7 Best Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Games, Ranked

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Gates To Infinity

Gates to Infinity, one of the less popular versions of Mystery Dungeon, attempts to make things worse by magnifying viewpoints that detract from the experience. Gates to Infinity has been criticised as a "watered-down" installment with bland stretches of enormous conversation ranging from passable to awful. It is also infamous for locking away much of its better features behind dozens of hours of play. Fans of the genre may still like it, though perhaps not as much as its predecessors. Even the much-desired increased difficulty amounts to a badly constructed rollercoaster ride that jumps from plodding conventional fare to drastic surges that leave the player perplexed.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Adventure Squad

Because the Adventure Squad titles were never released outside of Japan, most worldwide fans will have never heard of them. Despite the fact that it was released in 2009, no English patch was available until April 2020. Furthermore, the games were created for the Wii home system but were confined to WiiWare rather than a full release. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this means that Adventure Squad was developed on the cheap and has ended up being quite lacklustre. The premise doesn't differ far enough from Mystery Dungeon's standard approach to justify the effort of tracking down a fan patch, and the characters isn't particularly likeable. In terms of story and characters, the games are also nowhere near the level of the other entries. Adventure Squad is not officially available, and the difficulty of tracking down a copy is not worth it.

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon

Super Mystery Dungeon is the largest of the Mystery Dungeon series, with 720 Pokemon. Keep in mind that this isn't a 720 Pokemon Pokedex. You don't just come across them, catch them, and pick your favourite few to form a squad. PSMD, as it's sometimes abbreviated, actively invites you to engage in fight with each and every one of the catchable species. As is customary with the Mystery Dungeon series, Western critics praised the plot and atmosphere while criticising the gameplay loop. Unfortunately, Super Mystery Dungeon takes the cake for the most tediously repeated overall presentation. There's not much here that doesn't quickly outgrow its welcome. It's a grind even within a grind series, which is why it's near the bottom of our ranking. Despite this, the game retains the essence of the franchise and introduces us to some truly touching characters.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team & Red Rescue Team

Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, the origins of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. Laid the framework for what would become one of Pokemon's most popular spin-off sensations. It's a little shaky at first. With the devs clearly grappling with how to fit the decades-old Mystery Dungeon premise to the brand name. Its allure emanated from the smaller world, separating itself from any striving to be the best and giving a cosier, nicer vibe. We can forgive Rescue Team for occasionally feeling like it's falling apart at the seams. Because enough heads were tilted to warrant the development of every other entry on the list. While it is showing its age now, it is undeniably a classic.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

The first console-bound entry, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, looks the part. Rescue Team DX bids farewell to the exclusive material included in the original titles, Blue Rescue Team for Game Boy Advance and Red Rescue Team for DS, and offers it everything on a lovely platter 15 years later. And, indeed, the proverbial plate is lovely. Spike Chunsoft rejected a more realistic artistic goal in favour of a heavily animated, watercolour treat that looks stunning in motion. We won't argue with fans who love the original versions of this legendary Backrooms game, but we also can't advocate that newbies chase down GBA and DS copies when a single, unified remake exists on modern hardware that also plays and looks fantastic.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Time & Explorers Of Darkness

The only distinction between Time and Darkness is the Pokemon that are available. After completing the personality test and being placed in their own body. A companion Pokemon will shortly enter the tale ? and they did. It is now your obligation to assist both characters in their dungeon explorations. Without a question, the story and people are what make these games fantastic. You will almost certainly find yourself crying throughout various scenes. The mechanics have also been improved since the Rescue Team era, so the games are not at all awkward. There is, however, a better version of these games...

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers Of Sky

Explorers of Sky, which debuted two years later, is practically the "Platinum" to Time and Darkness' "Diamond & Pearl." More dungeons, more cutscenes, more customization options, you get the picture. Explorers of Sky is not just more, but it is also better in every way, perfecting an already excellent game. If you want to try out the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games for the first time, start with Explorers of Sky. There are few reasons to choose otherwise. Also, Darkrai is a righteous jerk in the postgame episode. This represents the pinnacle for many fans. If Spike Chunsoft tries again with a PMD remake, which is quite likely, the Explorers trilogy is the standard to beat. Don't forget to bring tissues because the narrative will undoubtedly make you cry.