Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky (DS) - Reviews | DS

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky is a Role-Playing (RPG) game developed by Chunsoft Co., Ltd. and published by Nintendo in 2009 for the DS.

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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky Reviews

Overall 9.7 Graphics 8.8 Sound 10 Addictive 9 Story 9.5 Depth 9.8 Difficulty 7.3

9.2

Explorers of Sky: The Best Pokemon Spin-off to Date frenchhorn
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is a fantastic adventure for the DS. The amount of time you can spend playing this game without ever completely beating it is ridiculous; you could easily spend hundreds of hours spelunking caves, collecting items, recruiting and leveling Pokémon and still have plenty left to do. Obviously, this is a title that would most appeal to Pokémon fans, but for almost anyone looking for an addictive and charming game that also offers some serious challenge, you won't be disappointed.

Graphics: Definitely the games weakest point, the graphics for this game look almost identical to those of its predecessor for the GBA, Red Rescue Team. In fact, the game as a whole does very little to utilize the extra features the DS offers over the GBA, with a clunky menu system and almost no utilization of the touch screen. But despite not pushing any boundaries, the graphics are still appealing and pleasing, and there are a few dungeons that are quite lovely, as well as some impressive scenery that is presented during story segments. The battle animations are all extremely underwhelming and unimpressive even the first time you see them, but overall, the game itself is far from hard to look at.

Sound: In my honest opinion, Explorers of Sky has the best soundtrack of any video game I have ever played. There is such a vast array of tracks, all of which fit with the scenes they are made for absolutely perfectly. Whether it's the upbeat, hummable Treasure Town theme, the chipper marching tune Wigglytuff's Guild, the creepy and unsettling final boss theme, or the almost gut-wrenchingly beautiful Hidden Land theme, it's safe to say this game would not be the same without its amazing soundtrack. There's no shortage of wonderful new sounds to be heard, and even a few remixes of tunes that will be familiar to fans of the series who played through the previous game. And the best part is, an exclusive feature to the Explorers of Sky, you can unlock the Sky Jukebox by completing a post-game section, which allows you to play any of the game's tracks right from your DS after hearing them once in-game.

Addictiveness: I couldn't tell you how often I've had an itch to just play through Explorers of Sky again instead of one of the several other great games on my shelf I've barely touched. I don't think I'll ever get tired of plunging through a long and difficult cave, looking for treasure and recruiting Pokemon (it's worth mentioning that all 493 Pokemon from Gen IV are obtainable in this game). I found the dungeon crawling so addictive that I often found myself getting sidetracked during story missions and accepting random job requests instead of continuing the story. Randomly generated dungeon layouts provide for tons of replayability, and, being a Pokemon game, the urge to "catch 'em all" is always there, giving you plenty of incentive to stick with the game long after the story is complete. And speaking of story...

Story: One thing that absolutely shocked me about this game is how touching and surprisingly compelling the story is. There were some plot twists that were genuinely unexpected, and the sadder parts will really tug at your heartstrings. With a lengthy 20-chapter main story that can potentially take dozens of hours to complete, plus an additional post-game chapter that includes several new story missions and 5 unlockable miniature campaigns focusing on developing some of the game's side characters, plus several new dungeons that unlock after completion, there is no shortage of story for this game. Though it does take a while for the story to move past its simple but rather charming beginning, it grows much more interesting once Grovyle, the Time Gears, and the roles of the legendary Pokemon start to reveal themselves. The characters are likeable and diverse, and it's fun to feel a sense of growth and accomplishment with your allies, but there also isn't a lack of truly bad guys, either. A wonderful mix of several elements, the story is quite a pleasant surprise.

Depth: Arguably this games' biggest draw is its insane depth. In addition to the lengthy and substantial main storyline, there is a slew of other side activities that will occupy your time. In addition to exploring dungeons and recruiting Pokemon, you can also hang out at Spinda's Cafe, accept and complete job requests to boost your rank, search for rare treasure, swapping and upgrading exclusive items, leveling up and evolving your Pokemon, and upgrading you and your team's skills makes for countless hours of entertainment and challenge. The real reason this game is so easy to play and replay over and over lies in the random dungeon generation. No two floors of any dungeon are ever exactly the same, and scrounging for resources as you go along an especially long dungeon can be truly intense when you're in a tight spot. It can be really easy to get caught off guard and lose a ton of progress because you weren't prepared, or a Monster House appears, or you run out of food items. It's an excellent challenge if you're willing to put in the time, and always a fun one at that.

