Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky

 DS
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 435 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 396 out of 435
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 435
  3. Negative: 22 out of 435
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  1. Gogeta440
    Jul 25, 2023
    10
    This is the best Game. I played so many games but this is soooooo gooooood. The first place is
    Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky second skyrim and third Terraria
  2. RuneinA
    Jul 15, 2023
    10
    Este unas de las mejores viviencias de todo mi vida, si te gustan los mundos misteriosos este juego es la cúspide de todos ellos y para mí uno de los mejores juegos de la historia, sobre todo por su historia y banda sonora.
  3. Danovan91
    Jun 25, 2023
    10
    Una obra de arte, cada personaje esta bien desarrollado, disfrutable para un verdadero fan de la saga cin la mejor historia de la franquicia
  4. Skuty
    Jun 22, 2023
    10
    Please remake,
    Please remake,
    Please remake,
    Please remake,
    Please remake.
  5. polishedrelish
    Jun 5, 2023
    10
    This game's critic scores are the biggest injustice in media reviewing history. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky is a game like no other, with truckloads of content, amazing gameplay, a wonderful story, and timeless visuals. The Roguelike dungeon crawling might seem repetitive, but the jobs that increase your exploration rank and the wide array of recruitable Pokemon will keep youThis game's critic scores are the biggest injustice in media reviewing history. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky is a game like no other, with truckloads of content, amazing gameplay, a wonderful story, and timeless visuals. The Roguelike dungeon crawling might seem repetitive, but the jobs that increase your exploration rank and the wide array of recruitable Pokemon will keep you coming back well after you've finished the game. The different dungeons also offer a good degree of challenge, especially the ones late in the story and in the post-game. The story is gripping and builds itself up rather than dropping all the action right at the end, with memorable characters and a great soundtrack. If you ever get the chance to play this game, I can't recommend it enough… Expand
  6. SANTIACO
    Jun 5, 2023
    10
    Un excelente videojuego. Con una historia conmovedora, una banda sonora excelente, y con personajes fantásticos. Y una dificultad agradable, a pesar de tener malas reseñas es un juego que se disfruta y te genera muchas emociones.
  7. Yojimbo2015
    Jun 5, 2023
    5
    Another cutesy but simplistic arcade adventure featuring the Pokémon characters. And like most of them, it's quite pretty but pretty bland.
  8. Garde_Mystik
    Jun 3, 2023
    5
    Story is fine, music is spectacular, but the gameplay is complete garbage and the higher difficulty of this game forced me to cope with it. This game was more annoying than fun to play through as the sheer amount of RNG elements they had made mainline games look RNG-free and all you do is traverse through a repetitive cycle of dungeons hoping you don't get screwed over by odds. This can beStory is fine, music is spectacular, but the gameplay is complete garbage and the higher difficulty of this game forced me to cope with it. This game was more annoying than fun to play through as the sheer amount of RNG elements they had made mainline games look RNG-free and all you do is traverse through a repetitive cycle of dungeons hoping you don't get screwed over by odds. This can be made easier by grinding for items and chucking them around but it eventually feels scummy to do so, especially against bosses. I did not enjoy the Primal Dialga fight because it stomped me like 15 times over when I was itemless and I had to go though ~150 floors only to beat it by hoping the moves it used weren't Roar of Time, and I did not enjoy the Darkrai fight because I learned how items worked and used it to cheese Darkrai extremely hard, while the only alternative was either losing to Ominous Wind or hoping it would not use the move. These are just a few examples out of the whole and probably not even the worst of them, but all in all, this game caused me to dislike Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games as a whole and I completely agree with the critics.… Expand
  9. TIE-Defender
    Mar 10, 2023
    10
    IGNORE THE CRITICS JUST PLAY IT

