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. Darklycan51
    Dec 8, 2013
    10
    This is the most UNDERRATED game in modern gaming history.
    This is the most UNDERRATED game in modern gaming history.
    This is the most UNDERRATED game in modern gaming history.
    This is the most UNDERRATED game in modern gaming history.
    This is the most UNDERRATED game in modern gaming history.
  2. HolyJesus
    Apr 28, 2020
    10
    DON'T LISTEN TO THE CRITICS. The story is great, the characters are fun and it's really challenging. The only problem is how unforgiving the gameplay is (especially at the end). But other than that, it's amazing. Also, despite what the critics say, this game is different from Explorers of Time and Darkness. The special episodes and extra dungeons make the game a lot more fun than otherDON'T LISTEN TO THE CRITICS. The story is great, the characters are fun and it's really challenging. The only problem is how unforgiving the gameplay is (especially at the end). But other than that, it's amazing. Also, despite what the critics say, this game is different from Explorers of Time and Darkness. The special episodes and extra dungeons make the game a lot more fun than other mystery dungeon games.… Expand
  3. Tiziown
    May 22, 2021
    10
    54 of Metacritic?
    For a game with such a catchy and moving story?
    For a game with such funny and lovable characters?
    For a game with such an amazing soundtrack?
    For a game with such of a funny gameplay?
    Good Job "professional" reviewers.
  4. Joe2126
    Oct 29, 2019
    10
    To this day, having played everything that is great from Deus Ex to Half-life 2 to Max Payne, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of the sky still remains in my top 5 games of all time, in fact in second place. This game is by far the most underrated game ever made and those who were able to play it can express how powerful this game's messages really are.

    In a game made for kids, still    To this day, having played everything that is great from Deus Ex to Half-life 2 to Max Payne, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of the sky still remains in my top 5 games of all time, in fact in second place. This game is by far the most underrated game ever made and those who were able to play it can express how powerful this game's messages really are.

    In a game made for kids, still looking back at it as an adult I can confirm that the messages this game sends to you are going to have an impact on your life. One of the main messages of the game, on who's really fighting for the greater good or fighting to instil chaos still relates to the overall idea of politics in today's world, whether nations are actually fighting for peace or are they fighting to create fear. The way the game was written was made to prepare children to grow up in the world's environment which brings me down to the main message of Explorers of the sky, loyalty and friendship.

    The ending of explorers of the sky is horrible to watch and it's truly powerful in every way that it will make you cry if you actually took the time to invest your time into this beautifully written story. The writing of this game is rare, the only other game which is written in a similar fashion is Ion Storm's Deus ex. These are two games which really encourage the gamer to think about their life and what is to come in the future.

