Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon (Nintendo 3DS) Review

The Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games take a spin on Pokémon's standard turn-based formula, giving a team of three or so Pokémon the task of exploring an ever-changing labyrinth filled with enemies. While there are usually a few wrinkles in meshing the various systems of two vastly different RPG series, it's overall a fairly intuitive battle system that's approachable to fans of either series. While mechanics may sometimes seem unfamiliar, Super Mystery Dungeon introduces them one by one, giving plenty of time to get adjusted to each one.

While previous games in the series have turned a Pokémon squad loose to explore after a couple of introductory dungeons, this really wants to make sure players have a good grasp of all the mechanics before giving them free reign. Instead of making use of several early stages to teach new and old gameplay features, these are lovingly introduced one by one across a tutorial that literally stretches on for hours, stringing along until finally giving the fledgling team a chance to stretch their legs.

Super Mystery Dungeon starts like most other titles in the series, with a human being thrown headlong into the Pokémon world, turning into a Pokémon in the process. It does differ by changing the role the starting Pokémon play in the overall story. While previous games have mostly let a free pace dictate progression, this entry really tries to drum up its early narrative, which, unfortunately, comes across as more condescending than endearing.

The starting Pokémon is rescued early on after being dropped into a new world with no memories outside of their name. From there, they become enrolled in school, along with other young Pokémon. Most of these characters are very childlike, both in terms of their ability and overall characterisation. It creates a really inconsistent tone, between the characters and tutorials being very much geared toward a younger audience, and the oft extremely frustrating difficulty of exploring dungeons.

Despite its rather slow and infuriating first few hours, there's a lot to like in Super Mystery Dungeon. Dungeon exploration is still satisfying, and manoeuvring the Pokémon against each other adds another layer of strategy to the traditional rock, paper, and scissors mechanics from the main games. There's thousands of Pokémon combinations this time around, and crafting a perfect team is more challenging and more rewarding than ever, with new main series features such as the Fairy type and Mega Evolution being added to this entry.

Recruitment does work differently from previous instalments, as well, being integrated into the new Connection Orb functionality. The Connection Orb shows the different links between Pokémon, those on the expedition teams, villagers in towns, and even the wild Pokémon in dungeons are all linked through this. It also takes over the role of doling out missions, with newly connected Pokémon often having a problem that needs fixing, giving rewards and the ability to recruit the requester on completion.

While the story doesn't exactly get off to a strong start, it does manage to find its way eventually. The plot of having Pokémon turn to stone is a definite shade darker than Gates to Infinity, and there's a surprising amount of depth to the characters, once the game eventually gets to offering some characterisation. There are even a few surprising twists along the way, which does manage to keep the story engaging as the hours are piled on.

Although the difficulty is mostly consistent, there are a few head scratching encounters against enemies that can wipe a team in a few short turns. While it's definitely possible to overcome these challenges with some careful planning and item manipulation, it can be frustrating to unexpectedly have to face an enemy that hasn't really been planned for, since there can be some harsh penalties for falling in a dungeon. Thankfully, these missions aren't super common, and once they're expected, they become a fun challenge to tackle, rather than an irritation.