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| Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time Explorers of Darkness |
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 North American box arts |
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| Developer(s) | Chunsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Release date(s) | JP September 13, 2007 NA April 20, 2008 EU July 4, 2008 AUS June 19, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Dungeon RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | CERO: A ESRB: E OFLC: G PEGI: 3+ |
| Media | Nintendo DS Game Card |
| Input methods | D-Pad buttons Stylus |
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (ポケモン不思議のダンジョン 時の探検隊 Pokémon Fushigi no Danjon Toki no Tankentai, lit. "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Time Exploration Team") and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness (ポケモン不思議のダンジョン 闇の探検隊 Pokémon Fushigi no Danjon Yami no Tankentai, lit. "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Darkness Exploration Team") are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS. The two games were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008.[1] They were released in Europe on July 4, 2008.[2]
New features include the addition of Generation IV Pokémon, improved Wi-Fi features, and more touch-screen options than the predecessor, Blue Rescue Team. 491 of the 493 Pokémon are featured, as Shaymin and Arceus were not officially released at the time of the game's launch.
A 21-minute TV special based on the game starring Kurumi Mamiya aired in Japan on September 9, 2007 as a content of the program relating Pokémon, "Pokémon Sunday" produced by TV Tokyo Corporation. It was later dubbed in English in 2008.
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Gameplay
Playable Pokémon
As with the previous games, the player takes on the role of a human who, magically has been turned into a Pokémon, whose type is determined by a personality test.[3] A partner Pokémon is also selected who will henceforth be referred to as "the partner". Unlike Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, the gender does not restrict the available selection of Pokémon for either the player or the partner, though both player and partner may not be of the same type. The test sets the player as one of the many natures in the mainstream games, and two Pokémon will be set to that nature, one for male, one for female.
The player may be Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Pikachu, Meowth, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Skitty, Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, Munchlax; a total of 16 Pokémon to choose from. Once chosen, the partner may be any of the above Pokémon, with the exception of Pokémon of the same type of the player, Meowth, Skitty and Munchlax. Eevee, Machop, Cubone and Psyduck were removed as starter Pokémon, though Eevee was again made available in the game's remake.
Basic Gameplay
The basic gameplay is unchanged from Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team - players may use shops in Treasure Town to link moves, save money, buy items, store items, and train in special "maze" levels (although the Pokémon running almost all of these shops have changed). Players enter dungeons to complete missions, and during exploration they encounter hostile Pokémon. During the story portion, if either the player or his/her partner is defeated by running out of health, the team will be removed from the dungeon and lose all their money and half of their items.
Like previous installments, players may send out an SOS if they are defeated in the dungeon (certain dungeons will not permit this), which can be done either using passwords or DS Wireless Communications as before, but now it may be also done through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Players may also choose to be notified of friends in need of rescue by email or through the Wii Message Board.
New features
New to this series is the option to temporarily send a team member to aid a friend who is in need - this allows a team to have more than four members. Defeated teams awaiting rescue may also engage in a "standby adventure" mode in which players may revisit previous dungeons to raise funds and collect items, but without the ability to level up.
Among new items introduced are treasure boxes, which require money to be opened and may contain rare items. Rare items, however, may only affect certain Pokémon. They can also be used to trade for rarer and more valuable items using a new shop. New items are also introduced to account for new evolution methods which do not translate well from the main series to Mystery Dungeon (such as Probopass, Magnezone, Leafeon, or Glaceon). Pokémon eggs have been introduced to Mystery Dungeon, where the newly hatched Pokémon will join the player's team. Finally, "Friend Areas" from Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team have been eliminated in favour of a more streamlined team management process.
Version Exclusives
As with all Pokémon games, some Pokémon are exclusive to one version, although they may be unlocked on the other through the exchange of Wonder Mail codes. The Pokémon that are exclusive to Explorers of Time are Celebi, Combee, Lucario, Pachirisu, and Riolu, while the Pokémon exclusive to Explorers of Darkness are Burmy, Buneary, Lopunny, Mewtwo, and Rotom. Despite this, Celebi and Mewtwo are currently impossible to recruit except on their respective games. Also, some items are much rarer in one version than in another.
Plot
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Time Gears Arc
The story begins with The player having been washed ashore by a storm. Meanwhile, His/her partner is nervous about joining the Wigglytuff Guild, a local exploration club, and gives up early. Walking along the beach, the partner encounters the player, and the player informs that he/she has been turned into a Pokémon. The Relic Fragment, what is a personal treasure to the partner, is stolen by Zubat and Koffing, members of Team Skull, the mean team. The player helps the partner recover the item. The player and the partner soon join the guild.
