I never got the chance to play Pokemon Black 2 Version when it came out in 2012; I was much too preoccupied with playing the first Generation 5 games, as well as catching as many Pokemon as I could to transfer to the Generation 6 games when they released. Unfortunately for my wallet and I, fate played a dastardly trick and the games shot up to prohibitively expensive prices. Well, years later in December 2023, I emerged from a local game store 130 dollars lighter and with a legit Black 2 cartridge. I could finally put all the praise I heard about this game to the test. Well, was it a good Pokemon game?

Hell yes! Let’s get down to it!

(PS: Like my Pokemon Omega Ruby review, I won’t be reviewing features added to the Generation 5 games overall, just what Black 2 changed or added from it’s predecessor.)

Pros:

- I think I’ll start this review with changes to the map and region. B2 and W2 (White 2) were the “first” sequels to a Pokemon game (Gold and Silver were sequels, but not in the same way), and as such, many locations have been added or changed to reflect the passage of time. All new cities and Gyms have popped up, like in Aspertia or Humilau; new areas have been built or become accessible, like the Castelia Sewers and Strange; and many locations have been changed—Route 4 has finished construction, Relic Castle has been filled with sand, Victory Road has suffered a cave-in and now has a completely different layout…there’s a lot. It is frankly INSANE how many new areas there are to explore and it’s so cool to see that many changes have in-universe explanations, which makes the region feel so dynamic and lifelike—the most out of any Pokemon region. It truly felt like a new game.

- I could gush about the visuals of these areas for a long time. Marine Tube has changing 3D imagery based on the time of day, where you can see different marine life swimming by. Castelia Sewers connect Castelia all the way to Driftveil via the underground Relic Passage. The Strange House’s furniture changes every time you change rooms, letting your progress further into the building. And of course, the elephants in the room are Pokestar Studios and the Pokemon World Tournament, which I’ll discuss later. It’s all just so cool.

- There’s also a lot of gameplay-related changes that add some fun mechanics. The best change is undoubtedly the addition of non-Unova Pokemon to the main game, which was a large criticism of Black and White 1 and is more than welcome. The Pokedex now has the habitat list, which gives you a look at what Pokemon live in an area and if you’ve caught them—for once, the Pokedex is actually useful as a source of information! The XTranscivere isn’t just a voice chat machine; you can actually use it to learn what Abilities do and how to evolve certain Pokemon. And we’ve got the Medal Rally! By god, Pokemon has achievements now, and some of them are absolutely unhinged (beat the Pokemon League with Pokemon of only one type??? Get 1,000,000 experience in one day?!) All amazing changes that were sorely needed.

- We’ve also got a new “gamemode” in Pokestar Studios, which tasks you with following a movie script with your Pokemon. It plays almost like a puzzle game, where you’re given a Pokemon with certain moves and abilities and tasked with achieving a goal, like knocking out one Pokemon every turn, and it’s up to you to figure out how to do that in the timetable you’re given. And of course, who could forget the Pokemon World Tournament, which pits you against Gym leaders and Champions from past games in battles for BP, and with new ways of battling to boot with Rental Tournaments (battle with preset Pokemon) and Mix Tournaments (you and your opponent swap a Pokemon with each other). Absolutely puts the Battle Subway to shame. Not even CLOSE to being as cool as the PWT.

- Keeping with making the game feel like a true sequel with a dynamic world, returning characters reflect on their past experiences, and the previous protagonist’s impact can be seen in the world. NPCs you could interact with in the previous game comment on their interactions with that protagonist, Victini is absent from Victory Garden, Ghetsis mentions being bested by a Trainer two years earlier, and when you visit the home of the previous protagonist in Nuvema Town, the woman living there thinks your her child at first, which is actually really sad. I know that sequels referencing past events are kinda their whole thing, but it is an exceptional instance for Pokemon, so I feel compelled to praise it. Oh well.

- The central characters of the story also showcase the impact of the past game’s events through their development. Bianca went through with her reflection on battling not being as fun for her, and now she works with the Pokemon professor. Cheren has continued to hone his battling craft, and now heads a Gym. N, who comes in near the end of the game, has reformed a sect of Team Plasma and resolved himself to search for the protagonist in order to thank them for the impact they had on his life. I might be giving this game too much credit, since Pokemon games are usually allergic to character building except in rare instances like this, but whatever.

