Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team

"Something that truly stands out from other Pokemon games"

The rough edges of the previous Pokemon Games have been finally trimmed off with marvelous accuracy. Why, you ask? This new installment in the Pokemon Series is a stand-out from the other games. There aren't any more pesky gym leaders, trainers, you don't have to worry about running into annoying masses of Pokemon in the wild, no breeding and etc. The classic Gotta Catch Em All motto has technically changed into Gotta Recruit Em All, among more additional changes.

Game-play
For the first time ever, you play as a Pokemon. How cool is that? Even though you may not think much of this game, you have to give it a chance. The personality test in the beginning is just for choosing your starter Pokemon, different answers mean different results. You have quite a wide selection, 16 available starters, three exclusive for males and three exclusive for females. There are also 10 possible partner Pokemon, but you can't pick the same type as your starter.

Sure, the game may be repetitive, however even this is unique. The game has a branching storyline, and it actually has a plot, unlike the other games. Taking missions from bulletin posts has a slight Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced feeling, and dungeon exploring, recruiting, linking moves are all part of the greatness. The slight downside is that you don't evolve by level, which may make things a tad harder.

Graphics
The graphics are not as good as the other games, but its still passable. The Pokemon all have their own sprites, and their poses are all top-notch. Pokemon's portraits are also two thumbs up.

Sound/Music
This is one of my favorite aspects of the game, the music is excellent, its not repetitive, and above all, fits the theme for each dungeon. The sound keeps the game from going stale and gives some nice flavor to it.

Re-playable?
Very much so, recruiting rescue team members and doing rescue missions take some time, but are worth the effort, whether its earning a Rukario Rank, to getting all legends and trophies will leave you with a good feeling.

Difficulty Factor
The game's difficulty builds up as the game moves along, and becomes very hard if you don't level up as you go along. The mission difficulties also increase many times, so be prepared to level hardcore during each of your free times.

Gameplay 10/10
Graphics 8/10
Sound 10/10
Replay 10/10
Difficulty Factor 7/10

Final Score 9/10

This game is excellent

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/26/06