Difficulty: While most of the dungeons in the main story are fairly forgiving, especially if you come prepared for them, some of the post-game missions are downright ridiculous. Players with experience with roguelikes will notice how forgiving this game is in comparison with similar games of the same genre. However, even experienced players will be challenged by one of the several "challenge dungeons", including some that strip you of every skill you've acquired throughout the game and force you start from the very beginning. without taking anything or anyone with you through up to 99 grueling and intense floors. You can also get some crazy loot for beating these dungeons, giving you extra incentive to complete them. Despite giving off the false first impression that the entire game will be a walk in the park, players who are willing to put the hours into this game will be rewarded with some INTENSE challenge levels.

Overall, while Explorers of Sky may be off-putting to non-Pokemon fans, players who give it a fair shake will find themselves truly surprised by the level of depth and entertainment they will be able to squeeze out of this title. Worth a spot in any Pokemon fans' collection, or even for fans of grid-based combat and dungeon exploration.
Graphics 6 Sound 10 Addictive 10 Story 8 Depth 10 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 5/5 Submitted: 08-07-15 Review Replies: 2

9.2

Calling all Pokemon fans! Play this game! Zlinqx
So this is a game i've been wanting to review for quite some time to hopefully bring some much needed attention to as this is in my opinion one of the most underrated games on the Nintendo DS but i've never actually gotten around to it so I figured it was about time that i'd tackle it.

So for those who don't know Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky is a remake of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness (kind of in the same way as Pokemon Platinum is to Pokemon Diamond/Pearl). To those who are completely new to the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series it is basically a dungeon crawling game where you play as the Pokemon themselves instead of being a trainer and the series has grown to become the most succesful Pokemon spin off series ever made.

Well that's about it really let's just crawl right into this review dungeon... Uh... I don't know where I was going with that... Atleast I tried this time.

Graphics: 9

The game is made entirely in 2d and while it doesn't push the system limitations in any way it does have some great graphics. The sprites all look great portraying each Pokemon pretty faithfully and the animation for the different moves do too for the most part though some are re used for similar moves. The look of each dungeon is pretty distinct which helps making them stand out and somewhat helps keep the game from getting dull. Additionally the game features some really fantastic looking images which are used during cutscenes and the only thing I don't like about the graphics is that they didn't have some sort of gallery where you could view different sprites, images etc which is a shame since that means you'll have to start all over to see some of the locations and images. A downside which is probably the main reason I haven't rated it a perfect 10 is that some might find the graphics excluding the images used during cutscenes and such a bit pixelated. I myself didn't really have this problem though.

Sound: 11... Because I just love it that much.

I'm just going to come out and say this right now the soundtrack in this game is fantastic and is my personal favorite soundtrack on the DS. The game has a great variety of tracks with each dungeon having it's own soundtrack. A lot of them are pretty upbeat in their tone but the game also features some suprisingly emotional soundtracks later in the game as well and all the soundtracks really help to set the mood during various situations in the game. As a last note the soundtrack of the final boss battle in this game is my personal favorite soundtrack of all time and as much as I want to go more into detail why I wont for the risk of spoiling the story but let me just tell you that I have never before heard a soundtrack that so perfectly captures the feel of a particular moment in any game. As for the sound effects in the game they work well and usually complement the game fairly well but are nothing out of the ordinary. A small nitpick would be that some sound effects are re used for the same moves which can be somewhat noticable but it's nothing that hinders the game in any way.

Addictiveness: 8

The game managed to keep me addicted throughout thanks to the polished gameplay and great story and just how everything came together to create a great experience. But there's one big downfall which happens to have to do with the gameplay itself. Don't get me wrong it's great and really well polished being suprisingly deep as well such as through the ability to link different moves (meaning you can use them at the same time) to create combos, obtain different passive iq skills through the use of gummi items which are different depending on which pokemon you're using and can help you gain quite the edge in dungeons along with a lot of other elements. Unfortunately however that doesn't stop the gameplay from getting repetetive eventually. Despite having lots of great additions, it always boils down to the same thing. I feel like this can partly be attributed to what is marketed as one of the main features of the game. The randomizing of the dungeons. Incase you didn't know the same dungeon will have a random layout each time you enter it essentially meaning the exit can spawn right next to you or be in the opposite end of the dungeon. This does sound great on paper and it's neccesary for certain additions of the game but it takes away from the uniqueness of each dungeon. Yes each dungeon does have it's own sort of style to it graphics wise which does help but layout wise they'll largely be the same despite being randomized due to the limitations of it. This means each dungeon is essentially a differently looking maze with different enemies that still have very similar layouts. And while this doesn't neccesairly break the game or anything it's something which will be apparent after playing it for a while during your first playthrough making the game feel dull eventually meaning there isn't really much reason to warrant more then one or possibly two playthroughs. If the game had instead focused more on making each dungeon feel unique and having their own little twists to them I feel it could've helped the game a lot despite making it have less replay value this wouldn't mattered too much in my opinion as the game features a lot of content during your first playthrough including all the optional things you can do and the fact that it gets somewhat dull makes it backfire anyways.

