Discussion Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Games

Articuno_Aria

Articuno is UNO for a reason
Member
Though I'm definitely more of a TCG player, I'll pick up one of the Pokemon video games from time to time. Currently I'm playing Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity and I love it!
A few months ago I completed PMD: Blue Rescue Team, and since then I wanted to play another Mystery Dungeon game. I heard some good reviews about Gates to Infinity and decided to try it. I've nearly completed the game after starting it a few weeks ago!

What are some of your favorite PMD games? Would you recommend them? Thanks in advance :D
 

Blakers

Holder of the Holy Diamond!
Member
Explorers of Sky is one of my favorite games ever, I definitely recommend playing through it blind! :D
 

StarlightSearcher

The Blonde Brainiac
Forum Mod
Advanced Member
Member
PMD Sky is probably the best game; you do need to play that game. Infinity Dungeon is a game that I would skip (I did). Super Mystery Dungeon is an okay game. I saw Infinity Dungeon game-play and I wasn't impressed.
 

VioletValkyrie

You're out of your mind.
Member
Personally I'm actually a larger fan of Gates to Infinity than most people, mainly (or even entirely) for the gameplay, although the music is fantastic and in my opinion, underrated. I personally believe Gates to Infinity to have the best gameplay in the series. Explorers felt like it has so many moments of either difficulty spikes or mechanics that just catch you unprepared and give you a much harder time than you really should be having. I've had a few playthroughs where I've been defeated so many times in specific dungeons that I have no items left, and can't return to town to restock because of something going on in the story, and feel stuck so I restart my playthrough.

Gates to Infinity feels like it keeps 90% of the same gameplay, but makes things like menus more accessible and introduces team attacks which, while still being balanced, give you that last-ditch effort that sometimes you really need if something happens in an adventure. It removed the belly mechanic which was something I was never fond of but kept things like IQ and Tactics and gave you a wider spread of party members through the main game. The only large issue I have with the gameplay is Mysteriosity, which only comes into play after the main story, so I can forgive it for that.

However I attempted to play Super Mystery Dungeon and I think it's been one of the only games in my life where it felt like it was so obnoxious to keep playing, and that I had to stop for a long period of time after every dungeon. It felt like they kept trying to massively rework things about the gameplay that never needed changing in the first place. It still feels like a Mystery Dungeon game but between the entire amount of gameplay for several hours feeling like a constant "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" and the plot being way less interesting to me than even Gates to Infinity (which I'll acknowledge does not have the best plot), I honestly cannot play SMD.
 

Vracken

Just a Ghost of the Past
I haven't played Gates to Infinity, I lost all interest when I found how how many Pokemon didn't make it in for seemingly no reason. I also was not a fan of the art style.
I am glad you enjoyed Blue Rescue Team. It is my favourite of the series and probably my second favourite Pokemon game. I just like the way the game handled, and I wasn't put off by the side characters (Glances at Explorer's and flat out glares at Super Mystery Dungeon). It does feel a little dated in some ways though.
Everyone seems to recommend Sky as well, but I only played Time and Darkness, both of which ever excellent minus a couple of the characters, and most game mechanics were improved upon relative to the original two entries.

Please, skip Super Mystery Dungeon. Violet and I have talked a little about it, and the characters are absolutely obnoxious, the story is kinda garbage in my opinion, and the way you obtain things is just trash. Makes it not even feel like Pokemon anymore. I wont get into it anymore than that. There isn't much of a loss in you trying it out though, so if the opportunity cost is low, then you might as well give it a try.

I would love it if they remade the original but with all the new Pokemon :p or at least, made a new game more in the style of the first 5 entries.
That is probably my most wanted thing to happen in gaming other than a sequel to a couple of the games that will never get them but aren't Pokemon.
 

VioletValkyrie

You're out of your mind.
Member
Personally I'm actually a larger fan of Gates to Infinity than most people, mainly (or even entirely) for the gameplay, although the music is fantastic and in my opinion, underrated. I personally believe Gates to Infinity to have the best gameplay in the series.

Actually, one thing I forgot to bring up about Gates to Infinity's gameplay that I'm curious to hear opinions on, how do people feel about the mechanic of getting materials as rewards for job requests and using those materials to upgrade/build different areas and buildings for Paradise?

I haven't done anything like upgrade all my buildings fully or make one of every building, but I've actually spent quite a decent time building Paradise because I just find it to be an enjoyable thing to do, even if some materials can be really fickle about when they can be found.
I like how some of them can even directly benefit you and make up for the fact that you don't get items for completing job requests anymore (ex. Being able to make farms for Reviver Seeds or building shops that will let you buy smaller items you'd usually complete jobs for) and it doesn't often feel like I'm losing out on items by having the rewards changed.

I feel like this mechanic gives me a direction in the post-game as well, where even if I don't feel like doing something specific or going after a specific dungeon to befriend a Pokémon or be proud of myself for completing a difficult dungeon, I can simply just spend several in-game days doing small job requests and feel accomplished by upgrading a couple shops or something. I kept playing Gates to Infinity for a couple weeks after I beat the main story just because there was work I wanted to complete in Paradise and I know eventually I'll feel the need to go back and max things out.
 
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