that might as well be a speed-up button on an emulator, it gets you through floors in a matter of seconds. Floors aren't very big, and it isn't until late and post-game when they get really dickish with long winding halls and dead-ends. Sometimes you'll even spawn into the room that has the stairs in it, so the pacing of advancing through floors is actually the fastest I've seen in any game with randomly generated levels. There's also a surprise amount of variety in the level design of each dungeon, and they somehow all manage to feel distinct from each other.

What isn't great about the gameplay loop is the roguelike elements. It's shallow, and certainly not helped by how much the genre has evolved in the last decade. It pretty much boils down to, if you're lucky enough to find apples, oran berries, and max elixers, use them. I really like the seeds and orbs that have multiple beneficial effects for you, but this aspect of the game in general is lacking in risk/reward as well as variety in mechanics to allow for interesting things to happen, and overall works against you without there being potential for multiple attempts at a dungeon to be any different from each other. You can lose all of your inventory if you die, and while I'm grateful for the checkpoints you get halfway through dungeons, they don't give you true Kangaskhan statues, so respawning won't give you access to your storage and you can be screwed. There are some things that boggle my mind, like traps. Why would you put in invisible tiles that do nothing but hinder your progress, give you no way of detecting them, and the only option you have against them is an orb that completely removes the problem? And then you start spamming in the post-game because why? Thankfully dungeons are all a manageable length until the late and post-game at the very least, so these aren't a big problem for most of the game.

But fuck the gameplay, who cares about that

What everyone loves about this game is the story, and forget my reservations going into this revisit. I loved and respected the story even more on this revisit. The setting of the guild and the many side characters of treasure town, the episodic nature of each chapter, how it continues to let minor characters have a presence in the game even after their plot relevance is over, how it uses Team Skull as this constant antagonistic force as well as Grovyle as a mysterious true villain that the game builds up, how many distinct and likable personalities it gives to all of these Pokémon, the way it introduces all these new worldbuilding concepts and fleshes them out as the mystery unfolds, the sheer majesty of its various locales, literally everything about the story creates this lovely Saturday morning cartoon vibe that kept me HOOKED! I already knew this story, but even after not playing it for at least a decade, I could not put this game down.

I was interested to know how the twist would effect me on this revisit. In the nature of twists, it obviously wouldn't work on me a second time, but I hoped it wouldn't be agonizingly obvious in the buildup to it and that I could respect it even though I saw it coming. And honestly I don't really know. I think I'd need to watch someone play it for the first time to get a good idea about it, but I wasn't rolling my eyes at the foreshadowing so I think it did decently well.

The only thing about the story I'm really not a fan of is how many conflicts arise from characters jumping to conclusions and not allowing the protagonists to explain themselves. So much could be avoided if characters just listened to each other and I could understand that writing choice if it was used a couple times (like I think it makes sense when fighting Dialga and Mesprit, and maybe once with Chatot), but it's a device that's used way too much.

But yea, the characters steal the show here. The character development for the protagonist and partner characters are both well done. Wigglytuff is hilariously just the most powerful being in existence and I'm here for it. Chatot is deadass just a toxic manager; he gives you jobs you are literally given no training for, and if you mess up ONCE, you get no dinner. NO DINNER!!! There's gotta be some guild union laws this is violating, because that's actually the cruelest thing I've ever seen in a Pokémon game. Everyone understandably loves Grovyle and Dusknoir, Kecleon strikes fear into the heart of all Mystery Dungeon players, Azurill and Marill are both precious and are probably my favorite minor characters. I could go on, everyone in this game is delightful and I'll reiterate that it's so impressive how they give so many Pokémon personalities in this.