    A beautiful and inspiring story. If you are reading this and haven't played the game, I suggest you do, you won't regret it. I really want a remake of this game but I doubt it will ever happen unfortunately    … Expand
  5. ChrisS
    Oct 14, 2009
    8
    Roguelike RPGs tend to polarize reviewers. On one hand, they can be excessively difficult and repititious. On the other they can be challenging and addictive. It depends entirely on the person playing the game. Explorers of Sky is a poor Pokemon game, that is true, but it is an intriguing and fun Mystery Dungeon game, and as a Mystery Dungeon fan but not a Pokemon fan, I find that I Roguelike RPGs tend to polarize reviewers. On one hand, they can be excessively difficult and repititious. On the other they can be challenging and addictive. It depends entirely on the person playing the game. Explorers of Sky is a poor Pokemon game, that is true, but it is an intriguing and fun Mystery Dungeon game, and as a Mystery Dungeon fan but not a Pokemon fan, I find that I really enjoy this game. In particular, the death penalties are not so sharp as to make the game a chore to push through, making this game closer to Final Fantasy Fables Chocobo's Dungeon than to Shiren the Wanderer. Your enjoyment of this game is going to be based entirely on your personal preferences, and I hope that there are others out there like me who agree. For me, this game is a solid 8.… Expand
  6. JohnSmith
    Nov 19, 2009
    9
    The Mystery Dungeon series has never done well in America, but this Pokemon title is truly fun to play.
  7. 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
  8. JamesqM
    Oct 24, 2009
    9
    I love these games. I love going through dungeons and having pokemon actually as characters instead of weapons. The story is lighthearted and fun. The special episodes are also a lot of fun to play through and get backstory on some of the characters. Good times.
  9. ShinY
    Oct 16, 2009
    8
    I agree with Chris S. I am a Pokemon fan and a Mystery dungeon fan as well, I already expected Explorers of the Sky to be a slightly fancied version of Explorers of time or darkness. The revivwers seem to compare Sky towards Explorers of Time and Darkness. Sure the Special episodes may be a bit unoriginal, but they made some real changes to the gae such as you can save on the crossroads I agree with Chris S. I am a Pokemon fan and a Mystery dungeon fan as well, I already expected Explorers of the Sky to be a slightly fancied version of Explorers of time or darkness. The revivwers seem to compare Sky towards Explorers of Time and Darkness. Sure the Special episodes may be a bit unoriginal, but they made some real changes to the gae such as you can save on the crossroads in the town, or maybe a easier way to smarten up your teammates. Overall I agree with Chris S and I will also give it a even 8 out of 10. This game got some laughs out of me since I like goofy sort of humor.… Expand
  10. AlisonZ
    Nov 9, 2009
    10
    Well, for all you Pokemon fans out there, I seriously want you to buy the game. It has cool feature like unlockable episodes and a new juice bar, many new Pokemon and hours (and days, weeks, and months) of fun. Hardcore gamer or not, you should try, and just because a bunch of fat, lazy critics that have nothing better to do than give poor scores for great games and sit on their rump all Well, for all you Pokemon fans out there, I seriously want you to buy the game. It has cool feature like unlockable episodes and a new juice bar, many new Pokemon and hours (and days, weeks, and months) of fun. Hardcore gamer or not, you should try, and just because a bunch of fat, lazy critics that have nothing better to do than give poor scores for great games and sit on their rump all day munching burritos will not make me or most people listen to them. Many kids from ages six to sixteen will enjoy another Pokemon game because they are Nintendos loyal customers.… Expand
  11. blazefire6
    Aug 21, 2015
    9
    While gameplay can sometimes be tedious, the storyline is amazing. This is a fun game to play and it definitely underrated. Sometimes it can be challenging (like on the Zero Isles) but after applying strategy you can progress. Soundtrack is awesome too.

    A lot of neg reviews are from the kinds of players who don't like roguelikes (due to their repetitiveness) but for a roguelike fan,    While gameplay can sometimes be tedious, the storyline is amazing. This is a fun game to play and it definitely underrated. Sometimes it can be challenging (like on the Zero Isles) but after applying strategy you can progress. Soundtrack is awesome too.

    A lot of neg reviews are from the kinds of players who don't like roguelikes (due to their repetitiveness) but for a roguelike fan, this game is something that you would want to buy.    … Expand
  12. 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.
  13. Vadath
    Sep 5, 2019
    10
    One of the best pokemon game in the whole franchise, with some awesome soundtracks and an epic well-written story
  14. Flarec
    Nov 18, 2019
    10
    Pero que demonios?.... Como es posible que valoren este juego asi?... Esto tiene mas calidad que muchos titulos actuales....... Que os pasa....... Acaso... Nadie jugo este juego de verdad? No se si sea por que soy furry lo disfrute tanto pero.... Dios... 5.4? Neta oficial?..... A mi me han pasado mierdas en la vida, pero ninguna me ha hecho llorar como este titulo...... Esto es un granPero que demonios?.... Como es posible que valoren este juego asi?... Esto tiene mas calidad que muchos titulos actuales....... Que os pasa....... Acaso... Nadie jugo este juego de verdad? No se si sea por que soy furry lo disfrute tanto pero.... Dios... 5.4? Neta oficial?..... A mi me han pasado mierdas en la vida, pero ninguna me ha hecho llorar como este titulo...... Esto es un gran juego, no sabeis como chille por su final... Es desgarrador.... Esto es arte!.........
    Quiza me guste por que sea debil y me sienta tan identificado con el personaje segundario..... Este juego es como la aventura de una vida real, en el momento que todo se viene abajo.... No existe un videojuego en nintendo mas triste que este, y si conosco de mother 3..... Pero de verdad, para mi pasar una aventura tan hermosa para pasar lo que paso.... Ninguno de esos críticos llego ni a conocer el enemigo real en el juego, tiene tanto argumento joder!....
    Me hice una cuenta aqui solo para apoyar esto..... Pobre titulo.....    … Expand
  15. Astrapup
    Jan 19, 2020
    10
    Over the last 10 years I have played my fair share of titles, yet video game has had a greater impact on my life than Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.

