Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX Review – A Pokemon Side Quest

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX Review

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is the remake of 2005’s Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team. Unlike the main line of Pokemon games, the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series put players in the role of a Pokemon rather than a trainer. Furthermore, rather than being an RPG, the game is essentially a dungeon crawler.

The player starts the game as a human-turned-Pokemon. Players undergo a test that will determine what type of Pokemon they become but can straight up select a Pokemon if their result does not jive with them. From there, players select their partner Pokemon, who act as a sort of guide into the world. As a Pokemon, it is up to you and your partner to take on various requests from Pokemon that require your Rescue Team services. The world that you enter also appears to be undergoing some recent natural disasters, which is central to the game’s plot. While the game’s plot is nothing special and does not compare to the mainline of Pokemon games, it does its job in pushing the player forward well enough.

Players play as one of sixteen Pokemon which include familiar faces such as Pikachu, Charmander, Psyduck, and many more. Depending on your Pokemon (and your partner), you will have access to a certain set of moves that will make you strong or weak against other Pokemon types. The game’s primary gameplay loop is focused on taking on jobs and quests from other Pokemon. In doing so, players are tasked with entering various dungeons in order to act as a Rescue Team in saving Pokemon from the dungeons in which they stuck. Combat is relatively simple as well, making the game a pretty laid-back experience overall.

Mega Updates

If you have played the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, you are likely familiar with most of the gameplay features. This 2020 remake does provide some gameplay updates, including fixing balancing issues, Mega Evolutions, auto-save, and auto mode. The gameplay itself is quite repetitive, and auto mode makes it even more so. Surprisingly, despite the gameplay being repetitive, there is still a lot of fun to be had in completing requests, often multiple in one dungeon run. The game itself is also not very long, probably topping out at around 15 hours. If you need a quick dose of Pokemon, look no further.

One of the first things I noticed about Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX was the graphics. The art style in the game has a painting-like style that is relatively unique. While this is a far departure from the original art-style, some players will undoubtedly prefer the original. Having never experienced the original beforehand, I found the art style to fit the game’s pacing very well. The game’s upbeat soundtrack also lends itself to the game’s positive and generally light-hearted tone.

Overall, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a decent foray back into the Pokemon universe for those waiting for Sword and Shield DLC. However, without the Pokemon license, I’m not so sure that this game would be as well regarded as it is. Despite that, it takes what it has, and makes it a fun experience in its own right. Die-hard Pokemon fans won’t have too hard of a time deciding whether to purchase this game, but for everyone else, there is currently a demo on the eShop in which progress carries over.

*** A review code was provided by the publisher ***