Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

 Switch
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 317 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 244 out of 317
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 317
  3. Negative: 38 out of 317
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  1. Gabbroche
    Mar 10, 2020
    7
    In a few words: It's good, surely a bit better than the original, but none of the problems the Mystery Dungeon franchise have have been fixed. It is still repetitive (they even created an auto-run button, so they're aware of the repetitivity of their own game), the game is still quite easy (managed to beat the whole game only loosing once in a dungeon)...
    And yet... It all feels really    In a few words: It's good, surely a bit better than the original, but none of the problems the Mystery Dungeon franchise have have been fixed. It is still repetitive (they even created an auto-run button, so they're aware of the repetitivity of their own game), the game is still quite easy (managed to beat the whole game only loosing once in a dungeon)...
    And yet... It all feels really nice: the graphics are splendid, the OST is still as good as ever, the story is still compelling and touching with a lot of whacky moments.

    In the end, it's still a 2005 game with new graphics put on a newer console. Is it good? Yup. Is it worth 60 euros? Well, highly questionnable: if you like the original, you'll get (as I did) a huge breath of nostalgia but if you're new to the genre, I think there's way better.    … Expand
  2. IkOzael
    Aug 6, 2020
    7
    I never played the original one (part of it due to the multiple versions of the same game), so... Still really hate how they changed the stuff from the other games like moves that had little effect against a type now have no effect like in the core games an' basic attacks being gone altogether (which is stupid).

    The story is pretty bland compared to the other games, but I guess it's    I never played the original one (part of it due to the multiple versions of the same game), so... Still really hate how they changed the stuff from the other games like moves that had little effect against a type now have no effect like in the core games an' basic attacks being gone altogether (which is stupid).

    The story is pretty bland compared to the other games, but I guess it's forgivable since it was the first game in this series.    … Expand
  3. Starfree
    Mar 6, 2020
    6
    10/10 story. The story is incredible. And most of the revisions are welcome ones but there is a lot of “quality of life improvements” that hurt the game more than help it. One in particular. WHO THOUGHT SHOWING THE ITEMS AND ENEMIES ON THE MINIMAP IN A DUNGEON CRAWLER WAS A GOOD IDEA!?!?! Seriously it almost ruins the gameplay. Almost. This is still a good game but honestly I think the 1510/10 story. The story is incredible. And most of the revisions are welcome ones but there is a lot of “quality of life improvements” that hurt the game more than help it. One in particular. WHO THOUGHT SHOWING THE ITEMS AND ENEMIES ON THE MINIMAP IN A DUNGEON CRAWLER WAS A GOOD IDEA!?!?! Seriously it almost ruins the gameplay. Almost. This is still a good game but honestly I think the 15 year old original Red Recuse is more enjoyable, and that’s not acceptable. But it’s still the same Mystery Dungeon story and gameplay we all know and love for the most part and I would recommend it to anyone who hasn’t played the originals. There are some new features I really like, like the rare qualities and the extra difficult Pokémon that show up with a warning maker. Red and Blue Recuse deserve a way better remake, but I’m still happy to play it.… Expand
  4. stickY_Ger
    Mar 6, 2020
    6
    Lets get one thing out of the way that is surely on a lot of peoples minds.
    This is a Pokemon game. So it´s basically a must-have Switch game, right?
    Wrong. This game appeals to a very niche audience. It´s a Dungeon Crawler that is to easy in difficulty to appeal to most fans of the genre (excluding the endgame), and not a Pokemon game in the sense that you cannot 'catch' Pokemon at    Lets get one thing out of the way that is surely on a lot of peoples minds.
    This is a Pokemon game. So it´s basically a must-have Switch game, right?
    Wrong.
    This game appeals to a very niche audience. It´s a Dungeon Crawler that is to easy in difficulty to appeal to most fans of the genre (excluding the endgame), and not a Pokemon game in the sense that you cannot 'catch' Pokemon at your leisure. Whether or not a Pokemon decides to join your team is entirely random.
    So if it doesn´t appeal to either of those groups, who does this appeal to?
    Frankly, I don´t know. I play this game for the sake of nostalgia. It just feels good and kinda magical to play this game for me. As do all Pokemon games, which is a large part of the appeal for many people. While that is certainly good for me, I do not know what kind of people would be interrested in such a game, other than diehard Pokemon fans. And those allready picked up the game anyways, so no point talking about it. Luckily for all of us, there´s a free demo on the eShop that you can give a spin to see for yourself what the game is like.
    So, that out of the way, how does the remake hold up? What would make you pick up this instead of the GBA/DS original?
    The graphics. Heavily updated and quite beautifull.
    The gameplay. Basically untouched except for adding Lucario and Mega-Evolutions. Which is both a blessing and a curse. You will find small inconveniences at many places, which are a byproduct of outdated game-design. The only thing that was updated is the battle system, but not necessarily in a good way. The fact that your attacks get upgraded if you use them often enough seems fine at first, but then they also made it so that your teams attacks sometimes just fire twice, for no particular reason. Your enemies do not have this ability, or anything to make up for this disadvantage. All of this makes the game even easier than the original, removing basically any challenge from the game so long as you know what items to pack before you enter a dungeon.
    Why they chose to do this is beyond me. The difficulty was not an issue in the original, yet they chose to 'fix' this instead of acutally annoying quirks the original had.
    Oh yeah, and then there´s the engine. To summarize it in a word: Yikes!
    What went wrong here? Having half a second of input delay on every single button-press and even more in docked mode is just embarassing, and it feels miserable in comparison to the older games! This needs to be patched! Yesterday!
    Edit: Actually, they did fox this. But only in docked mode. The handheld experience still has terrible input-lag, which is why I didn´t realize they fixed anything until I got home.
    Still, that does not excuse handheld mode performing terrible in this regard.
    So... Is Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX worth your money? Is it a bad game after all?
    Not really, but it´s not a masterpiece either. The story is what holds this game together, but it seems to be entirely unchanged from the original. If you still have a GBA, DS Lite or 3DS laying around, you might just as well buy the original for less than half the price.
    And if you only have a Switch? Keep your eyes out for a discount. I allready saw it 20% off online. If it ever hits 30$ instead of 60, I´d say definitly go for it. And until then...
    You decide.    … Expand
  5. GabFire
    Aug 9, 2020
    6
    Depois da desgraça do "Sword and Shield", vai ser difícil voltar a gostar dessa franquia, melhor ir jogar "Temtem".
  6. VantageHGC
    Mar 7, 2020
    7
    Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is simply a game worth your time, but probably not worth the price.