    A true hidden gem that offers a charming story, fantastic soundtrack, and a challenge for anyone wanting to (re)visit the Nintendo DS and its software. I do not exaggerate in the slightest when i say this game, building upon    Over the last 10 years I have played my fair share of titles, yet video game has had a greater impact on my life than Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.

    A true hidden gem that offers a charming story, fantastic soundtrack, and a challenge for anyone wanting to (re)visit the Nintendo DS and its software. I do not exaggerate in the slightest when i say this game, building upon foundation of Explorers of Time/Darkness, is one of the finest pieces of media licensed by Nintendo from the DS/Wii era of consoles (and in my opinion one of the most underrated games of all time).    … Expand
  16. LegendaryElite
    Feb 27, 2020
    10
    This game is AMAZING don't just listen to the metascore the story is great in fact it could be a masterpiece the story I wont spoil the story because you need to play it for yourself the gameplay is also good and the dungeons are cool you will fight enemy's throughout and find very useful items the game can get difficult at times but if you pack the right items you should be able to defeatThis game is AMAZING don't just listen to the metascore the story is great in fact it could be a masterpiece the story I wont spoil the story because you need to play it for yourself the gameplay is also good and the dungeons are cool you will fight enemy's throughout and find very useful items the game can get difficult at times but if you pack the right items you should be able to defeat your enemy's easily overall this game I underrated and the most reviewers hate this game but DON'T LISTEN TO THEM The only things I don't like is that sometimes if you don't pack the right items sometimes you have to grind but overall this game is a great game a refreshing experience a must play… Expand
  17. ShuihiIshihara
    May 20, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. There are so many good user reviews on this site so I don't have to mention how incredible this game is.
    It is useless to say how touching the stories are, how music is great nowadays because everybody who has already played knows it.
    Now, as a Japanese, I will tell you how most Japanese people evaluate this game.
    We call this game "The most moving game in pokemon history".Even adults will shed tears after playing it.
    Though 10 years have passed, the price of this game has grown several times. Even second hand soft is a little bit expensive now.
    The music 「primal dialga」 has been selected Tob 5 of the game music of all time. It also has been selected as the best music of Pokemon and Nintendo.
    Explorer series has also received the Japan game Awards 2007.
    That evidence can prove how this game loved by so many people in my country.    … Expand
  18. SpoopyChicken
    May 23, 2021
    9
    To give a short but descriptive summary, the gameplay's like a 7 or 8 out of 10, but the story is an 11.
    This game will make you feel connected to all the various unique pokemon here (especially your partner) This is one of the two only pokemon games in existence that has ever made me cry (Surprise the other one is the OG PMD.)
    If you haven't played it yet, do yourself a favor and DO.    To give a short but descriptive summary, the gameplay's like a 7 or 8 out of 10, but the story is an 11.
    This game will make you feel connected to all the various unique pokemon here (especially your partner) This is one of the two only pokemon games in existence that has ever made me cry (Surprise the other one is the OG PMD.)
    If you haven't played it yet, do yourself a favor and DO. The story by itself will move you in ways no other game can.
    Overall scores
    Gameplay: (8, just pokemon with dungeon-crawling J-RPG style gameplay and tile-based combat.)
    Graphics: (8-9) Has incredible visuals, especially for a game on the DS
    Sound: (Haha no this is a pokemon game from the DS era so I'm not giving this a score)
    Music: (9 wow... just wow... pretty much the best you'd ever hope for in DS music especially the ending tracks...)
    Story: (Out of ten... It's an 11 and I'd give this game a 12, seriously, if you don't wanna slog through the gameplay, do yourself a favor and hack in infinite everything (Yes there are cheat codes) just to get to the story elements, the main thing that will keep you playing this game is the story.
    overall 9/10 excluding the room for improvement found in the combat, this is a perfect game!    … Expand
  19. 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
  20. rocketpooch
    Jan 24, 2022
    10
    I literally made an account for this site just to write a review for this game. Firstly, what the heck? What are all those bad reviews about? As a person who has finished the game, I am extremely confused. Clearly these people haven't put any effort into this game or given it a chance. Either that or they're just complaining about Explorers of Sky being too similar to Time/Darkness. It'sI literally made an account for this site just to write a review for this game. Firstly, what the heck? What are all those bad reviews about? As a person who has finished the game, I am extremely confused. Clearly these people haven't put any effort into this game or given it a chance. Either that or they're just complaining about Explorers of Sky being too similar to Time/Darkness. It's MEANT to be the same game, just with some added features/story but not with major changes, similar to the third versions of the main games, (like platinum, emerald ect.) but for some reason people are expecting it to be an entirely different game or something?? From the sounds of it... anyway, enough of me complaining about the bad reviews,