- I also just want to take a second to praise the visuals of this game. I truly believe Generation 5’s games were the peak of Pokemon graphics—they combined DS-era 3D overworld graphics with animated battle sprites (say, did I mention animated Trainer sprites? Because that’s AWESOME). The visuals in this game are amazing, and I’m so glad areas like Gyms and the Elite Four rooms received a facelift (Marshall’s podium staircase assembling itself in front of you is so badass) to showcase how banging they are.

- AND OF COURSE the soundtrack absolutely fucks. Pokemon has NEVER failed in this department and hooooooly shit they delivered some heat this time around. Hugh’s battle theme, Floccesy Ranch, Virbank Gym, Castelia Gym, Nimbasa Gym, the Strange House, the GODDAMN PLASMA THEME??? How did they make peak even peaker??? Black 2’s music joins Nimbasa City, Driftveil City, Route 7, the Elite Four battle theme, and Gear Station in the Pokemon soundtrack Hall of Fame.

- The postgame of Black 2 is also insanely expansive. There are tons of legendaries to catch postgame, and unlike some encounters in newer Pokemon games, actually require you to explore and discover them for yourself. The Regis have another suitable puzzle that also makes use of Unova Link (more on that later), Cresselia and Heatran require you to find items hidden in the Strange House and Route 18 respectively, and once you discover the Cave of Being, you can find Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf. And to make up for the post-game routes of BW1 being main-game in their sequels, everything past Skyarrow Bridge and between Twist Mountain and the Moor of Icirrus has been rendered post-game in its stead. I actually loved this, especially for the novelty of the early-game routes of BW1 being the exact opposite, and the excitement of seeing what became of the BW1 protagonist once I reached Nuvema. I’m telling you, encountering level 60 Pokemon and Veteran trainers on Route 1 is a surreal experience. So is fighting Preschoolers with level 61 pseudo-legendaries. 10/10.

- Unova Link is a feature I couldn’t make use of, since it requires two DS systems with local communication, but it sounds like an insanely cool feature. I’ve grown to find paired Pokemon versions more of an annoyance than fun (version-exclusive Pokemon are so annoying…) but I could get behind it if they were implemented like Black and White 2. Unova Link lets you swap “keys” between the two versions, allowing you to access some of the features of the other version—namely White Forest/Black City and the corresponding Regi. Unova Link also allows for Memory Link, which not only lets you view events that happened between BW1 and BW2, but also carries over some features from that game, such as giving Cheren and Bianca Pokemon they had in the previous game, and viewing Pokedex certificates and Battle Subway trophies in the house of the previous protagonist. All interesting mechanics that Pokemon will assuredly never bother with ever again.

- One more tiny thing: Black 2 has the best credits sequence, showing the player traveling all the way back to their home from the Pokemon League, and having people congratulate them on their accomplishments along the way.

Cons:

- While I do really like the story insofar as it incorporates the events of previous games and the passage of time, I think it’s a step down from the emotional resonance that Black and White 1 had. Team Plasma was such an interesting adversary to fight because their goals were purportedly altruistic. They wanted to liberate Pokemon from their owners, since it’s not as if they could consent to being captured. This is legitimately the closest Pokemon has ever come to being self-aware of that harsh truth, which is actually really funny now that I’m thinking about it. Anyway, that’s gone in the sequel since Ghetsis is now just hellbent on conquering the Unova region like he originally wanted to in BW1, but since it’s now removed from the context that the “sympathetic” Team Plasma provided in BW1, it falls flat and makes him seem like any other bad guy. And it doesn’t help that N, the best character in BW1, only comes in at the very end of the game. I guess I’m trying to argue that BW2’s story is bad because it isn’t BW1…but whatever.