Story: 10

I'm going to give some background on the opening 20 minutes or so since i'm assuming many of you might not even have played a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game before.

The game starts with you taking a quiz deciding which one of the around 20 or so available Pokemon you resemble the most and you also pick a partner Pokemon of your choice which you get to name. You then see a brief scene of a storm and two people talking which end up with the two people seemingly getting separated. You then awaken in a world only inhabited by Pokemon and you become shocked as you realize you yourself have turned into a Pokemon (the one you resembled the most). Here you also get introduced to your partner who gets attacked by a Koffing and a Zubat who steals a prized possesion of his. You end helping him get it back by joining forces and take on your first dungeon to chase after them and get it back. After that the partner Pokemon tries to convince you to join him and form an exploration team (which is basically a group of pokemon who explores dungeons and help various pokemon in need) by training at a nearby exploration guild and you having nowhere else to go agree.

I will say the story does start of a bit slow in the beginning mostly being about doing different missions and helping various people ocassionally giving some exposistion on the characters and what is going on. But when the story does pick up it can get suprisingly deep and emotional. And yes i'll even go as far as to admit that I cried during 2 different points in the game which is a rare thing for me to do especially in a Pokemon game. So if you find it somewhat dull in the beginning I urge to give you a chance and i'm almost certain you'll find it just as great as I did. Another new addition to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky is the addition of 5 special episodes which unlock as you progress through the game. These are instances where you get to play through different scenes as a side characters and they can provide some background on some of the characters. While there were 1 episode I didn't like because of it being repetetive and not adding too much I did like most of them and you could arguably say they were the biggest new addition to the game.

Depth: 10

The main story is pretty lenghty and after you manage to beat it there's a sort of 2nd arc with a 2nd final boss to beat which in total took me about 40 hours to beat. In terms of side content there is some in form of trying to get your exploration team to achieve the highest possible rank and there is a lot of extra dungeons to explore. Not to mention the afformentioned special episodes along with a lot more. A short side quest is also unlocked after beating the final boss involving Shaymin village which is an area exclusive to explorers of sky. The game also has some amount of replay value if you replay the game a while after completing it using another main and partner pokemon and the game features some online connectivity in the form of letting you rescue other teams that have been defeated in a dungeon allowing them to resume where they left off and you can also trade items with other teams. Nothing major but it's a nice option encouraging helping out others.

Difficulty: 8

Think this game is going to be a cake walk just because it's a Pokemon game? Think again.

The game only features one default difficult setting and can be suprisingly difficult at times. If you're completely new to it, chances are you'll die a lot starting from the 2nd or 3rd dungeon. Dungeons get increasingly longer and difficult and you'll need to make sure you're stocked up on supplies so you can survive. Simply charging head into a dungeon wont cut it. Unless you have a revival seed (which makes it so that when a Pokemon dies they automatically get revived) you're partner or you could easily die meaning you to have to restart the dungeon. And while trying to reach the end of a dungeon there are many things you need to keep in mind such as your hunger level (which gradually increases as you progress through the dungeon) meaning you have to eat apples and other food items. If you get to 0/100 belly you will start to lose hp. Another thing that will probably cause you a lot of trouble is monster houses. These don't start appearing until later in the game but they are areas in dungeons which are usually noticeable before walking into one as they contain several valuable items. If you walk into one several Pokemon surround you and you'll have to either try to get around them and escape or fight them. This adds a risk factor and often features some nice rewards if you manage to defeat them (not to mention it has it's own soundtrack which is pretty funky).

Rest assured you'll most likely find a fair amount of challenge playing this game and the great thing about is even though it does have it's challenging moments it's fairly easy to get into.

New additions: This is a new category I made up per request since this is essentially a remake of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time/Darkness covering most of the major differences from the versions. As such this is mainly for those who played either of those games.