    Most of the game is fun, the artstyle is bold and the music is solid. The actual dungeons are maddening and repetitive, massive parties are chaos and the biggest problem is the balance. Getting half your 8 mon squad wiped for 2 earthquakes, or one shotted by multi hit moves like fury swipes is by    Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is simply a game worth your time, but probably not worth the price.

    Most of the game is fun, the artstyle is bold and the music is solid. The actual dungeons are maddening and repetitive, massive parties are chaos and the biggest problem is the balance. Getting half your 8 mon squad wiped for 2 earthquakes, or one shotted by multi hit moves like fury swipes is by far the most frustrating part of the game. Not only this but the actual length of dungeons mix with no proper rest areas makes late game areas extremely boring, especially when said rest areas are 3/4 into the dungeon, when I'm on my last legs in terms of supplies.

    The story is passable, it's quite bare-bones without any real villain or deep subplots, practically as linear as it gets. Do dungeon, watch cutscene, rinse and repeat. Ontop of constantly managing inventory, it can be a little annoying.

    New features like auto battle are welcome but I see no point when it just ends once in range of an enemy I can disintegrate in one attack, rendering it borderline obsolete.

    But I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and progression for the most part, after Xatu(no spoilers), the story dies until you finish that arc.

    The beginning is amazing, the middle is very average but very much just back to back dungeon exploring and the end is heavily unbalanced and difficult.