- Maybe I’m just a little stupid, but there are way too many online features spread too wide for me to make sense of. Game Sync, Feelings Check, Survey Radar, Entralink, Dream World, Xtransciever…Union Room, Global Trade, Random Matchups, all spread between the second floor of Pokemon Centers, the C-Gear, and the Main Menu. It’s a little overwhelming, though I’ll give credit for explaining them all pretty well. I still feel like they could have been consolidated a little bit more to be easier to digest.

- While I GREATLY appreciate Game Freak’s attempt to add a Challenge Mode and Easy Mode to Pokemon, it’s implementation is sorely lacking. You can only play it if you’re gifted a key via Unova Link, and you can only select it at the beginning of a new save file. This means not only do you have to get the key from someone who’s already beat the game—meaning you’re out of luck if you’re playing solo—but you will have to delete your save if you want to start a new one with either mode. PLUS, even though the new difficulties do change the levels of opposing Pokemon, the stats of the Pokemon still scale based off Normal Mode, making the change in levels only really affect EXP gain. Ironically that makes the early-game of Easy Mode harder since you’ll be getting less EXP every fight, and the Pokemon will still be just as strong as Normal Mode.

- Three smaller complaints: First, Pokemon Breeders always rematching you every time you reload the location they’re in is a clear downgrade from rematches. I don’t get why Trainer rematches haven’t been standard in every Pokemon game. I guess it is still an improvement since BW1 didn’t have this feature. Second, the Battle Subway was not updated for the new Unova Pokedex—they still use the same teams from BW1 (at least in the non-Super modes), which means it’s only Generation 5 Pokemon. And lastly, level grinding in this game sucks. It’s all Audino genocide all the way down. That’s certainly better than wild Pokemon with normal EXP distribution…but as I said above, it’s worse than rematches. Say what you want about Generation 6, but key item EXP Share made the inevitability of grinding at least tolerable.

Objective rating: 4.5 stars
Subjective rating: 4.5 stars

A few years ago, I would have claimed that Pokemon Omega Ruby was my favorite Pokemon game of all time. That might not be true anymore, but it’s still a damn good one. I racked up 260 or so hours in this game when it came out in middle school, and astonishingly I managed to beat that record with my newest playthrough, courtesy of my first National Dex completion and an (ongoing) Ralts shiny hunt. Omega Ruby does a fantastic job of “remixing” the original Ruby, updating its story, mechanics, and character designs to Generation VI standards.

That statement might sound a bit too “sterile” but honestly, I’ve always been unsure of how to review a Pokemon game. Almost all of them follow the same broad strokes, and thus praises and criticisms can be seen as systemic issues rather than specific to one particular game, for example the trend of decreasing difficulty, or discussion on the intricacy of battle mechanics. I could say a lot on that subject, but I don’t really feel like it, so I’m going to stick to the basics for my Omega Ruby review—cool Pokemon and character designs make brain produce nice chemicals.

NOTE: I won’t be talking about mechanics that are new to the Generation VI games in general, as I feel that would be better mentioned in an X and Y review, but if they relate enough to the differences between Ruby and Omega Ruby, I will. So I’ll mention 3D graphics, but not Pokemon-Amie, for example.

Pros:

- Let’s start with the story. Villainous Team Magma gets a slightly more complex goal, in that they want to create more land not just because “why not?” but because they want to create more land for human civilization and progress. Now, obviously anyone who thinks about this for more than two seconds realizes that trying to evaporate all the water on the planet is a stupid idea. But that’s why it’s so fun to watch these uber-nerds slowly turn into eco-terrorists.

- And of course, Team Magma’s leader and admins get much more personality, and dare I say a little depth to boot. The once optional opportunity for Maxie to realize the error of his ways and apologize is now part of the main story, and it’s really interesting to see Maxie slowly realize his plan was ill-fated as the weather over Sootopolis goes haywire, and eventually accept Archie’s offer of redemption after him and Tabitha convince Maxie it is worth trying. And as for “totally-not-a-robot” Courtney…well she’s certainly got something interesting going on, what with her weird manner of speaking and die-hard commitment to Maxie’s original goals. It’s really fun to listen to her speak.