Over the next few days, the team gets accustomed to life at the Guild and the nearby Treasure Town. Among the folks they meet are Wigglytuff, the kindhearted Guild Leader, Chatot, the hot-tempered yet well-meaning second-in-command, and the other guild members, as well as other exploration teams. As they are introduced to the Guild, they learn of the fact that rogue Pokémon have been wreaking havoc in the world due to the disruption of time, Pokémon cannot evolve, and new "Mystery Dungeons" have been revealed and open to exploration.
The player discovers not too long after that he/she has the ability to spontaneously see things in the past and future. This leads to the player rescuing Azurill(One of Treasure Town's youngest residents), from Drowzee, a wanted criminal. Some time after, the partner tells the player the story of the Time Gears, the artifacts that all Pokémon are to avoid lest time stand still. When a Time Gear is stolen, time in that area is frozen. Despite this, it is soon revealed that a mysterious thief is stealing the Time Gears, causing time to stop in various areas.
A short time later, the whole guild goes on an expedition to Fogbound Lake. The player recalls the place as being familiar, but cannot ascertain as to why. After an encounter with Uxie the guild returns home, where they meet a famous explorer named Dusknoir, who explains that the player's ability to see through time is called the Dimensional Scream. Dusknoir offers his help in uncovering the secret behind the player's transformation and also offers his assistance in the hunt for Grovyle, who is stealing the time gears. Soon, the time gear at Fogbound Lake is stolen, and the whole guild splits up to look for time gears. The player's team eventually discover an underground lake, which is home to a Time Gear. However Grovyle appears and steals the time gear.
Dusknoir determines that, the third lake guardian Azelf, the being of willpower, is likely to be guarding another Time Gear. Dusknoir further explains that as Uxie and Mesprit were encountered in lakes, Azelf is also likely to be found in a lake area. The team arrives at the lake in the middle of a cave, where they find Azelf about to be defeated by Grovyle. However, just as Grovyle is about to steal the Time Gear, Azelf activates a fail-safe trap, which prevents Grovyle from stealing the time gear, but the player and partner are knocked unconscious in the event.
Back in town, Dusknoir reveals that he and Grovyle are from the future, and that Grovyle fled to the past to prevent from being captured. Everyone comes up with a plan to capture Grovyle, by luring him in with the Time Gear that still remains. A few days later a report comes in, indicating that Grovyle has been captured, and that Dusknoir plans to take Grovyle back to the future to face justice. The Time Gears have been returned to their rightful places, and Dusknoir has opened a Dimensional Hole to take Grovyle back to the future. Dusknoir bids farewell to the villagers, but suddenly grabs the player and partner, and drags them with him into the portal.
After escaping a near execution with Grovyle, learning that Grovyle is not the bad guy, and that the planet is in danger of being paralyzed forever, the player's team search for a way back to the past. However, they are being pursued by Dusknoir and his Sableye minions. The group eventually manage to find Celebi, who is friends with Grovyle, and make their way back to the past.
Arriving back to the present, the group decide to stay at the partner's old home, Sharpedo Bluff, due to Grovyle's presence, to plan their next move, which is to take the Time Gears. However, in places where Time Gears are present, time has still stopped. It appears that the only way to restore time is to take the Time Gears to Temporal Tower. This is easier said than done, though; the Tower is located in the Hidden Land, and no one knows where the Hidden Land is. They convince the guild to help them, and receive the lake guardians' time gears. They talk with Torkoal, the town elder, who tells them that to get to the Hidden Land, they need an item with an inscription on it, which is on the partner's Relic Fragment. Wigglytuff and Chatot have also seen this pattern, in Brine Cave.
In Brine Cave, the team discovers a rock wall pointing out to sea, on which is a wall pattern similar to the one found on the Relic Fragment. When the Relic Fragment is presented, a light shines out towards the sea. Just then, a Lapras arrives. Lapras ferries the team and Grovyle to the Hidden Land. Arriving at the Hidden Land, Lapras tells them that in order to reach the Temporal Tower, they must take the Rainbow Stoneship, located inside an old ruin. Finding the ruin, they find a temple where, at the top, they find the Ruin Fragment pattern. The team discovers that the temple itself is the Rainbow Stoneship, and in order for the ship to operate, the Relic Fragment must be slotted in one of the indentations. But before the partner can do so, they are captured by Dusknoir and the Sableye entourage. The team is able to defeat Dusknoir and the Sableye in battle, but while the partner goes to activate the Rainbow Stoneship, Dusknoir warns that should they succeed in their quest, the Pokémon of the future, including the player and Grovyle, will be erased from existence, from being from a future that will no longer exist. Grovyle admits that this is the case, but that their sacrifice is worth the trouble if it means that the future can be saved. The player accepts this fate, even though the player knows that the partner will not take it as easily as the player or Grovyle.