The last praiseworthy thing is, of course, the music. Which honestly should go without saying. This is my favorite Pokémon ost aside from Black and White, and I'd argue is one of the most varied and complex soundtracks ever composed for a video game. It shifts between so many different modes in the middle of songs and uses so many time signatures throughout, so many different emotions conveyed, so many leitmotifs used, and so many dissonant changes that make them really challenging to play. Does anyone remember that like 160 page dissertation that was written about this game's soundtrack? Yea, that's how much it slaps. I'd argue that this is up there with Donkey Kong Country and Nier: Automata for how complex, dynamic and atmospheric its music is. An all time great to be sure.

So the only thing left to talk about is how they DROP the ball in the post-game. I feel like this is a controversial take since the post game seems to be praised by the community. But not only do they start getting really cheap with the dungeons here, your graduation from the guild creates a lack of forward momentum in the story for the rest of the game. Part of what made the base game's story work so well were the side characters and how the game uses the guild and the interactions of all the characters to keep you hooked and motivate you to see what happens next. Without their constant presence, and with the main conflict and several main characters out of the picture, and with the decision to force you to complete randomly generated mission between story events, the pacing slows down to a crawl. I went from playing the game nonstop on a daily basis to going weeks between play sessions because I just didn't care. It also doesn't help that the new Shaymin Village content and the early post game missions like Blizzard Island have no payoff once you beat them. They feel so pointless because none of the conflicts or characters end up staying or contributing to an overarching story. So, why did I bother with them? Nothing motivates me to trudge through these obnoxiously long, trap ridden labyrinths if there's no narrative purpose to it. At the moment I've finished the Blizzard Island chapter and rescued Scizor and no further. Maybe I'd care when I finally meet Palkia and Crescelia and Darkrai, but I don't care enough right now to get to that point.

But anyway, that aside, banger game. I don't think I'd call it an all time favorite like I did as a kid (maybe I would if the post game didn't leave such a bad taste in my mouth), but I admire it even more now and it holds up exceptionally well.

Somewhat of a nostalgia pick for me but I really do believe it to be a great game. Without nostalgia I'd probably have given it a 4 or 4.5.

Gameplay:
So this game game and a few others have this dungeon crawler/seamless turn based combat and it feels amazing. One of things that really turns me off of turn based RPGs is waiting ages for all the text boxes and animations. Even the easiest fights take way too long, but this style of turn based combat completely resolves that. It also makes the combat way more dynamic, with floor items, traps, shops and a focus on positioning your characters correctly. it elevates itself above all traditional turn based RPGs in my eyes.

Story:
Story is quite simple and child friendly, full of one dimensional characters and tropes. but it certainly has it's moments and some characters that are surprisingly compelling, so it's worth getting invested in.
Music:
Music consists of a lot of reused tracks from rescue team, which is fine, and late game dungeons change track every floor, which I really dislike because you don't get to hear much of a track before it changes, but the music itself is really good, so overall it was done well in this game.

Misc Mechanics:

Evolution - Evolution sucks in this game; your starters can't evolve until after the post game, and even then they don't get sleeping animations, even though those animations already exist for the sleep status effect in dungeons. Huge wasted potential and something that is never resolved in the sequels.

Endgame - Endgame revolves around very long dungeons with recruitable legendaries at the end, increasing your rank through the job system and completing the challenge dungeons that restrict things such as your level. It's a fantastic endgame especially considering how long the story is. The dungeons are fun, recruiting legendaries is rewarding and the challenge dungeons really are a challenge.

A shockingly good story for a Pokemon game thanks to its lovable cast, imaginative setting, and literally wonderful tone.

The dungeons start off simple, but they later get more complex with tougher combinations of enemy Pokemon that keep them engaging. Grinding can help, but intelligent resource management and planning can overcome the challenges just as well (my sister told me I was really under-leveled by endgame, and I still got through just fine).

This does cause the pre-mission management to be somewhat tedious though, like a checklist that needs to be done before the fun can begin proper. As charming as all the characters are, watching Spinda shake up my juice can get pretty old, just as an example.

Overall, a charming game that Pokemon and dungeon-crawler fans should try.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is my second mystery dungeon game and I can't get enough of them! They've both been filled with lovable characters, fun gameplay, and heartbreaking moments.