    If you have the patience to actually play the game in full or at least for more than just a few hours, I promise you after a certain point the plot becomes extremely captivating and memorable. The emotions this game will make you feel is extremely unexpected for a pokemon game, and from other reviews I've read (that are actually accurate), adults feel just as touched by this game as kids do. I played it when I was very young; first when I was 7 and probably couldn't understand anything but enjoyed it anyway, then when I was around 12 and absolutely fell in love with it. I grew attached to every character introduced, especially the main ones. However, especially with the special episodes, I also grew even more attached to them as well as some of the side characters. It's kind of hard to describe how good this game is without spoiling the experience by telling you the stuff that happens (trust me, much more enjoyable when you don't know what to expect) so I really recommend playing it yourself and I dare say you won't be disappointed. When people say you're missing out if you haven't played this game, they mean it. It will forever be my absolute favourite game of all time.

    Not to mention, the music in this game is phenomenal. Sometimes I'll listen to the soundtrack from the intense scenes and feel incredibly nostalgic, getting emotional even at the memories. I'm so tempted to restart the game just so I can experience the gameplay and incredibly well-written story again, but I'm not going to lose all my data, so lucky emulators exist. As soon as I have any spare time, I am replaying this game.

    Now, on to the gameplay... depending on how much patience you have, people aren't lying when they say it can be long and tedious sometimes. You can spend ages in the dungeons sometimes. But that just makes the game more interesting and challenging. It's not supposed to be easy, if it was then it wouldn't be as fun. I don't wanna ramble much longer but seriously, you HAVE to play this game.    … Expand
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. Zoroark700
    Jun 21, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For the Pokemon fans who don't like the RPGs this is definitely the game for them. Its emotional and its just... fun. Its not the best game ever but if I could I would make this game be the number 2 or 3 game ever. Although it gets annoying and frustrating after playing one dungeon then dieing its fun fighting those big bosses like primal dialga or darkrai because it sends a burst of adrenalin through your blood. And to top it off it has epic boss music and a totally great soundtrack. Its also fun recruiting people and evolving them once you unlock luminous springs. So I just recommend this to anyone.… Expand
  24. psy_commando
    May 6, 2014
    9
    Well, first of all, I'm guessing that the bad reviews, must be because its an improved version of PMD:Explorers of Time and Darkness. Because, even though many things don't change, it really adds some really neat improvement to those two games.

    With that said, I'm not rating this game based on its value, or based on whether you bought Time and Darkness before, because I haven't. With    Well, first of all, I'm guessing that the bad reviews, must be because its an improved version of PMD:Explorers of Time and Darkness. Because, even though many things don't change, it really adds some really neat improvement to those two games.

    With that said, I'm not rating this game based on its value, or based on whether you bought Time and Darkness before, because I haven't.

    With that out of the way, I must say that, this game is fantastic ! But I have to address a few points first.

    First of all, its a slow paced game, like many proper RPGs, and if you don't give it a chance or are not patient enough, you'll never get to really experience this game. I'll admit, the first time I played it, I got through the first 2 dungeon and put the game back in its box for a few weeks. But then, after stumbling on comments about how great the story in this game was, it revived my interest. And I'm so grateful it did !