- New playable pokemon which include Vulpix, Riolu, Phanpy and Shinx as well as the return of Eevee and Skitty return from previous installments.

- Meowth and Munchlax are no longer playable but can still be used as partner Pokemon.

- A new addition called the Spinda cafe which allows you to make drinks out of food items in particular gummies which can grant positive effects. It also allows you to potentially get access to some new dungeons and recruit Pokemon.

- The cafe also has a recycle shop meaning you can trade in items you don't want and gain tickets which can then be used in a lottery like minigame which can potentially get you some rare items.

- Shaymin Village is a newly added location with a dungeon which has it's own little side story and can be accessed once you have defeated the final boss and also allows you to recruit Shaymin as well as switch to and revert from it's sky forme.

- A new location can randomly be found in dungeons called the secret bazaar. It has 4 stalls which for a price allow you to clean your inventory, escape the dungeon, completely heal your party before returning to a dungeon as well as letting you buy grab bags

which can hold useful items.

- The afformentioned special episodes which lets you play as different side characters through different mini storylines. There are 5 in total and each unlocks as you progress through the game.

These are what i'd call the biggest differences there are a lot more minor differences and tweaks as well that I wont mention for the sake of dragging out the review too much. Please let me know if this is a category you'd like to see me keep using for other games (when neccesary of course).

Overall 9.2:

This is a great game with just one big downside to it. With that said this shouldn't in any way prevent you from getting the game. You'll have lots of fun on your first playthrough and maybe even a second playthrough and it's something that shouldn't really become apparent untill later in the game. It's still a shame though as otherwise I would have nearly no qualms with giving the game a 10. Regardless this is still a largely underrated game that deserves a lot more attention and i'm glad I finally did manage to review it. I'd recommend this game as a must play to any Pokemon fan really.

So that's another finished review of one of the most underrated game of all time in my opinion. And i'm glad I did finally manage to review it.

I guess I should also mention that the reason I didn't publish any reviews last week is because I was on a vacation and had limited internet access. I did make a thread about it but there's a chance you might not have seen it so there's that. I should be back to my normal reviewing speed now though so yay.

As usual I hope you enjoyed reading and feel free to tell me what you think of the review, if you agree or not, ways I can improve and things I did well (and don't forget to rate it). That will be all untill the next review and now it's time for...

SUMMONS!

Gamin'gal: Please work

A user of this :

sonicthehedgehog57 :

Pokefreak219 : Figured you might be interested.

juuldude :
Graphics 9 Sound 10 Addictive 8 Story 10 Depth 10 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 5/5 Submitted: 10-05-14 Updated: 10-16-14 Review Replies: 11

10

Wake up! You are a Pokemon! Let's explore! The Star of Mus..
Alright hey guys, it's The Star of Music again. Today I want to talk about a personal favorite of mine. (I have alot of them. :) ) Anyway, this one was an amazing addition to an already intresting set of Mystery Dungeon games. I'm going to tell you why I believe it is a really good game.

Graphics: 10

Alright so the DS had great graphic due to enhancements in technology and while this game didn't change the set standard for the graphics set by Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team it didn't deminish it either. This game did well and added alot of features that were not in the original Mystery Dungeon Blue and Red Rescue Team games. It even added apon it's more direct prequel Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time and Darkness. Not only did the creators add new dungeons to explore but they also added the Sinnoh region Pokemon into the mix with Time and Darkness, then added a few new places and several new Pokemon from Sinnoh in Explorers of Sky.

Sound: 10

The soundtrack is very addicting and I still love the music even now that the new game Mystery Dungeon Gates to Infinity has been released. It made me sad when some of the sounds didn't get carried over to the new game. But for Sky it still had all of my favorites and some new favorites as well. So I can't really complain.

Addictiveness: 8

I still play the game even now but it has gotten a bit dry. I guess I probably played it too much. But there is always more to discover and more to explore. So even now it is still a top game.

Story: 10

At this point we all know I can't go into detail. But if you have played Time or Darkness then not too much has changed. They added some more starting Pokemon and added a few new places to explore. A couple of new features dot the area as well but the story at large didn't change. But they did add a jukebox after you beat a certain mission. That way you can just listen to the music without having to go through the game again to here certain ones again. The biggest change though is the addition of side-stories that are unlocked as you progress through the normal game. My favorites are the second one and the fifth one. Not saying why or what they are about. You will just have to play the game and find out.