- Team Magma aren’t the only characters worth paying attention to. Wally gets a much more substantive role as a rival—and now that I’m thinking about it, so does rival Brendan/May, albeit in a less competitive manner. We also get to see a lot more of Steven, mostly in the Delta Episode, where his friendship with equally-badass Wallace is shown (more on that in a second). Norman gets a cool moment after you beat his Gym Battle where he shows pride in his child, and several of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members get additional appearances after the main story is complete, like Wattson and the New Mauville storyline. And of course, there are new characters like Lisia (we stan a Contest idol) and Zinnia (manic dragon woman) that are welcome additions to the Pokemon canon.

- Okay, NOW we talk about the Delta Episode. I know there are a lot of people upset we got Ruby and Sapphire remakes as opposed to an Emerald remake, but you have got to admit that the Delta Episode is just objectively awesome. Sure, catching Rayquaza at the Sky Pillar in Ruby is cool. But having Zinnia steal Key Stones to summon Rayquaza, upon which we get to ride that motherfucker into the sky, obliterate an incoming meteor, and fight DEOXYS (first non-event appearance!) all in goddamn SPACE??? If you aren’t impressed, you just have to hate fun. That is SICK. Plus we get to see more Steven, Maxie, Courtney, and Wallace, some of the best characters in Omega Ruby. I could gush about the Delta Episode all day. “Lorekeeper” Zinnia talking about “the final duty of the Draconid people” and mentioning “a Hoenn without Mega Evolution” (which is Ruby!!!) is just so cool.

- Moving past the story, Omega Ruby redesigns a lot of the region and characters from the ground up, which is a lot more than the recent Pokemon remakes have done. All of the Trainer redesigns are amazing, and thanks to the change from sprites to key art portraits during battles, we get to see the great art in a lot of detail. Maxie and Archie turn from “nerd” and “punk” to “cold-ass scientist” and “fucking pirate”, for example.

- The cities also look great updated in 3D, especially Mauville, which turns from a normal outdoor city to a completely indoor technological marvel, which is probably the most striking difference between cities of Ruby and Omega Ruby. Greater graphical fidelity and 3D models also let us get neat details like crystal clear water in Meteor Falls, camera angles panning up Mt. Pyre to show its scale, and stars reflected in the lakes on Route 120. The Abandoned Ship also turns into Sea Mauville, whose half-sunken ship platform lying diagonally out of the water is a much cooler image than the original in Ruby.

- Now let’s move onto gameplay, whether it's new in Omega Ruby, updated from Ruby, or still just as good as in 2002. Contests are my personal favorite “mechanic Game Freak refuses to make permanent” (there are a lot of those). I just love the idea of having a competition based not on battling, but STYLE, and how each move can do something completely different in Contests. Playing around excitement and jamming is genuinely really engaging, if lacking a bit of the depth of normal Pokemon battles. Brendan and May’s contest outfits also rule, and they match the cool and cute outfits of the new Cosplay Pikachu, which is just plain adorable and a nifty addition. The side-quest of Lisia and Chaz competing against you as you rise through the Contest ranks is also really neat, and it just leaves me wishing that we could have a Pokemon game that expands on the Contest world even more.

- Secret Bases are now Super Secret Bases, and receive a minor facelift in that you can recruit other players from their bases to serve as NPC Trainers in yours. I wish I spent more time on this mechanic as a kid, because it’s at least vaguely interesting, but I get the sense no one today really cares about it since Nintendo is shutting down 3DS servers in April 2024. At least I can capture flags and farm Berries and evolutionary stones in the meantime!

- The PokeNav is MASSIVELY expanded, as instead of serving solely as a way to rematch trainers, it now does that PLUS allow you to hunt for specific Pokemon in the wild once you catch them at least once (with DexNav). I love having this kind of control over encountering Pokemon, and I think it’s the best middle ground between preserving the excitement of rare spawns and letting you focus on catching the Pokemon you want. Plus, you can “chain” Pokemon with it when you encounter them several times in a row, which grants you access to hidden abilities, non-standard moves, and even increases the Shiny chance. Just amazing features all around. AreaNav also lets you rematch Trainers much sooner than in Ruby, now letting you face rematch teams right after getting your first Gym badge. I cannot tell you how much I’d rather battle trainers to level my team instead of wild Pokemon. This should be a standard in the series, but I guess Game Freak can’t let a good thing last.