    From the art style to the ost to the intriguing plot. This game tells a story about personal development, sacrifice and friendship like few other games can. Oh, and the gameplay is lit too.
  10. Spered
    Feb 28, 2023
    10
    My favorite game ever.
    You don't need a review, just know that the characters are better than each other.
    Manly tears T.T
  11. ZangBang
    Feb 6, 2023
    4
    It barely attempts to improve the terribly repetitive exploration loop with only a few, meagre new features, once again leaving only the survival mechanics and rewarding strategy to engage the player, although the challenge is noticeably less thrilling than the previous game's. The story remains simplistic but improved drastically, as a cast of endearing characters unravels the mysteriesIt barely attempts to improve the terribly repetitive exploration loop with only a few, meagre new features, once again leaving only the survival mechanics and rewarding strategy to engage the player, although the challenge is noticeably less thrilling than the previous game's. The story remains simplistic but improved drastically, as a cast of endearing characters unravels the mysteries behind an artistically vibrant, whimsical world balancing nicely humour, heartfelt emotion and dramatic pathos.… Expand
  12. LevelOneSheik
    Jan 18, 2023
    10
    There are many times where you should ignore the critics. This is one of those times.

    I will start off by saying this: Just because you like the mainline Pokémon games does not mean that you will enjoy this game. It's very different from the main turn-based games we know Pokémon as. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is a dungeon crawler, so definitely keep that in mind.    There are many times where you should ignore the critics. This is one of those times.

    I will start off by saying this: Just because you like the mainline Pokémon games does not mean that you will enjoy this game. It's very different from the main turn-based games we know Pokémon as. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is a dungeon crawler, so definitely keep that in mind.
    That being said, I firmly believe that this game is genuinely one of the best Pokémon games ever put out.

    -STORY-
    The story of this game is one of the best stories to come out of a Pokémon game. Granted, that may not be saying much since Pokémon games generally don't focus much on their stories, but my point still stands. It's a fun and engaging story that certainly does its job and then some, filled with lovable characters, twists and epic moments to hype you up for incoming bosses and story beats. There were even some moments that made me shed tears as a kid, and even get me a bit choked up today, which is more than I can say for any other Pokémon game.

    -GAMEPLAY-
    The gameplay is simple, but fun. You make your way through randomly generated floors in various dungeons throughout the game, attempting to make it to the end, fight the boss, then continue on with the story. Obviously as you progress through the game, dungeons grow longer and more difficult to traverse, although the longer ones do have checkpoints as you grow closer to the end, a chance to save and rest up before continuing on. You can also use various items to help you on your journey, and even have a chance at recruiting Pokémon that you defeat in dungeons to join your team and aid you on your missions through dungeons.

