"Pikachu? You can bet on it."

Pokemon is one of the ever-popular Nintendo series, am I right? Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is no exception. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness are an addition to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team. It includes all the Sinnoh Pokemon, and you can recruit all Pokemon except for Shaymin and Arceus!

Graphics: 8

For a two-dimensional DS game, the graphics are pretty good. The sprites used create some very nice effects, such as the water and waterfalls, the backgrounds, and attacks.

Almost every dungeon has a unique palette. Places like Brine Cave and Beach Cave has water palettes. Mt. Avalanche and Blizzard Island have ice palettes, and so on.

Unlike the last game, where very few Pokemon had portraits, every Pokemon in the game has a portrait. They show the differences between male and female, if needed, and include those such as the pink Celebi, the pink Keckleon, and Primal Dialga. Oh, and each Unown has its own, as well.

At various points in the game, there is pixel art, and it's detailed. Primal Dialga's arrival, the Ruin Shard, and of course, there are more instances.

Sound: 9

No song is kept from Rescue Team. Amp Plains, Brine Cave, Mt. Horn, it's all new. Some, like Mt. Horn, are very catchy. For Pokemon, and for a DS, it is very good.

Just like Sky Tower in Rescue Team made the whole dungeon seem like a heroic journey (despite the frustration of all the ghost Pokemon), Temporal Tower's music makes it have the same feeling, as does the music for the fight with Primal Dialga.

Of course, in the end, the music that occurs during the event is sad, just as it should, but when you and your partner journey out together, the music is happy.

Control: 9

A lot of the controls are the same as Rescue Team. However, with the extra X and Y buttons, there are shortcuts! Outside of a Dungeon, the X button pulls up the menu. The A button selects something, the B button cancels. The A button outside the menu checks things; talks to people, reads signs, etc. The B button makes you run. R allows you to talk to your partner. The control pad moves you.

In a Dungeon, X pulls up the menu. Pressing X again brings you to moves. The Y buttons brings you to items from the Dungeon. Out of the menu, L and B is a text log, and L and A uses a set move. L and R use a set item, and A is your regular attack. It's a lot to remember, but takes a surprisingly short time to memorize.

Story: 9

You wake up one day to find you're a Pokemon. Another Pokemon approaches you and asks if you'd like to form an Exploration team as apprentices to Wigglytuff. Then he shows you his Ruin Shard, his special charm. Then, a Pokemon comes and steals it! With that, the two of you go after it to retrieve it.

After, you register in the Wigglytuff Guild and begin your adventure as time is stopped elsewhere!

There are plenty of twists. Who knew he was evil? Who knew he was good? Some of the story is predictable, however.

Gameplay: 8

The use of the stylus isn't something I could get used to. The controls in the dungeon were awkward, so I stuck to the already-familiar buttons. However, for entering passwords and maneuvering through the menus, the stylus is much faster.

Every time you enter a dungeon, the layout is completely different. This is the feature of Mystery Dungeons, and isn't a new concept. Of course, it makes the game more interesting, as sometimes you'll come across locked areas that you need keys for.

You can recruit all Pokemon except for Shaymin and Arceus. It takes a while to recruit some legendaries and even more common Pokemon, but for some, like Shellos, it takes a very short time. Also, there are no Friend Areas, so it takes less effort to get the Pokemon, too.

Friend Bows, Amber Tears, and Golden Masks all up the percent chance that a Pokemon will join your team, with Friend Bows having less of an affect.

Replayability: 7

Like the first game, it's not a game that'll take a long time to beat. However, the different dungeons and ability to switch Pokemon when you've beaten the game add to the replayability.

However, after finishing the plot, playing through it again isn't as fun because you know what will happen.

Final Recommendation: Consider

Whether you're into mystery dungeon games or not, if you enjoy Pokemon, you should consider buying the game. If you're just looking for something new, I'd suggest renting to see if you like it or not.

Overall: 9

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is definitely different than the usual six gym leaders, evil organization, next two gym leaders, elite four timeline. It's original (for Pokemon), and fun to play!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/02/08

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