Meanwhile, the partner succeeds in activating the Rainbow Stoneship, but Dusknoir manages to recover and attack the player before either the player or Grovyle is on board. Just as Dusknoir tries to finish off the player, Grovyle intervenes, taking the blow. Dusknoir angrily decides to slay Grovyle first, but in a move of desperation, Grovyle pushes Dusknoir towards the Dimensional Hole, hoping that in his own defense of the player, Grovyle will ensure the success of the mission. Dropping the Time Gears, Grovyle pushes Dusknoir and himself through the Dimensional Hole, but not without giving his last goodbye. The partner recovers the Time Gears, and the team proceed on the Rainbow Stoneship, with the player keeping silent to the partner about his/her fate. With a heavy heart, the team head towards Temporal Tower to take on their final mission.
The team is able to defeat Primal Dialga, and head home, but on the way back, the player begins to feel the effects of being slowly erased from existence. The player says goodbye to the partner, as the player fades out of existence. After the credits, Dialga feels the partner's sorrow all the way from Temporal Tower. Deeply moved by the partner's devotion and grief, Dialga intervenes and restores the player to the timeline, as thanks for bringing time back in control. Although, in one of the Special Episodes Dialga says that he does not have the power to stop Pokemon from disappearing making it possible that it is Arceus who revives the player. The player reappears at the beach, where the partner is crying. The partner runs over to embrace their best friend, overjoyed that they are alive.
Reception
As of September 30, 2008, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness combined to sell 4.12 million copies worldwide, according to Nintendo. Both Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness have received a rating of 7.5 from Nintendo Power.[4]
Remake
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (ポケモン不思議のダンジョン 空の探検隊 Pokémon Fushigi no Dungeon Sora no Tankentai, lit. "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Sky Exploration Team") is the fifth instalment in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series for the Nintendo DS, and a sister game to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness. It was released in Japan on April 18, 2009; North America on October 12, 2009; Australia on November 12, 2009 [5] and Europe on November 20, 2009 [6]
As with its predecessors, the game follows the story of a human who is mysteriously transformed into a Pokémon (determined by a personality test at the game's start-up). Along with the starters from the previous game, five more are included as playable choices; Phanpy, Riolu, Shinx, Eevee, and Vulpix. Some, however, are only available to certain genders; Eevee, Skitty, and Vulpix are always female, while Riolu, Shinx, and Phanphy are male. However, 2 starters, Munchlax and Meowth were removed and can only be played as the partner. Many new gameplay features were incorporated into the game. There were extra dungeons added, the titular event Pokémon Shaymin featured on the box was added, and alternate forms introduced in Pokémon Platinum (except for Rotom) were included.
Explorers of Sky expands on the plot of Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, as well as exploring the background of several characters. New cut scenes were added and some were changed. Five new Special Episodes are unlocked at certain points in the game which add to the overall game (such as Wigglytuff's inspiration to become an explorer, the induction of Bidoof into the guild, the formation of Team Charm, a special mission for guild member Sunflora, and the investigation of Grovyle and Dusknoir who team up after the battle at the Hidden Land).
It is a common misconception by the fandom that Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is the next generation of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, thus calling it Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 3, in most cases. This is a title which goes instead to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Keep Going! Blazing Adventure Squad, Let's Go! Stormy Adventure Squad, and Go For It! Light Adventure Squad, the upcoming WiiWare games. Explorers of Sky is simply a remake, similar to how Pokemon Yellow remade Red, Green and Blue Versions, Crystal for Gold and Silver, Emerald for Ruby and Sapphire, and recently Platinum for Diamond and Pearl.
References
- ^ Emma Boyes (2008-02-26). "Two new DS Pokémon games coming". Nintendo. http://www.gamespot.com/ds/rpg/pokemonfushiginodungeona/news.html?sid=6186749. Retrieved 2008-02-27.
- ^ "Nintendo Europe Q2 2008 release list". Nintendo UK. http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/news/2008/nintendo_announces_q2_release_schedule_7920.html.
- ^ "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon :: DS Game Reviews". Kidzworld. http://www.kidzworld.com/article/12732-pokemon-mystery-dungeon-ds-game-reviews. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
- ^ "Financial Results Briefing for the Six-Month Period Ended September 2008" (PDF). Nintendo. 2008-10-31. pp. 6. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2008/081031e.pdf#page=6. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ^ http://www.gonintendo.com/viewstory.php?id=101468
- ^ http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/DSi/Pok%E9mon+Mystery+Dungeon:+Explorers+of+the+Sky/news.asp?c=15872
External links
- Official Site (Japanese)
- Chunsoft Official Site (Japanese)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Official Site (English)
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2 at Bulbapedia
- Personality Test
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness guide at StrategyWiki
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