Something I like about these games are how personal they feel. First it gets to know the player with a personality quiz that helps it pick a pokemon for them. Then you get to name and choose your partner as well. It all ends up making this feel like a journey specifically tailored to you. By the way, I got a Pikachu and my partner was a Riolu!

Explorers of Sky has you joining up with an adventurer's guild after you mysteriously wash up on their doorstep with amnesia and a new pokemon body. Pretty much the same setup from the first game but there is new hidden depth and complexities that make solving this mystery so rewarding. From there you get to meet all of the interesting Pokemon from the guild and the surrounding town. There are some real gems here, one of my favorites being Bidoof, yup yup! The mystery dungeon games have been great at getting me to like Pokemon that I was pretty indifferent on by giving them fun personalities and quirks. By the end the goofy guild and townspeople are going to feel like family. They are a small part of a bigger picture though. They drive the first part of the plot forward but there is a grander overarching thing going on that I won't spoil. That said I loved it and it's set up quite well.

While this makes it difficult to pitch you on the story, thankfully the gameplay is very solid. The core loop is accepting missions through notes on a quest board and then delving into whatever dungeon said mission places you into. You'll explore the dungeon collecting items and fighting multiple pokemon in turn-based style trying to get to whatever floor the note said to go to. Once you're there you do your task and warp on home. Rinse and repeat. It's a really solid formula and there's a lot of quest variety here. You've got your standard rescues and deliveries but now there are bounties! I love these. It basically amounts to you hunting down minibosses that behave differently depending on what the bounty says. They're a blast and are a test of how well you react to situations in combat.

Once you're back from your mission you can explore the town, and man what a town it is! My favorite part is Spinda's cafe. Watching them mix up gummi drinks never got old and there's this new recycle shop inside as well. It's basically a way to declutter your inventory because you're going to be picking up A TON of stuff. You'll be making a routine of coming here after missions to get rid of all the junk you don't need and hopefully get some fancy stuff in return for recycling!

All of this is wrapped in some amazing art direction and music. The pixel art here is top notch. The sprites and portraits are super expressive and endearing. The town is beautifully made with plenty of little details to stare at. Every once in a while the game will cut to a gorgeous pixel landscape shot that sets the mood wonderfully. I couldn't help saying 'Wow!' every time one of these appeared. Pair that with a fantastic OST and you're going to be very immersed. I've gotten chills from the music alone in this game. The pixel art of Red Rescue Team and this game being so well done is why I'm dissapointed seeing the later entries decided to move to a 3D style. I'm sure 3D can be done well but I haven't seen it match how much personality these portraits have or how detailed and impressive a pixel art landscape can look compared to a 3D one. I'll still play them eventually but it's a bit sad. What I wouldn't give for a modern PMD in this games style!

While I've completed the main story there's still plenty to play too. If Red Rescue Team is anything to go by I've got plenty of end game content to mess with so I can't wait to dive into that. It's safe to say that if you pick this up there will be plenty of content to sink your teeth into.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorer's of Sky is a total package kind of game. Incredible art, lovely music, a fantastic story, all wrapped up with fun gameplay that has a lot of depth. It's a must play in my opinion. If you like Pokemon, roguelike's or gorgeous pixel art this is definitely one worth picking up!

i played this game a lot as a kid. my first experience was renting it constantly from my local blockbuster knockoff, and i'm so glad i eventually got my mom to just buy it instead. i would not be the same without it.