    This game is packed with additional content. The post-game is highly enjoyable, with additional story to the main plot, and some special dungeons where you can either hunt down special Pokémon or attempt to complete a dungeon with some limitations or special rules. There are also special stories you can unlock as you progress through the game, that allow you to play through side stories of various characters you meet in the game! There's so much to enjoy.    … Expand
  13. Paps_Yt
    Jan 5, 2023
    10
    LiTERALLY THE BEST POKEMON GAME AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA IT'S JUST SO GOOD THE PLOT THE CHARACTERS THE MUSIC
  14. Paps69
    Jan 5, 2023
    10
    The most underrated game in history, the plot is just the best, the characters are well structured
  15. botardi
    Jan 1, 2023
    10
    there isn't a single logical explanation to why this game is a 54 on metacritic
    a story that will undoubtedly make you cry, awesome character development and design, exceptionally dynamic dungeon-crawiling system and a lot of cute **** pokemons
  16. moschidae
    Dec 12, 2022
    10
    i am not joking when I say that you have to play this before you die, by any means necessary.
  17. ND-Bringer
    Dec 10, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Let's talk about the deluxe version. Carrying the spirit Pokemon Platinum, a new part of the postgame is introduced with both springtime & underworld themes attached to the levels. I think what's really soothing about these games is that they capture the themes of each generation better than the core series at times. Time resembles the main story & Dialga. While Darkness represents the post game story & Palkia. While Sky has a focus...on a few new features & Shaymin's ego. It's not bad by any means, clearly the story is staying far away from the annoying Sky Warrior movie. But I say the best of this game comes from the other new features. The Spinda Cafe offers all sorts of new luck based rewards, whether they be major or minor, sometimes they can just make your day. By giving Gummis to Spinda, he can turn them into nice drinks that may greatly boost your stats if you're lucky. And the Recycle Shop gives a use for all of your extra 1 scent items. Your teammates can even chill out at the Cafe while they're waiting. "Hey Dialga? Want a Royal Gummi Shake?" I think this game serves as another reason to replay the game, with that epic story to revisit & the inspiration to create an even better team makes it worth while. Got stuck on the last game? Maybe a fresh start will help. Other new features include Beach Bottles that contain extra requests & the Secret Bazaar is PMD heaven. Especially since Mime Jr. can completely heal your team for a simple 100 coins. Its great stuff & all, but let's talk about the post game. While it's basically the same if you take out the Shaymin quest, its still one of the greatest post game stories I've ever seen. The hilarious Guild Graduation Test, going on a quest on Blizzard Island to save a senior explorer, venturing through deep sea levels, parenthood, a team up expedition with PKMN's version of Charlie's Angels, & let's not forget that epic final chapter revealing the true final boss! I think Darkrai is good choice for the arch villain, it may seem like a stereotype choice in writing revealing him to be the cause of the destruction of Temporal Tower & the player's amnesia, but I think it just plugs up plot holes nicely. He's not the kind of villain that boasts power, he works from the shadows & pulls the strings. I'd even say he's the toughest opponent in the game. His dungeon Dark Crater, as awesome as it is, isn't the most challenging dungeon in the game compared to the legendary PKMN dungeons. But while you can gain up up on the legendaries with 4 strong PKMN, you're forced to bring yourself, your partner, & Cresselia to this dungeon alone, because an army of explorers would scare Darkrai away. And gets dicier...you can't evolve your starters, Darkrai summons a monster house, & if just one of your teammates gets knocked, out including Cresselia, without a Reviver Seed its an instant defeat! And this Darkrai knows a pesky Ominous Wind attack that can sweep your whole Team if you're not careful. Toss some Sleep Seeds at him & be careful. This is not a battle of brawn, its test to see if you actually use throwing items. And afterword Darkrai tries to escape through a Dimensional Hole, but your former assassin Palkia comes to save the day, by launching a badass Spacial Rend attack at the vortex. The definition of epic. And that's that for the story. Of course you have those crazy long dungeons to take on, but I find them kind of irritating with a lack of check points & there are clearly too many of them. Making 100% game completion take an eternity even for a master level speed runner. It gives you a lot to do, but it can feel like the same thing every time. Again the main strength of this game is story, the kind that teaches the meaning of trust & accusation with great characters like Grovyle & Dusknoir representing that. Heck, we even get to team up with Drowzee int he final chapter. And he's one the first boss of the game! Of course, this game is the easiest of the 3 Explorers. And I've realized that's because of the special episodes. Your storage is linked with the main story's & you can even use these extra profiles to rake in free items in case your stuck on certain levels. These episodes are nice & all, but they feel restricting in the Team Charm episode. I'm not willing to risk my entire Reviver Seed storage just to beat Aggron's crew, I'm astonished that Team Charm is Master Rank with those puny levels & those weak move sets. Still, these Episodes are a nice change of pace, but I think it's only worth your time to play through the Grovyle Episode. Who doesn't want revisit those awesome Dead Future levels?! Well many claim this game to be perfection, I'd rather think of it as near perfection. DX may be the current best PMD game in the series, but once Explorers gets a remake...its going to be incredible! Why not have a PMD remake to go with the Diamond & Pearl remakes? Overall, this game brings joy to my heart. One of the best DS games if I'm being honest with you(:… Expand
  18. Zu343
    Dec 8, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. An absolutely masterpiece. Pokemon mystery Dungeon Exploers of sky is one of the best games I have ever played in my life.

