New cover, new features.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is the newest addition to the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series from The Pokémon Company.  This Nintendo DS title takes the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series a step closer to the hardcore collection-oriented, stat-exp grinding  nature of classic Pokémon titles without sacrificing its own identity.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky’s story might seem familiar to any Pokémon fans that have played the Explorers of Time/Darkness titles, because they recycled the story completely (very few exceptions aside).  Don’t let that discourage you though—true to their habits, the Pokémon Company has added additional content throughout the game to create a more impressive experience.  The game brings 4 new pokémon (Phanpy, Vulpix, Riolu, and Shinx) along with returning a classic pokémon (Eevee) to the starting roster.

The game begins in the same fashion as Explorers of Time/Darkness; you play a human who has mysteriously been transformed into a pokémon.  The type of pokémon you become is dependent on your answers to a pokémon personality test.  After the test is complete and the opening scene unravels, the player is granted control of his/her new pokémon and companion.  Upon entering the first dungeon, you’ll find that combat and navigation are a seamless mesh of turn-based combat and real time strategy (Think FFXII). In this system, the player is able to use a default attack or use moves through a fairly standard RPG menu system, while companion characters use a set of rules known as IQ Skills and a move list of their own to determine their behavior.

I wish getting smarter or stronger was really as easy as blending random edibles and drinking them!

It goes without saying that Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky does a great job of utilizing the Wonder Mail system.  For those who are unfamiliar, the Wonder Mail system is basically a way for pokémon players to connect via internet and team up against the challenges held within each dungeon and also trade items/team members with one another.  This feature has created a huge online following in the form of many message boards, with player-run exploration guilds organizing help for new players, or collaboration between veterans.  In addition, the Wonder Mail system provides new and exciting content for the whole community as The Pokémon Company releases additional missions and rewards through new Wonder Mail codes.

Capturing pokémon is handled the same way as previous Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles, after the player has completed the first few missions they are presented with a cutscene and explanation of recruitment.  To recruit a pokémon, you must first defeat them in combat – after which they may offer their services to you.  Every ten levels you attain, your recruitment chance for pokémon increases.  Certain unique pokémon have a level requirement to even attempt to recruit them, however most pokémon you encounter will offer their services for your team pretty frequently.  Throughout your travels, you may also discover several items that increase the chance of recruitment.  Additionally, some pokémon will offer their services in return for the completion of missions.  Nearly all pokémon are available for recruitment this time around – the elusive Arceus however remains out of reach.

Several new features become apparent after completing the first few chapters of the game—the first of which is a big quality-of-life improvement: Players now lose only 50% of their current money when fainting in dungeons—down from 100%.

The first Special Episode, Bidoof's Wish - stars the slow but likeable Bidoof, and gives the player a glimpse into his past.

If that wasn’t enough, a new location has been added to Treasure Town—Spinda’s Café—providing a new and interesting place to shape item collection and pokémon development, as well as serve as a hangout for your recruits.  Within Spinda’s Café, there are two services of note.  The first is Spinda’s Juice Bar, which allows the player to combine any useful (or useless) items together to create juices that can increase any statistic from Attack to IQ.  The second is the Recycle Shop, which is a useful tool for turning all those extra healing/support consumables into useful items.  The Recycle Shop grows better over time, too—the more you recycle, the better your rewards are.

Players will now encounter the Secret Bazaar randomly during their dungeon exploits, providing them with several unique services as a reward for their discovery.  Finding this bazaar can be a tricky endeavor indeed, as it is completely invisible to the naked eye—one must stumble over it to receive the welcome message/gift from Kirlia and an invitation inside.  Once there, the player can partake of any of the following services: A full heal and belly courtesy of Mime Jr.;  a “Grab Bag” from Swalot which can contain a variety of useful items;  partake in an inventory cleaning via Lickilicky to clear up any jammed items you might have; or even flee the scene with an offer from Shedinja to avoid potential item/money loss if you’re in over your head.

My personal favorite in terms of new features is the addition of Special Episodes—playable side story segments involving characters from the main story.  There are five in total, each becoming available at different points during the main story.  Other new features include an in-game jukebox that plays all the tracks heard throughout the title, and a network sharable one-dungeon demo.

To give the endgame a little more depth, two new dungeons have been added as well for those that complete the main storyline; Sky Peak, a hard-mode dungeon crawl, and Destiny Tower, a vast dungeon crawl whose story is tied to the in-game creator of the pokémon universe.

Overall, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky brings a different take on an already successful title; a game that anyone can pick up and play, but can still be challenging and engaging for veterens of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series.

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