    It's above average in my eyes, as the characters like Wobuffet are perfect comic relief, has great music and art, and have moderate pacing. It falls short if you hate grinding for sure.    … Expand
  7. MrsPandora
    Mar 16, 2020
    5
    This game, while I’m glad ones of my favorite games got a remake, it doesn’t feel good too play and is very clunky, with a price tag I think is pretty unacceptable for a spin off Pokémon game, I think Let’s Go is so far the best Pokémon Game on the switch that’s not a port of a Wii U game, all of the Pokémon games have never been worthy of a 50-60 dollar price tag, but the one thingThis game, while I’m glad ones of my favorite games got a remake, it doesn’t feel good too play and is very clunky, with a price tag I think is pretty unacceptable for a spin off Pokémon game, I think Let’s Go is so far the best Pokémon Game on the switch that’s not a port of a Wii U game, all of the Pokémon games have never been worthy of a 50-60 dollar price tag, but the one thing compared too the other switch games of Pokémon , this one is good plot/story wise, I wouldn’t recommend this game as it feels very incomplete too play and is often frustrating, not fun like most of the Mystery dungeon games on handhelds… Expand
  8. DarkFireUmad
    Mar 19, 2020
    6
    Es el mismo juego que en 14 años no han metido nada relevante nuevo, muchas mecánicas cambiadas que algunas "mejoran" otras empeoran estrepitosamente, es muy fácil pero te pone en muchas más situaciones injustas que el original.
  9. PinkGoliath
    May 10, 2020
    5
    When I picked up this game, I remembered as a kid enjoying this game a lot even though I couldn’t beat it, I thought now I could come back and finish the game. Coming back to it, I was disappointed with it. The graphics are pretty and stylized but felt the resolution for some backdrops should’ve been clearer and not so blurry. The gameplay got tedious and repetitive and exploring theWhen I picked up this game, I remembered as a kid enjoying this game a lot even though I couldn’t beat it, I thought now I could come back and finish the game. Coming back to it, I was disappointed with it. The graphics are pretty and stylized but felt the resolution for some backdrops should’ve been clearer and not so blurry. The gameplay got tedious and repetitive and exploring the dungeons is clunky, what’s worse is these dungeons are the main core gameplay. Also the game has some pretty bad designs that are tedious, Why can’t you buy multiple items at the store? Why must you go through each result rewards with each quest you do? Why is it unskippable when you are greeted by your partner and Pelipper delivers the mail? The story in my opinion was not engaging at all and towards the end felt I was just trudging my way toward the end just to finish it. Also, the section where you’re cast off from the main hub halts the pacing and momentum of the game. Some moments were appreciated and brought a smile to my face and the idle animations(specifically Bulbasaur) give more life to the Pokémon. Also evolution should've been throughout the game rather than given as post game since you can just skip the second evolutions, it would’ve given me a sense of growth/progression. The game was just meh to me. Play Time: 21 hrs.… Expand
  10. Tubey
    May 26, 2023
    7
    It's a game that feels very niche throughout, and that's because it is. Before this version give the artwork a big upgrade, on the DS the Mystery Dungeon games felt very much "indie title with a Pokémon skin on top", and was a sharp divergence away from what the core series was all about.

    Rescue Team DX feels the same way, but much more polished visually and with some quality of life    It's a game that feels very niche throughout, and that's because it is. Before this version give the artwork a big upgrade, on the DS the Mystery Dungeon games felt very much "indie title with a Pokémon skin on top", and was a sharp divergence away from what the core series was all about.

    Rescue Team DX feels the same way, but much more polished visually and with some quality of life additions. Surprisingly, in many ways it's harder than the originals, whcih was a pleasant surprise for me.

    The critics didn't understand the game when first released and don't understand it now, hence the mediocre reviews - it's not meant to be a 'Pokémon' game, it's a spinoff, and a very good one.