i have sunken hundreds of hours into this game as a kid, and even as an adult i found myself doing the same. the characters are the most dimensional they've been in the series, and they're all so lovable. i really feel myself rooting for me and my partner. funnily enough, as an adult i found myself being a bit annoyed by them at first, but as they grew as a person, i found myself loving them and wanting to stay by their side no matter what. it made certain parts of the story really hurt (in the good way).
i never beat post-game until i was an adult, and i wish i had beaten it sooner. this game is just the gift that keeps on giving. there will never be another PMD like this.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is probably the first non-educational video game I’ve ever played, barring maybe its predecessors Time and Darkness, or Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia. The last time I played it was probably sometime between 2009-2012, so I knew nostalgia was going to be a big factor when I replayed it a whole decade later in 2023. Well…I am PLEASED TO REPORT that nostalgia does NOT carry this game because it is STILL SO DAMN GOOD TO THIS DAY. This is one of the best, if not the best, Pokemon game ever made. The story is equal parts entertaining, dramatic, emotional, and uplifting, and the dungeon crawler gameplay is similarly peak. Common old Pokemon W. Hopefully my review won’t be all over the place; I have a lot of thoughts about it.
PS: I called my exploration team Team Relic! I played as a Turtwig, and my partner was Skitty, and that is now canon and you can’t tell me otherwise! THEY DESERVE THE WORLD RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Pros:

- The feature most players talk about when they sing Sky’s praises is the story, and they should, because my god…this is 100% the best story in a Pokemon game. Without a doubt in my mind. Despite how simple some of the dialogue and plot points are, Sky’s story has an uncanny ability to cut right into your heart. I won’t be giving anything major away in this review, but Sky manages to blend both the intrigue of exploring uncharted horizons and bonding with a ride-or-die partner, and seeing that Partner Pokemon develop over time from a spooked but well-meaning Pokemon to one who is strong and cares fiercely for the one who inspired courage in them…I mean shit, you have to be heartless for that not to get you at least somewhat emotional.

- There are so many events that happen in this story worth mentioning, but I will stay my hand for spoilers’ sake. Plot points are introduced gradually, and soon one mystery becomes paramount above all, a mystery that concerns the fate of the Pokemon world and is at the whims of both time and darkness…okay, maybe I’m being too dramatic. Sky has great pacing, and a really high payout for most of its plot points, whether it's seeing how your Partner reacts with joy or fear, or starting down a legendary Pokemon that’s getting between you and your goal. And while I touched on it above…this game can make you both smile widely and ugly cry, especially the main story ending which has a bit of both. I am pleased to report that it is just as good as when I was a kid, Sky’s ending traumatized me as a kid. It's a weird thing to comment on, but the outbursts of emotion in this game are really well done.

- The characters in this game are not deep at all (save for you and your Partner, I’d say), but none of them feel trite or boring. All the dialogue from main characters in this game is dripping with personality, so even if a character has nothing crazy to say, they’ll still say it in a way that’ll make you smile (or in the case of enemies, make you go “Damn, that goes hard.”) I especially love how in some cases, the type of Pokemon a character is affects their personality…or actually, maybe this game was so influential on me, I began to project Sky’s personalities onto the POKEMON, instead of vice versa! Nevertheless, Wigglytuff is super fun and a great foil to the super serious Chatot, Team Charm is ICONIC, Loudred is a drill sergeant, Spinda and Wynaut are goofy silly little lads, and all of the Legendaries present command authority and strike fear into your heart (in the case of those who oppose you).

- Of course, this game with a beautiful story is also very visually beautiful as well. I always have a hard time critiquing art in games because I’m not an artist, but there’s something about Sky’s artstyle that makes me feel safe and right at home (definitely the nostalgia talking). Absolutely stunning pixel art at every turn; very cozy and atmospheric. Fogbound Lake is a great example. The sprites for the player and Partner are also super well done—it’s honestly amazing how much just a few expressions of happiness, sadness, confusion, anger, and the like can do to get you attached to a Pokemon. Sound design is stellar as well, and combined with attack and Legendary animations, you really feel the power of attacks and other things that Legendaries do. Another design choice I really liked was the choice for some events to be narrated over as characters move elsewhere in the world, it’s nothing crazy to see nowadays but that shit makes this game feel like a movie sometimes, which compliments that aforementioned sense of wonder really damn well.