- Diving spots have been reduced, which is a bummer, but in exchange, we get underwater Trainer battles and much nicer visuals. I’ll take it. I really like the ocean, and I wish we had this kind of underwater gameplay in newer games with better Pokemon spawns. Omega Ruby also introduces Soaring on the back of Mega Latias or Latios, which in turn lets you encounter Pokemon in midair (which is only occasionally annoying), and Mirage Spots, which allow you to encounter Pokemon not normally available in Omega Ruby. I have problems with the Mirage Spot mechanic, but overall, Soaring is a great feature and would have blown Ruby players’ socks off back then.

- Two more things, and then we’ll get into the cons. Omega Ruby’s soundtrack, like every Pokemon soundtrack, is consistently amazing, whether it’s New Mauville, the Lake trio encounters, the Sky Pillar theme, Slateport’s theme, or the Delta Episode’s credits. Maxie’s battle theme is undeniably my favorite; those trumpets (?) go INSANELY hard. The new Mega Evolutions are also great, both design-wise (just look at Rayquaza and Altaria) and gameplay-wise (Beedrill is finally viable!)

Cons:

- There aren’t that many criticisms I have of Omega Ruby specifically, as many of the problems with this game are shared by other Pokemon games. Generation VI was the beginning of the reduction of difficulty across the Pokemon series, with features such as the EXP Share as a key item (as opposed to only giving experience to one Pokemon) and catching experience that allowed one’s team to grow overleveled if left unchecked. I’ve mellowed out a bit on these changes as I got older, as I recognize that they make leveling MUCH less annoying, but I’m still kind of stuck on if I think they were the best choice. For now, I’ll leave them as cons.

- Ruby and Omega Ruby are also very heavy on HMs for navigation—while Soaring does allow a player to forsake Fly, this is the most Surf-heavy game in the series because of ALL THE DAMN WATER ROUTES. I’m going to say it—IGNs much memed “7.8 out of 10—too much water” was actually right. I wouldn’t have minded it much if the routes felt different enough from each other, but they really don’t. They have practically the same Pokemon encounter tables and all look basically the exact same. It doesn’t help that the routes around Mossdeep and Sootopolis have some of the most easily-accessible high level Pokemon (relative to the average level after the eighth Gym badge) outside of Victory Road, meaning that any grinding against wild Pokemon is only going to yield the best results on a water Route. The amount of Tentacool I blew through as a kid is too high to count. I probably put those squids on the endangered species list. Makes me shudder to think about it.

- I mentioned that Mirage Spots weren’t my favorite mechanic earlier—let me go into more detail. I know that many Pokemon players like when you can catch legendaries from previous games, but I don’t think attaching them to random portals on random islands is the right way to go. Getting a legendary Pokemon should feel special—it should either be tied to a story event, or some sort of secret that must be solved, like Groudon or the Regi trio. Omega Ruby even had their own example of a good legendary quest, that being Ho-Oh on the decks of the Sea Mauville. But placing legendaries like the Lake trio or Swords of Justice on some islands that you can just fly to isn’t fun at all. It trivializes their capture and makes the experience less special. This was the beginning of a trend that would reach its nadir in Pokemon Sword with the Max Lair.

- I also noticed that save for the Delta Episode, Game Freak was very reluctant to take anything from Emerald. You can’t rematch Gym Leaders like you could in that game (which sucks) and the Battle Frontier is replaced with the inferior Battle Resort, which features a carbon copy of the Battle Maison from X and Y. Just…why? You even had the Battle Tower in Ruby, why couldn’t that be the battle facility in this game? Game Freak definitely went too hard on making Ruby and Sapphire remakes—I get it’s so they could have a new set of paired versions, but I thought the Battle Frontier would have been a no-brainer.

- One last Omega Ruby-specific con: why can’t we use the dowsing machine underwater? No chance I’m going to swim around mashing A to find each individual Arceus plate. Absolutely baffled by that decision.

Objective rating: 4.0 stars
Subjective rating: 4.5 stars

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