    It's a hard game to explain, so I'd recommend trying the free demo before purchasing. If you like that, you'll like the final game. I'd also say try getting a physical copy second hand maybe, as the asking price is a bit too steep for what the game is.    … Expand
  11. SuperkenGaming
    Apr 26, 2020
    7
    Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
    A love Hate Relationship
    This is a remake of a now 15 year old game, so needless to say this game features only the first 3 generations of pokemon.. Here you start by chosing 2 characters of different types from all 9 starters with a mix of others such as pickachu.. however I must urge you to pick your favorite based on the pokemon as they are..    Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX
    A love Hate Relationship
    This is a remake of a now 15 year old game, so needless to say this game features only the first 3 generations of pokemon..
    Here you start by chosing 2 characters of different types from all 9 starters with a mix of others such as pickachu.. however I must urge you to pick your favorite based on the pokemon as they are.. not their evolution forms which ill get into later… so I chose charmander even though Typhlosion is my favorite fire type… basically youre a human that takes the form of pokemon for an unknown reason.. a reason that you seek to find… in the mean time you made a great friend that wants to start a rescue team.. a real pokemon that wants help helping other pokemon, so you two set out on an adventure together to help pokemon in need in these myster dungeons, fast forward to the base of the game. This is a game where you set out with a team of up to 3 pokemon, and complete tasks given to you on a bulliten board, you then go to the precudurally generated dungeon where these tasks are and youclib the floor until all are done… these tasks are all super easy and just require oyu to get to the floor and interact with an item… and thankfully youre able to do every mission in that dungeon in one go so you don’t have to keep climbing…. After you turn in your missions youre rewarde with items that can also be found in dungeon.. these items help with refilling your power points, health, give you dojo tickets so you can level up your characters faster among oether things.. youll also be rewarded with cash that you can use to purchase camps… this is where the whole pokemon part of pokemone mystery dungeon comes into play… as youre going through completing missions, both story and optional, youll be battling pokemon however in a grid format, so you have to actively chose to go diagonal for example rather than just move your charcter like you can up down left and right… which gets really annoying during battles..
    after you defeat pokemon sometimes they will decide to join you on your journey… wah lah.. catching them all… but its not so simple as the mchosing to joing your rescue team, you must also escape the dungeon with them alive.. as well as have purchased the camp for them to stay at… you can then add them to your team and go out on adventures with them…. However… pokemon mystery dungeons tries its hardest to snuff out any sort of pokemon in this pokemon game aside from these initial grindy tactics… this is a very story based game so youre kinda locked to the first 2 characters you chose, youre third character has to be from the wild, and you don’t really have much choice in who your third partner is… it isn’t oh I have a pokemon in mind I want as my third, let me go hunt them down… because the best pokemon are locked off until this 18 hour journey is over.. the starters are all locked off in post game when you get 6 new locations to go to… which kills the whole collecting and strategy aspect of a strategy based collecting game… it isn’t im about to go take on moltres let me go grab a squirtle and level it up to aid me in this battle.. water types are basically non existent in this world until you’ve beaten the game… there are only a couple options for electric types as well… killing incentive to build special teams for different dungeons… not that you could anyway as again youre eseentially tied to the first 2 you chose for story purposes… and worse is.. theres no evolution… you cant evolve your pokemon until post game either… which is all the fun of leveling up… this is basically a game of grind and monotony, and developers knew this.. theres even an auto walk button where the game plays itself…
    it grinds for you.. to add to the grind of this game if you die in a dungeon you can either send in a new team to rescue you or chose to fail the mission and lose all money or items in your possession.. that right all.. not just what you picked up in dungeon.. literally every item in your posession is gone…
    But either way youre forced to replay the dungeon… rather than just be sent back to a checkpoint…
    I became so frustrated with this mechanic that I would quit out of the game completely when id die during a cheap moment and quickly use a revive item to keep going before I lost it all…
    that being said… I love the world of pokemon so much that I still stuck through.. I needed breaks but it had its hooks in me..
    If youre not a fan of pokemon, mystery dungeon wont change that… infact if pokemon weren’t attached to it, I would’ve stopped playing long before credits rolled.. but I just couldn’t stop…and for my the ending made it all worth it.. its just a shame that everything that makes pokemon pokemon is saved for the post game…
    That’s when the true catching them all begins…
    Sadly when youre already over it…    … Expand
  12. BlackFang
    Mar 29, 2022
    5
    The game itself is definitely good, but I do feel a bit rip off. It felt like they pull a pokemon brilliant diamond treatment, added a few things but the story, gameplay and everything else feels the same as the original 3DS counterpart.
  13. ND-Bringer
    May 8, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You know, I'm really glad this game exists. It's a sign that the PMD series isn't dead. Pokemon spin-off game series' may come & go from our attention, but the PMD series has always stood out the most both in the past & present generations. Since a new game didn't make an appearance in the Pokemon gen 7, I was concerned that we may never see another PMD game again in favor of games like Rumble Rush. At first I just thought it was just another subpar 3-D remake lacking the core mechanics of the original, but I'm happy to report that I actually enjoyed this game a lot more then Pokemon Sword & Shield. First of all, a lot of these video game remakes are really well designed these days & it's great to have them as a back up in case the original cartridge is unobtainable or broken down from age. And second, despite Red & Blue Rescue Team having the least interesting story of the PMD series, exhilarating cutscenes are added all over the place to enhance the experience. Especially the Team ACT Battle cutscene, that's 30 seconds of awesomeness right there. And this game isn't just advanced effects, all sorts of insecurities from the series have been fixed in this very game. A new auto mode lets your team stroll throughout the dungeon and you can either have the objective set to focus on finding the stairs or scanning the whole floor. Thank you! It makes those tedious 99 floor dungeons a little more bearable. Now I can cruise through this world and focus on strategy. And this game will be a walk in the park if you're experienced like me. I would say that, but several mechanics from the 3DS games have been added in. And to enhance the experience even further, big boss fights like Groudon's are given new gimmicks to make the battle feel more alive. Like magma that slowly seeps into the are the more turns you take and powerful currents that blow your whole team away like in the Dark Matter battle in Super. Well then, my new Team Endeavor shall bring an army to these red-hot battlegrounds. When I was little I dreamed that I could summon all of extra teammates in order to take down that nasty Team Skull. And now I sort of can, any Pokemon you obtain in a dungeon will be added to your party. So including your team of 3, you can carry a total of 9 Pokemon with you at once! Lead a mad express of Pokemon from the dungeon to help you win those boss fights with ease. And even if choose to not recruit the Pokemon after the level is over, they give you free treasure as thanks for the adventure! And while the return of rescue camps can make things irritating at times with the lack of some, staring at the original sprites and all of the colorful habitats just warms my heart.You can even boost members stats with evolution instantly without having to switch up any team members before doing so. And to save even more time, Diglett makes a cute little tunnel that goes from your base to the Post-It Board.All of the main story levels reveal all of the items and enemies on the floor, giving senior players space to breathe before taking on the main meat of the game.The game also saves automatically even in dungeons.It’s a nice touch to help players enjoy the main levels more while getting used to the new switch controls. While I hate crazy button mashing on a handheld device, I had a lot of fun in the new dojo stages. Instead of going into through a long dungeon hoping that you won't be blown out while grinding, its now more like a bonus round where individual Pokemon speed through the dungeon, knocking out as many level 5 Pokemon as you can. And the overall experience intake depends on your level not your opponents. Just hit auto mode a mash that A button, sweet & simple! Its just gets better with all of the remixed music & new music from the PMD series scattered across these colorful levels.And I was glad to come across a collection of the Gates to Infinity soundtracks in Oddity Cave, my favorite PMD game! What a shame though, that there's no jukebox available here. But that's only a small nitpick, since most people will just turn to online anyway. And it is irritating that we can't pull off normal attacks anymore to save PPs.And yet, Pokemon are fully healed before boss fights. It's an acceptable trade. Pokemon even shout out there attacks and talk to each other just like in the PMD anime showcase, that's the cherry on top this delicious title! We can now even recruit shiny Pokemon, the Sinnoh evolutions, Sylveon, Riolu, Lucario, and even use Mega Evolution! I mean the game...is just incredible! Perfecting the gen 6 Hoenn remake theme even better than Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire is a huge accomplishment! While repeated level themes & extra long dungeons in the post game will take my attention away from this game a t some point.This is one my favorite switch games & I'd even declare this as the best PMD game!And I bet players are looking forward on taking on this game's greatest challenge...trying not to cry when the ending appears!!!… Expand
  14. gietergeit
    May 15, 2023
    7
    it is a great return to form but the form before was a 7 out of 10 I dont know why but I do not have much to say.