- And yes, I’ve avoided speaking about it long enough…the soundtrack for this game is peak fiction. That’s it. Full stop. One hundred and sixty-six tracks of pure and utter mellifluence sent from the heavens. On a less dramatic note, the composers for this OST knew what they were doing and managed to devise a soundtrack that encapsulates every emotion you’ll feel while playing this game. Just listening to one of these songs is enough to take me back to my childhood and make me long for times that are no longer here.

- There are catchy songs that’ll have you stomping your foot to keep the beat (Wigglytuff’s Guild, Treasure Town, Boulder Quarry), wistful and atmospheric songs to pique your curiosity at mysteries (Time Gear Remix, Welcome to the World of Pokemon), songs that’ll get your blood pumping and get you ready for battle (Boss Battle, Oh No!), and songs that will absolutely tear your heart out because you aren’t ready to say goodbye (On the Beach at Dusk, Dont Ever Forget…). There are wayyyyyy too damn many bangers to mention, but screw it, I’m going to mention a bunch more anyway. Pokemon Exploration Team Theme, Top Menu Theme, Mt. Bristle, Outlaw!, Brine Cave, Temporal Tower, Temporal Spire, Defend Glove, Blizzard Island, Team Charm’s Theme, In the Hands of Fate, Ending Theme…aaaaaaaaaaaaand okay there are too many to list. Just listen to all of them.

- Sky’s gameplay also more than matches the quality of its story, art, and soundtrack. A lot of features got lost on me as a child, but replaying this game as an adult has shown me a lot of features I never used to their fullest. Let’s start with the basics. Movement is on a grid; the most notable thing to mention here is that holding Y lets you move diagonally which is a great feature for pre-joystick DS consoles. Some Pokemon can float on water, other’s on lava, some can even phase through walls. Some Pokemon have two abilities (Skitty has Cute Charm and Normalize, for example), and the effects of moves are adapted to a grid based format (for example, Roar sending Pokemon flying until they hit a wall as opposed to switching them out in the main games). All of this amounts to a drastically different experience than the mainline games, but still intuitive enough to figure out without research. STAB still exists, types still exist, Oran Berries still restore health, you get the gist.

- And then there are the cool ass features exclusive to Mystery Dungeon. Items are vastly different, there are Seeds that give special abilities when eaten, like Violent Seeds maximizing both Attack stats (a MUST for high level dungeons), Reviver Seeds to resurrect Pokemon upon fainting, and Blast Seeds that unleash pocket nukes one tile in front, to name a few. Orbs also introduce global effects like triggering harsh sunlight, warping all party members toward you, or petrifying all enemies in the room. They introduce an entire new dimension to combat and really ramp up the amount of thought and strategy that goes into every combat encounter. It is SO much fun to have to plan what to take at the risk of losing most of it upon death. I didn’t sign up for roguelike in my Pokemon, but boy am I glad its here. Also bonus points for the game showing you exactly how much damage you did to a Pokemon, regardless if its more than their HP. God, do I love seeing 346 damage done to a level 3 Shellos as it fades into the ether.

- You’ve also got Gummi (consumable items) that raise the IQ of Pokemon, giving them permanent boosts like higher EXP gain, the ability to counter attacks, and the ability to take hits for nearby low-HP Pokemon, as well as throwable items that can do long-range damage even if you don’t have ranged moves (you can also throw Seeds if you wanna get real crazy). Like, there are hundreds of different items in this game, all with their own uses, good and bad. There are probably items I still haven’t seen after 70+ hours.

- Players are also afforded a great deal of control over not only their own player Pokemon, but also their Partner. The AI in this game isn’t always great, so the ability to choose what move they use each turn (by restricting their movepool with the check system) is a godsend and in turn adds yet more strategy. If I want Skitty to use Sing to put an enemy to sleep, and then Wake-Up Slap to deal massive damage, I can make her do that! (and it is FUN to see). You can also Link moves, setting up a full chain of two or more moves in one turn with one button press (amazing for set-up moves followed by attacks), and you can even disable IQ skills on both you and your Partner if that’s your fancy. There are also tactics you can use to change Partner movement, from attacking everything they see to running away when low HP. The satisfaction of ordering Skitty to “get away from here” as I Invisfy Orb and Pure Seed to the staircase…pulling off plays like that is awesome.

