Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness

 DS
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 116 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 95 out of 116
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 116
  3. Negative: 7 out of 116
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  1. DivineStorm
    Jul 10, 2008
    7
    Its a fun game and has a deep storyline and more pokemon from diamond and pearl in it. It also has many dungeons and you can recruit legendary pokemon in some of the dungeons if you are lucky that is. But there are also downsides: You can't roam in town with other pokemon like in red and blue recue team, you also can't swich from leader like in red and blue rescue team which is Its a fun game and has a deep storyline and more pokemon from diamond and pearl in it. It also has many dungeons and you can recruit legendary pokemon in some of the dungeons if you are lucky that is. But there are also downsides: You can't roam in town with other pokemon like in red and blue recue team, you also can't swich from leader like in red and blue rescue team which is sometimes frustrating and there is not much you can do after you completed the game besides recruiting legendaries and stuff I personally think red/blue rescue team and explorers of time/darkness are evenly matched.… Expand
  2. Shierzhi
    Jul 10, 2011
    6
    Interesting storyline overall, but dated graphics and weird mechanics. Don't play this if you are looking for something that feels like the original games, as it's more of a dungeon crawler. Also the A.I. from your allies will make you cry.
  3. Susano
    Aug 25, 2010
    5
    It gets three of that 5 for the pretty good storyline, and some excellent music. Aside from that though, it's a boring game, but will at least last you through the main story, with little replay value beyond that. Very likeable at first, but after completion the dungeon crawling wears thin.
  4. Watermelon789
    Jun 15, 2011
    5
    Nothing new is here, is just a copy,paste from the previous ones , only putting the new pokemons(old by now,because of black and white version) so thats it.
  5. ND-Bringer
    May 21, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm surprised to realize how intellectual this game is. Its jam packed with great writing, even in the post game. And like a good adventure, the further you go the better it gets. Looking back at my progress, Team Endeavor is breezing through challenges that I originally struggled with while playing through this game during my Sophomore year. With a good strategy, it feels like you're on top of the world after clearing a long dungeon. And while this game has several luck-based mechanics, unlike Yo-Kai Watch...there mainly luck based rewards not challenges. Obtaining rare Pokemon or items isn't required to beat the main story. While Yo-Kai Watch may have better graphics, Mystery Dungeon's developers have put just as much care into their own game mechanics & variety. Like using a Gone Pebble makes the inflicted look back at sad memories & they may get the Endure Status if they fight back there tears! That's both touching & hilarious. The whole level stops for a moment just to monologue these kind of events. But even with fun stuff like this, you can't get cocky & speed through the game. It's really important to train your team at the dojo every once & a while, obtain proper equipment, food, weapons, medicine, orbs, cash for Kecleon shops, & create carefully planned move sets. This is a spin-off game, of course some moves are going to have different effects for the better or worse. My personal favorite are the typeless moves Wide-Slash & Vacuum-Cut, perfect for covering weaknesses. Be prepared these dungeons are full of traps that are cable of any kind of irritation. Those PP-0 Traps are the scary as hell. This game has a really good story, but it's important to remember what's necessary in order to progress properly. A newbie player is most likely to rush though the game after getting adrenaline from easily completing a few levels. But if you don't take time to slow down, you're most likely to flip out the moment you get KO'd by a nearby Special Attack sniper. You can't just rush in a dungeon and run away from every single foe, you need that EXP in order to stand up to those bosses. It's easy to get upset with these games when things aren't going your way. Some random bird Pokemon gobbled up your Reviver Seeds? GROW UP! You can always buy more. If your stuck at a certain checkpoint, see if you can head back to town, take the PATH that U-turns back to that check point for training, or use an Escape Orb to add items & cash to your storage using the power of the Kangaskhan Rock. Of course if some levels are taking hours to complete, this game may not be for you. Whenever I found a tough or even terrifying level, I immediately would abandon the game when I was little, because the difficulty in these spin-offs sets it apart from the core series. And that's what I really like about these games, reseting the game and replaying the story helps you really grow as a person. There's several different starter Pokemon to choose from, making each experience feel different. I love uncovering new secrets with each revisit while leading a team mad up of my favorite Pokemon. That's what I dislike about most modern Pokemon games, with rare Pokemon being even more tedious to obtain & difficulty that makes PokePark look challenging, many new players are going to end whining all day long about not being able to defeat the champion, while forgetting the fact that you can simply keep powering-up & healing a single Pokemon over & over again, to sweep though an entire team! Mystery Dungeon is the opposite, decision making is more important than ever & you can use a variety of tactics to get your team out of a jam. And by raising your IQ and stats with common Gummis, you can reach new levels of power & learn all sorts of techniques that can also be turned off just in case they're ineffective against certain foes. Sometimes, the best solution is to just stop & think. Like you Pokemon's increasing intelligence, it feels like these games in particular really help your brain grow. And let's not forget about the theme. In the core series anime, I really enjoyed those quiet scenes of Ash & his friends camping out at night as well as seeing them exploring all sorts of harsh environments. Explorers captures that theme perfectly, especially with the Expedition chapters! With cities in walking distance in the core-series, PMD games actually handle that journey theme better, with levels that separate you from the hub area for a while. I guess my only nitpick in this game is that normally an antagonist team is featured on the covers of classic PMD games. And on Darkness, there's a Gabite, a Steelix, & a Houndoom in the background. What are they? Minor enemy Pokemon! Gabite is a secret boss in an extra mission though. While some days this game feels irritating with every floor packed with dead ends, it's still a solid series. I consider it one of the greatest spin-off Pokemon games with the huge story content & the wonderful level themes.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

12
#12 Most Discussed DS Game of 2008
8
#8 Most Shared DS Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 27
  3. Negative: 5 out of 27
  1. Cheat Code Central
    76
    A complex and challenging dungeon crawler that has a lot to offer. Even though the dungeon crawling aspect is very repetitive, the connectivity features, the vast number and variety of Pokemon, Wonder Mail, hours of gameplay, difficulty, etc. makes this pure kiddy-crack!
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  2. IGN
    65
    It’s a dated game design that’s been recycled out of an underwhelming original game from a year ago.
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  3. GameSpy
    80
    If you've wanted to play Rogue-like games in the past, but found them to be a bit too unforgiving, this is an exceedingly good alternative to look into.
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