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
69

Mixed or average reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 75
  3. Negative: 5 out of 75
  1. RPG Fan
    Aug 8, 2022
    84
    All told, even with the quirky middling difficulty making this one hard to write home about, I still think Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a fun game to play through. The postgame can be somewhat monotonous, but the main story keeps things going. Seriously, the plot is simple, but the dialogue between all of these Pokémon makes for a great experience. The mix of mature themes — life and death, protection and abandonment — with the childlike wonder of all things Pokémon keep the mind focused on the purpose of the quest, even when the quest itself is a heavy strain (or a simple frolic) for some players. If you’ve yet to try Mystery Dungeon games but want a better understanding, this might be a great starting place! If you’ve played other Pokémon Mystery Dungeon entries and appreciated their balance of challenge and storytelling, you’re likely to enjoy this remake of the one that started it all.
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  2. Nintendo Force Magazine
    May 1, 2020
    80
    I'm reticent to recommend this experience to anyone who hasn't already explored a few other Mystery Dungeons in the past. [Issue #46 – May/June 2020, p. 64]
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Apr 19, 2020
    70
    Rescue Team DX may be a remake, but it does not improve the original formula in almost any way. While the graphics and HUD had an obvious overhaul, the game is a repetitive yet somewhat charming and conflicted experience, that offers quality at the expense of some pretty weird and lazy solutions. Yet if you are a fan, you should not miss this one.
    Read full review
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