Depth: 10

Like the previous games Time and Darkness there are quite a few Pokemon to find and recruit. Added areas and missions see to it that there is even more to do and the side missions show hidden aspects of the game. New things like extra starting Pokemon were added to lift the boring repitition of the games and each of the starting/partner Pokemon have an egg move to start with along with what they would know at level 5.

Difficulty: 8

The difficulty didn't change much from the previous releases but it was still somewhat challenging. I found the game even harder at some points then they were before but for the most part the difficulty changes very little if at all.

Overall: 10

I really liked this game for many reasons. I'm a big supporter of the spin-off series and of Pokemon spin-offs period. They allow you to see a different side of Pokemon that the main series makes impossible. Giving this golden opportunity to us games is an amazing thing. While many points never changed between Time and Darkness and Sky, many things were also added or improved apon. So not much to complain about but quite a bit to praise.

Personal note:

So much to explore and so little time before darkness reaches across the sky. I made that up randomly. I connected all the game names. I still play Sky once in a while and currently I have restarted and my current team is Team Gem. It consists of my character (phanpy) and my partner (meowth). Sky gives a unique outlook to Pokemon that is only seen in the Mystery Dungeon arch. Playing as the Pokemon in a Pokemon only world show the natural habitat of Pokemon.... Well mostly. Some bits are exagerated but all in all much more realistic the the main series. As a huge Pokemon fan I rate this game from my perspective. So if you disagree that's fine. If you agree with me that's fine too. But either way I hope you enjoy this review.
Graphics 10 Sound 10 Addictive 8 Story 10 Depth 10 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 4/5 Submitted: 03-22-14 Review Replies: 4

10

The sadest pokemon game ever! RMJEtheReploid
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, Sky was my second Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game. Created by Nintendo and Chunsoft Co, this game was heart warming, Sad and Dark. Lets Explore the Pokémon realm. (note: i am gonna be stupid at times! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!)

Graphics: 10. The Graphics in the game were well done, Very Creative and Wonder full. Just one problem tough, There is a crack...wait that's in my DS never mind! Since i grew up playing Pokémon, I was Inspired by the game to draw Pokémon. The Pokémon Animation sprites are surprisingly better then all of the mega man DS Games. I loved the way Chattot always flapped his wings when he was mad. He was like: IMMA PECK YOUR FACE OFF, WAIT I CAN'T DO THAT! That's why I am giving graphics a 10.

Sound: 10 (I WANT IT TO BE OVER NINE THOUSAND!) The sound in the game was Really nice. I love the permanal Dealga theme, The crystal theme. Since sky has the sound tester thing, you can listen to the songs you have gotten plus more. so i'm giving this a 10

Addictiveness: 10. Since this game is for the DS i can play it anywhere, anytime. Since the game had so much humor, (Ex: Chattot flapping his wings like crazy,) and the game was Hard. I will play it again! It was heart warming, it had Nice music and a very nice storyline.

Story: 10. The story starts off like: You start the game off answering questions. The Pokémon you are depends on what answers you have used in the questions.(now here's the main story) one late stormy Night, two mysterious Pokémon were trying to hang on to something when You get swept up on shore. Your partner was gonna enter a guild when he was startled. He came down to the beach and saw you were knocked out. He helps you and asks you for a name. When you answer him, a Zubat and Kouging came and stole Your partner's treasure. You go and retrieve the item and you and your partner goes and make a team. That is how the begging goes. Since the begging has so much mystery, i don't want to spoil anything!

Depth: 9. Since the game Never ends (i think) it takes you a long time to finish the first half, then do the other part. Since i was young when i first beated the game, I was very Happy! But now that i am 13, i find that the game throws something sad at you. I know a lot of other games that do that and I'll name a few: Mega man X5, Resident Evil (i think,) Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of darkness, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of time, and Mega man X6. I'm going rate the depth a 9 since its very hard unless you had very good moves.

Difficulty: 5. Since i had Very good exspereance with the DS, The game was not to easy and not to hard. This game gives you a lot of help and a lot of education. The game might look bad but its really educational with the shops. Plus since it took me a year to beat it, I'm giving this a 5.

Overall: 10. The game has a lot in store and has a very sad but deep emotion with the real world. i hope you liked this review! (note: i used the same review for Time and Darkness.)
Graphics 10 Sound 10 Addictive 10 Story 10 Depth 9 Difficulty 5
Review Rating: 3.3/5 Submitted: 10-28-14 Updated: 10-28-14 Review Replies: 0