- And there are just way more dungeon mechanics too, I didn’t want to go overboard but there is just so much depth to this game. Unlockable doors, Secret Bazaars, the dreaded Kecleon Shop (“THIEF, THIEF!”), a whole host of new status conditions (Whiffer, Cringing, Cross-Eyed), the nail-biting Monster House (the most intense chess game you’ll ever play), adding new team members, changing the player character, and there’s more I’m probably forgetting. Sky has no shortage of interesting gameplay elements. There are even things that won’t come up too often that are really fun to see, like Special Episode (more on that below) earnings carrying over to the main story, and alternate dialogue for losing boss fights.

- Outside of dungeons, you have job listings (the things that’ll get you IN THE dungeons) with variable rewards and difficulties, with different requirements to meet and objectives to satisfy, that shape your team’s missions into dungeons. They both increase in difficulty and unlock more types of objectives as you progress through the story. All of the Treasure Town vendors are very useful as well, providing services like a bank, shop, and storage, but my favorite is Spinda’s Cafe, which lets you mix drinks, get items, and unlock new dungeons by recycling unwanted items. You can’t help but chuckle when Ludicolo and Bellossom burst through the wall after a big Prize Ticket win from Wobbuffet.

- Another big thing I realized while replaying Sky is that there is a lot of content for a handheld game. You’ve got the entire main story, plus a post-game story that focuses more on legendary encounters, plus a series of difficult dungeons (the Seven Treasures and Zero Isle) that provide powerful items and cool challenges, PLUS five Special Episodes focusing on different playable characters and teams with their own stories that unlock as you progress through the main story. This game has some of the best post-game content of any game I’ve ever played. There is just so much game.

- Finally, one last minor pro is that the personality quiz you do to get your player Pokemon and Partner is really fun and cute. There are also guides online as to which answers to pick if you’d rather not leave it up to chance.

Cons:

- There aren’t many negatives I have about the game, but no game is perfect (reviewers certainly dragged this game when it released). While we’re given a lot of control over the AI’s movepool and tactics, for those that aren’t too into the idea of micromanaging their Partner every turn, this would get annoying quickly. Also not a fan of only being able to set one move at a time, meaning I have to go into the menu every time I want to use a move that isn’t set (ROM hacks on PC have fixes for this). Also don’t appreciate that I can’t bulk appraise Boxes (c’mon Xatu, Kangaskhan let’s me bulk store things!).

- Don’t see why my Partner is removed from my team every time it faints after unlocking Leader Swap (like…why???), and I HATE not being able to change the tactics or set moves of companion Pokemon not part of my team (would be nice if some companions weren’t TERRIBLE, Cresselia). What else…the Aegis Cave dungeon is a great concept with HORRIBLE execution; not only can I not pass without retrieving the item from a specific form of Unown, but they might not even drop it on KO? Finally, while I never ended up evolving my Pokemon, I really dislike that they only have one sprite as opposed to multiple for the base form. Really lessens the connection you have to them, which should only increase as you explore with them longer. Sorry for the rapid-fire nitpicking; the cons of this game are kind of all over the place in terms of subject, which in all honesty is pretty good. No major issues with core mechanics, just a few issues here and there.

- What’s probably the biggest problem with this game nowadays isn’t even Sky’s fault, moreso Nintendo’s fault. If you want to play Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky legally, you’re out of luck unless you want to work over $100 or more since Nintendo doesn’t reprint any of their old games because they hate us. Same deal with any Game Boy or DS-era Pokemon game. Luckily, younger me had the foresight to keep this game when I sold all of the rest of my DS games. You’re better off finding a way to emulate this one.

Subjective rating: 5 stars
Objective rating: 5 stars