The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series (Japanese: ポケモン不思議のダンジョン Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, also ポケダン Pokédan[1]) is a series of spin-off games developed by Spike Chunsoft. Being the longest-running series of spin-off games, it currently includes eleven different games, and has been expanded into several manga and several anime specials.
History
The first pair of games in the series, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, were released on the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS in Japan on November 17, 2005, in North America on September 18, 2006, and elsewhere during the rest of 2006 and 2007. The games feature all 386 Pokémon from Generations I, II, and III. An anime adaptation loosely based on the game, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate!, first aired in Japan on March 23, 2007 and in the United States on September 8, 2006. A manga series based on the games, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team, was also released. In South Korea, only Blue Rescue Team was released, but the free PC demo Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gold Rescue Team was also available.
The second pair, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, were released on the Nintendo DS in Japan on September 13, 2007, in North America on April 20, 2008, and elsewhere during the rest of 2008. They introduced almost all of the Generation IV Pokémon into the series, excluding Shaymin and Arceus, which were not officially revealed at the time. Another anime adaptation, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness, first aired in Japan on September 9, 2007. It aired almost a year later in the United States on September 1, 2008. The manga Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blazing Exploration Team and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness were also based on the games.
Their third version, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, was released in Japan on April 18, 2009, in North America on October 12, 2009, and in Australia and Europe in November 2009. This game has several additions to the storyline of Time and Darkness, including the addition of the Pokémon Shaymin. The most recent anime adaptation, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Beyond Time & Darkness, aired in Japan on April 12, 2009, airing in the US a few months later, on October 9, 2009.
On August 4, 2009, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Keep Going! Blazing Adventure Squad!, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Let's Go! Stormy Adventure Squad!, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Go For It! Light Adventure Squad! were released for the Wii only in Japan as WiiWare games. Each game is slightly different from each other, with less story and background than other Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games. The three are the only Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games not to be released internationally and to be released exclusively on digital media, and are the first to be released on a home console.
The first solitary title, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, was released in Japan on November 23, 2012, in North America on March 24, 2013, and in Europe and Australia in May 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS. The game features Generation V Pokémon in addition to Pokémon from previous generations. Two animated shorts based on the games were also produced.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, the most recent entry in the series, was released for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan on September 17, 2015, in North America on November 20, 2015, and in Europe and Australia in February 2016. Being released during Generation VI, the game features all 720 Pokémon revealed at the time. Unlike previous Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, the game features cameo appearances by many characters who appeared in earlier entries.
On January 9, 2020, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, a remake of Red and Blue Rescue Team, was announced. It was released for Nintendo Switch worldwide on March 6, 2020. It is a mostly faithful remake with the addition of gameplay changes and enhancements and cross-generational evolutions.
Gameplay
Main article: Mystery Dungeon game mechanicsPokémon Mystery Dungeon is an adaptation of the Mystery Dungeon games. Like the core series Pokémon games, it has two gameplay modes; unlike the core series games, battle mode and dungeon mode are not distinct. It is a turn-based game, with each step, attack, or item use being counted as a single turn.
The size of a party is limited to four in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (three in Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon), compared to six in the core series games. Furthermore, players are only able to directly control one Pokémon: their own character (or, later in the game, any other befriended Pokémon). The player's teammates are essentially autonomous, with player control being limited to general strategy such as avoiding Pokémon battles or not moving and staying in one place. The type of AI used by team members can be changed.
Most of the gameplay takes place within Mystery Dungeons, with many floors and hostile Pokémon. Due to the many dangers, exploration teams prepare for the challenges by using the many services offered at Pokémon settlements such as Pokémon Square and Treasure Town.
The games also feature storylines common in the aspects of the player having been transformed into a Pokémon and lost all memory of being a human, and an emotional separation from the befriended partner at the end of the main plot before the credits.
List of games
List of animated episodes and short films
| Code | Screenshot | English title | Japanese title | US broadcast | Japan broadcast | Time between |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * |  | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate! | ポケモン不思議のダンジョン出動！ポケモン救助隊ガンバルズ！ Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Setting Out! Pokémon Rescue Team Ganbarus! | September 8, 2006 | March 23, 2007 | 196 days |
| * |  | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness | ポケモン不思議のダンジョン時の探検隊・闇の探検隊 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Explorers of Darkness | September 1, 2008 | September 9, 2007 | 358 days |
| * |  | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Beyond Time & Darkness | ポケモン不思議のダンジョン 空の探検隊 時と闇をめぐる 最後の冒険 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky: The Final Adventure Crossing Time and Darkness | October 9, 2009 | April 12, 2009 | 180 days |
| * |  | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Animated Shorts | 『ポケモン不思議のダンジョン～マグナゲートと∞迷宮～ 』PV Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Magnagate and the Infinite Labyrinth PV | March 26, 2013 | November 1, 2012 | 145 days |
List of manga adaptations
Trivia
- This series is the only spin-off series to:
In other languages
References
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