    The Story: The Story is very exciting, intresting and beautiful with a sad ending. Nobody of my Community believe me. I have recommendet i to any Fan of Pokemon Franchise and people which play it were amazed. The Gameplay: The dungeon crawler System in Pokemon is something else. Many people said that pokemon is not a dungeon crawler but in comparison to other dungeon crawlers and rogue likes the Implementation was succeded. The Levels of every dungeons are randomized with random item drops, rooms and traps. Some Rooms are very hard with monster rooms and many traps but with the right strategy you have no Problems. A certain difficulty is very important but sooms rooms frustrated. For example You step to A explosion trap and the attack charge surge Hits you, you lose a revive seed. But all in all the gameplay is very Intresting.



    The Music: I love the music and I use it sometimes for YouTube Videos or play it in Streams. The Atmosphere in combination of the music is very exciting, very emotional and beautiful. All in all the Story in combination of the music and atmosphere render Pokemon mystery dungeon exploers of sky to an absolutely masterpiece.    … Expand
  19. SirFake
    Dec 1, 2022
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This Game is truly something Else. When i First started to play Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of the sky i was very sceptical. I had to Restart the game several times, because my Team was unable to even clear the first Dungeon, hence the difficulty. And to be completely honest with you, the gameplay mechanics are fine, as a dungeon crawler the game works really well. But what I couldn’t tolerate throughout my playthrough was the sheer unfairness of the dungeons. Its an interesting approach, randomizing every dungeon item etc. But that’s exactly why I had to waste hours and hours because I had to soft reset,a lot, I got in situations where my team got into an ambush and was permanently unable to move due to paralysis, flinching, confusion etc. So I couldn’t even use orbs. Sometimes I spawned, moved 2 squares, got hit by an explosion trap, and some Pokémon sniped me from off screen and I died. It’s frustrating, of course it makes the game challenging, but sometimes it’s just really unfair. In one of the last Dungeons, where i was short of every item imaginable, I ran into 3 ambush rooms in a row, and managed to clear all of them only using 2 revive seeds, which feels amazing to achieve in the end tho. But putting the frustrating gameplay aside, the story was something I have not expected. A Pokémon Game where you as the player really feel a bond to each and every character? Where every Pokémon has its own personality and almost feels like a human being? A story so bone chilling and bittersweet at the same time? Something you would not expect from a Pokémon game at all? Something you have never seen happening before? Something that will absolutely blow your mind? Something that makes u sweat? Something that makes you cry? I could list a lot more about this game, but I think I wouldn’t have enough space on this review. I couldn’t.truly express how much I love this game, even tho I just finished it. You definitely have to play this game if you are a fan of this franchise. My friend recommended it to me a year ago and I never believed him that the game was that Good. Im glad I finally listened to him. The Story, the Plot Twists, the characters, the music oh my god the music… all of that and Even more was truly magnificent and magical and the game is an absolute masterpiece. Don’t get intimidated by the gameplay, you will get rewarded by being able to see how the story unfolds.… Expand
  20. Fury72888hshu
    Dec 5, 2022
    10
    10/10 masterpiece, I dont care what the critic said, their reviews and claims are invalid when they didnt even play half of the game before reviewing its. **** them, **** those negative critic reviews, especially IGN, and that why kids, you should never trust critic reviews.

    The Story: Freaking masterpiece, especially when you beat the main story and then realize there are more story    10/10 masterpiece, I dont care what the critic said, their reviews and claims are invalid when they didnt even play half of the game before reviewing its. **** them, **** those negative critic reviews, especially IGN, and that why kids, you should never trust critic reviews.

    The Story: Freaking masterpiece, especially when you beat the main story and then realize there are more story that actually make the main story even more make sense. Nice Job Chunsoft!

    The Graphic: its a NDS Pokémon games, what did you expect beside 8 bits? not like I care about graphic or something idk

    The Gameplay: People might said that the Mystery Dungeon format is kinda grinding and confusing and I gotta partially agree with that, but not with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, trust me I have played Chocobo Mysterious Dungeon and holy **** that make PMD fell like heaven.