    Then, the controls are slightly odd, and not very intuitive at first, so there is a rather steep learning curve at first. It took me a while to figure out you could use moves instead of the weak last resort "A" button attack. And it took me even more time to figure out you could bind a move.. And the worst part is that the controls were written all along on the other screen by default.. But once you got it figured out, it works pretty well !

    Alright, so what does this game has to offer ?

    Plot:
    The plot, is probably my favorite thing about this game ! Its the same as in Time and Darkness though, but I didn't play those. To some it might appear at first to be one of those games made for very young kids mainly with cheerful themes and with a bland and simple plot , but there is so much more than that !

    The first few chapters are simply to setup for what will happen later. Its meant to create a sense of security and make you develop your "relationship" with the cast. In other word, make you care about this little universe, the wigglytuff guild, the other exploration teams(shootout to team poochy even though they didn't ever do much ! :3 ), your main character, and more importantly your sidekick.

    Your sidekick is probably the most complex character in this game. And by the end of the game he's / she's going to be the most developed character. At first, he/she can't stand on its own, is fearful of everything, has no real passions in his/her life. But slowly it changes throughout the story.
    And its made in such a way that, you can't help but to approve of his/her improvements. Not to mention that, the main character acts like a "big brother" / "big sister" and support the sidekick throughout his/her ordeals to get him/her to improve subtly each times.
    The sidekick eventually gets more and more grateful, which is quite touching at times.

    But once you think you've seen everything, things begin to go from bad to worst, and something magical happens.
    You realize that, you now care about those characters and don't want to see harm come their way. And that's something very few games, movies, and books ever pull off !

    And the ending is truly well executed. Its rare nowadays that I can say a game's ending left me mostly satisfied. But, while PMD:EoS doesn't innovate or is massively original in its ending, the delivery is truly nearly flawless ! And that's all I really care about in a story's ending really !
    Its guaranteed to at the very least leave you with a lump in your throat, and at worst have you bawling like a little kid..
    I know, because I ended up with the later option... Truly, I don't think I've been that sad about a video game since Mass Effect 3's and Metal Gear Solid 4's endings.. And honestly, Mass Effect 3's ending wasn't that great...

    Soundtrack:
    The music outside of Treasure Town is truly wonderful, powerful, varied, and full of surprises ! It can go from the cheery happy music from Treasure town, to the epic of Craggy Coast, to the adrenaline filled boss battles, to the doomsday eerie music of the late game segments !

    Gameplay:
    I'm running out of space for writing so lets keep this short. The gameplay is satisfactory ! At first you got a limited access to all the possible things you can do, but later on several new things are unlocked and they add depth to the gameplay. Monster houses are one of my favorite things ! I know I'm being a little sadomasochist here, but you can't help but feel kinda badass / proud to clean a entire room filed with tough hostile pokemon, using only your prized pokemon protege, and working out a decent strategy !

    A few good tips about this game:
    - You can't ever be too over leveled ! Sure common enemies go down easily in one shot if you're lvl 50, but the later part of the game just don't give a crap about your level, and you'll end up in the red fairly often !
    - Then, always bring an escape orb ! Always !
    - Bring gummies to spinda to get the most out of them! And give them to your main character and sidekick mainly, until the post-story !    … Expand
  25. XTremeGamze
    Aug 6, 2016
    10
    This game is the most under-rated game in history. The plot is the best of any in the Pokemon franchise and has a decent game play time. The music fits perfectly with each scene and level and you can tell effort has been put into it, each stage having it's own music. The downside is little was changed from explorers of Time and darkness and is still the same game. However, it is definitelyThis game is the most under-rated game in history. The plot is the best of any in the Pokemon franchise and has a decent game play time. The music fits perfectly with each scene and level and you can tell effort has been put into it, each stage having it's own music. The downside is little was changed from explorers of Time and darkness and is still the same game. However, it is definitely the one to get out of the three if you are new to the series and don't own any of the others.… Expand
  26. ikereview
    Nov 2, 2014
    10
    this game is nearly perfect sure its an upgrade but people allow many franchises to do this and say there sepiorer the story is great its the MOST UNDERRATED GAME IN MODERN HISTORY BISIDES HALO WARS
  27. Gameskiller01
    Jul 27, 2018
    10
    Without a doubt this game has one of the best soundtracks and best story of any game in modern gaming history. The "professional" reviewers are absolutely crazy.
  28. destroyer3242
    Feb 25, 2016
    10
    Ironically, this has the lowest aggregate score out of all of the pokemon mystery dungeon games.

