"More of a game of poker than a pokemon game"

While the game is interesting and entertaining (While you're lucky) some moves and certain pokemon render the game little more than a large frustration. Normally, in most pokemon games you would level up to overcome challenges posed by your opponents. Leveling up in this game means little more than a 1 point stats boost, if that. While the addition of Spinda's cafe did improve the stats of the pokemon in the game, the boost is small compared to the loss of stats posed by lame level ups. Even when you have high stats, you can still be OHKO'ed by any and all pokemon who have a stats advantage against you and any move that debilitates you. ( i.e, confuse ray, thunder wave, etc.) Either way, the game turns into a gamble to see if you make it to the stairs 20-30 times before you meet up with a monster house.

The system of buying items is a frustration. On certain days you can buy certain items, and then only one of each. If it's a tm you're looking for, you will never see what you want in the shop. As to the ease of gameplay, controlling your team is a large time burden. When instructing your team to do certain things, you're only able to give abstract instructions. (i.e, run away, stay there, go the other way.) You have no real control over your team. Furthermore, to excersise the miniscule control you do have, you must be willing to go through constant trips to the tactics page, taking up an immaculate amount of time. Most times it turns out to be easier to explore alone. Or to turn off your entire teams Item master iq and use them disposably.

Boss fights dont work well. If you have a lot of status seeds, you win. If you dont, chances are they one shot you. The largest issue is the fact that you are required to protect your partner all throughout the storyline. You carry around your partner as a burden throughout the story. Another dungeon issue is the pointlessness of escort quests. Firstly, you cannot command your escortee. This means that they will simply follow you around at the back of the party, open to attack. Secondly, at the higher levels, many enemies have full room attacks. If they hit your escortee, they'll die. Thirdly, instead of just failing if your escortee bites the dust, it counts as a full loss and you lose half your items and money. Therefore, a large part of the game is rendered completely useless.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 08/10/11

Game Release: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (US, 10/12/09)