    The Music: The Best of The Best, Chunsoft really did a good job on this. like 10/10 is definitely not enough for the music. Nah not even 20/10    … Expand
  21. mindbubbls
    Nov 26, 2022
    10
    This game improves on Explorers of Time and Darkness in almost every way, and is one of my favorite Pokémon games of all time.

    Graphics: The game uses sprites for its visuals, and they’re very colorful and expressive. Gameplay: The game is a rouge like dungeon crawler, with randomized dungeons. The game can get repetitive relatively quickly because of it. It also starts out pretty    This game improves on Explorers of Time and Darkness in almost every way, and is one of my favorite Pokémon games of all time.

    Graphics: The game uses sprites for its visuals, and they’re very colorful and expressive.

    Gameplay: The game is a rouge like dungeon crawler, with randomized dungeons. The game can get repetitive relatively quickly because of it. It also starts out pretty easy, but actually starts to get really hard in the later half of the game, and there’s some postgame dungeons that are RIDICULOUSLY hard to the point where you would need to rely almost entirely on luck to beat them. There are some rpg elements in the game such as the standard Pokémon moves and items from the main series of Pokémon games.

    Story: The premise of the story is you are a human who has turned into a Pokémon and has no memory of how it happened. Time is stopping everywhere and you and your partner have to find a way to stop it.

    The story is one of the deepest stories I’ve every seen in a Pokémon game, and in my opinion is even better than the mainline games. The story can get pretty sad at times and may or may not make you cry. You can beat the main story in about 20 to 22hours long, but then there’s actually a lengthy post game story that’s REALLY good and is almost a full game in itself, and is about 10 hours or so long depending on the amount of retries you do. Not to mention this version of the game has 5 special episodes that weren’t in Darkness and Time, and they’re focusing on other characters in the game’s story. These can easily add yet another 8 hours to the game on average. And if you’re into completionism, be prepared to have playtime reach the 100+ hours mark. Mine is about 254 hours and I STILL haven’t gotten everything.

    Sound and music: The music is really catchy, and most dungeons have their own themes, with a few repeats hear and there. Most bosses have the same theme, but some are exclusive to specific bosses, and I think they’re all catchy, especially the final boss before the credits roll. When you beat the game, you unlock the jukebox so that you can listen to pretty much any song in the game.

    You should really get this game on the DS, if you’re willing to spend the money anyway since the ds games are worth some money now. So you can get them on the WiiU virtual shop, or just emulate it if you have nothing else to play on, but the game is totally worth it.    … Expand
  22. hector_bcn98
    Nov 7, 2022
    9
    El mundo misterioso definitivo de Pokémon. Mejoraba e incluía más contenido que Tiempo y Oscuridad, además de ofrecer la mayor cantidad de horas de todos. El más completo hasta la fecha si te apetecía volver a pasar por caja, claro.
  23. Hibi_TQ
    Oct 31, 2022
    10
    One of the best Pokemon Games of all time.
    Charming history that will make you tear up. Lovable characters and interesting gameplay.
    Awesome music It's still a masterpiece to this day.
  24. Grumos
    Oct 18, 2022
    0
    Probablemente la saga mas infravalorada de la historia. Nunca antes he visto una desproporción tan grande entre el amor dedicado a un juego y su nota.
  25. AnxiousMike
    Sep 19, 2022
    10
    Don't listen to the critics. This game is an underrated masterpiece. I don't want to spoiler anything but everything will lead to a scene that is going to you cry for sure. If you haven't played it yet, please do!
  26. Alphonsokurukuc
    Aug 2, 2022
    10
    This the peak Pokemon game. Superb story that extends even more than the 'main plot', Has all the Pokemon right before unova
  27. Dewom
    Apr 9, 2022
    10
    No comprendo las notas de los críticos en los juegos de Mundo Misterioso, pero especialmente en este....¿UNA MEDIA DE 5'5? Absolutamente fuera de lugar.