    Well they're wrong because this game is aggreGREAT. I remember playing Explorers of Darkness, when that one first came out, and I definitely loved it, improving on everything that Red Rescue team had. And, it had everything I could ever want in a game of this type, variety, personality,    Ironically, this has the lowest aggregate score out of all of the pokemon mystery dungeon games.

    Well they're wrong because this game is aggreGREAT.

    I remember playing Explorers of Darkness, when that one first came out, and I definitely loved it, improving on everything that Red Rescue team had. And, it had everything I could ever want in a game of this type, variety, personality, fun game play, and even a good story (which, in a pokemon game alone is already an amazing feat.)!

    But, something was missing. Something to give it that one final push, and fully secure it as something I'd love forever.

    Then, along came Explorers of Sky, which added the last bits to the game that I needed. Adding new dungeons to the post-story mode, making use of even more of the cool pokemon from Gen 4 that we were all still riding the hype train over (for the most part), adding little extra things around the place to spruce up the game even more, and what was possibly my favorite part: The side stories. Yeah, some of them were weak, but what they added was character development. Even if it was small, or insignificant on some of them, it was still necessary character development. You understood the character a little more after playing through their back stories. And then it closes out with a bigger side story that actually takes place during important parts of the game, from different POVs, which by itself was a relatively large amount of content for just being some additional 'junk' to justify an extra edition.

    Understand, however, that this review is not based off pokemon nostalgia, or anything like that. I don't really feel nostalgia for... well, any franchise anymore, because they've either become unlikable over the years, or they just aren't for me any more. No, the game was honestly that fun for me, as much as it was back then, and still is fun for me today, with all of the expansive things you can do in this game, how much there is to see, how much there is to explore. There's no nonsense about it either. You want to go explore somewhere, you can do it whenever you want (provided you met the unlock conditions). There are few times when you are locked into the story mode of the game, and even then, you have as long as you like to be able to prepare for these points in the game; it doesn't force you to proceed in the game. This is a good thing. Sometimes, I mysteriously like to take my time with games I like. Yeah, if the game sucked, I'd like it to be over faster, but that's not the case with this game.

    It doesn't matter if the graphics in this game are old now, or you might find the story cheesy at first, or you just don't like pokemon anymore for whatever reason. You'd want to buy this because it is a great game.

    Also those modern ones with Gates and Super don't have ANYTHING on this one.    … Expand
  29. Karala
    Aug 1, 2014
    10
    I joined this site to say that this is the most engaging game I've ever played. I am not a huge gamer (I'm in my late 20's) but I enjoy RPG types. Despite enjoying them I almost never have completed a game, they get really hard or they just get too repetitive. This one was not. The story was compelling and emotional. I have never been invested in characters in a game before this one, andI joined this site to say that this is the most engaging game I've ever played. I am not a huge gamer (I'm in my late 20's) but I enjoy RPG types. Despite enjoying them I almost never have completed a game, they get really hard or they just get too repetitive. This one was not. The story was compelling and emotional. I have never been invested in characters in a game before this one, and at one point I possibly teared up (and no, I am not the type to cry watching movies).

    I haven't played its predecessors, but I think of this like main Pokemon games that are designed to be released in a set of three; they all have a lot in common. I do not see why that should give this one such a low rating -- I do not see Pokemon Gold or Silver getting a low rating just because the other is almost identical in every way. If you're hesitating on the game because of that, then don't! I'd say this is like the Pokemon Crystal to Gold and Silver. AKA: The one I wait to buy instead of the other two!    … Expand
  30. Xidas
    Jul 21, 2015
    10
    While the gameplay may not be the game's strongest point, it makes up for it with an incredible storyline as well as its 141-song soundtrack. It's easy to give this game a bad review if you only play for 30 minutes, but if you play long enough to experience the entirety of what the game has to offer, you will not be disappointed.
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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.
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  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.
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  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.
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