    Empezando por lo malo, este juego mantiene algunos de los aspectos más molestos de la entrega anterior en cuanto a mecánicas y exceso de farmeo para realizar estrategias interesantes. Quitando eso, para mi es el mejor juego de    No comprendo las notas de los críticos en los juegos de Mundo Misterioso, pero especialmente en este....¿UNA MEDIA DE 5'5? Absolutamente fuera de lugar.

    Empezando por lo malo, este juego mantiene algunos de los aspectos más molestos de la entrega anterior en cuanto a mecánicas y exceso de farmeo para realizar estrategias interesantes.

    Quitando eso, para mi es el mejor juego de Pokemon, period. Tenemos que tener en cuenta que estos juegos se hacen especialmente para un público joven, así que 100% van a tener elementos de historia infantiles de vez en cuando...pero madre mía, la historia. SImplemente increible, todos personajes, los diseños de escenarios, el pixel art, los plottwists, la inmensa cantidad de post game...OJALÁ, OJALÁ este juego reciba un DX en un futuro...porque de mejorar en los aspectos menos pulidos y anticuados de sus mecánicas, para mi sería de los mejores juegos que he jugado. SImplemente increible y probablemente el último juego realmente potente de la saga.    … Expand
  28. zemzem
    Apr 9, 2022
    10
    Professional game critics judge a game from the point of view of someone who has played nearly every game on the market. That's why they like to complain that this game is bad and redundant. Of course it is not worth you money if you already played "Explorers of Time / Darkness", it is essentially the same. But for itself, it's actually great, and I went through numerous phases ofProfessional game critics judge a game from the point of view of someone who has played nearly every game on the market. That's why they like to complain that this game is bad and redundant. Of course it is not worth you money if you already played "Explorers of Time / Darkness", it is essentially the same. But for itself, it's actually great, and I went through numerous phases of addiction and withdrawal with this game.

    The gameplay loop in itself is so addictive that I spent almost 100 hours playing, although you can beat it in much less time. Even after beating it, there's lots of content. I personally went on a quest to recruit all legendary Pokémons to my team, and there's a lot of them. Exploring the dungeons is much fun, and the items are very creative. You just can't stop, playing (in-game) day after day. The soundtrack is purely amazing, especially when you fight against criminals. The graphics are the peak of old school pixel art.

    The obvious crown jewel of this game is Treasure Town. The game (outside the dungeons) is just oozing with charm. Everything feels so cute and lovely, and you'll instantly fall in love with the characters. Spinda's Café is even better than the café in Animal Crossing, you just have to watch the owner mix a drink. The story is good average, but for Nintendo games, it's outstanding.    … Expand
  29. Fennek
    Apr 5, 2022
    10
    One of the best games ever. From the story, the characters, the gameplay to the music, everything is incredible. This game has given me feelings like no other game has. Words can't describe this masterpiece.
  30. TurtleGames
    Feb 18, 2022
    10
    Man this game is actually one of the best spin offs of the franchise, its a shame that it has such a low score
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Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Most Discussed DS Game of 2009
3
#3 Most Shared DS Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
54

Mixed or average reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 26
  3. Negative: 9 out of 26
  1. Da Gameboyz
    60
    I just can't recommend Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky to anyone that has played the previous games in the series. It looks like a GBA game, and is chock full of lazy and somewhat dated gameplay.
    Read full review
  2. Cheat Code Central
    60
    While Explorers of Sky would be a decent game if it were judged in a vacuum, when viewed alongside Explorers of Time / Darkness, there simply isn't enough unique, quality content to make it relevant. This is perhaps one of the worst values in gaming I've ever seen.
    Read full review
  3. Gaming Age
    42
    The story isn't interesting enough to keep you involved, and the gameplay doesn't elevate past mashing attacks for combat. All together, it's a disappointing title, and not one that I suggest checking out.
    Read full review
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