Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team
Hey, guys~! Welcome to my first game recommendation/review! I hope you enjoy my review here, and hopefully feel enough to wanna try these games, if you haven't already~ I love this one especially~
Gameplay:
The gameplay in this game was ground-breaking! For once, we play as Pokemon in a battling setting that was more similar to the mainstream series. This alone made the game a worthy try in any fans' eyes. The controls are immensely easy to learn and get used to, as I can now traverse the dungeons and change directions without even thinking about it! If the game is too slow for you, you can go and simply hold B to speed it up big time! Plus, you can set throwing items like rocks and needle, as well as one of your attacks, to a button shortcut.
Other things such as linking moves for use in a single turn, or revamped items like the mega-healing Oran Berry, and hold items like X-Ray Specs or Friend Bow, this game is just fun overall~ Oh, and before I forget: you don't catch things in this game. You recruit them to your rescue team! To do this, you simply defeat the Pokemon, and given that you have their Friend Area (the place where your recruits "live" after you get them) and enough luck, they may ask to join you. You can bring up to 4 Pokemon with you at a time, depending on their size.
Oh, and one last thing, this is a 3rd Generation game, so that means there is no Physical/Special Split. And also, every single Pokemon before Diamond and Pearl are in it (though about 5 4th Gen Pokemon have references in the game, and one may even appear in-game, but not as a recruitable).
Plot:
The plot of this story is simple, but at times deep. It starts with you being given a personality test, where (depending on your answers), you are attributed to a certain given Pokemon. You have the possibility of being a Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Pikachu, Cubone, Machop, Psyduck, Eevee, Meowth, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, or Skitty. Due note: only male characters can be Cyndaquil, Machop, or Meowth, while only female characters can be Chikorita, Eevee, or Skitty. Your gender does not affect gameplay, so if you are a girl and you want a Cyndaquil, selecting "Male" will not affect your game~ (They changed the gender-only aspect in the second games)
Anyway, back to the plot! After the test, you choose your Partner Pokemon (only Starter Pokemon from the mainstream games can be Partners, like Pikachu, Bulbasaur, or Treecko), then your game begins. You wake up to find that, in fact, you are a human that was turned into a Pokemon! Awesome! But... you don't know why... Your Partner finds you unconscious, and you explain to him what you are, though (s)he thinks you weird initially. Soon you find out about the natural disasters occurring in the Pokemon World, and go off to save someone. Now, I don't want to spoil the plot after that, but you meet many interesting Pokemon in your journeys as a young Rescue Team, and near the end, the plot gets a bit thicker, and very sad at points. It is a very emotional game, and I love the game for adding in the emotion that your other Pokemon games may lack!
The best part is, after the credits roll for the main game end, there is still about twice as much story for you to do afterwards! This game never ends~! I know others will highly enjoy this too~
Music:
Oh, the music~! The musical score in this game is phenominal! The peaceful sounds of each dungeon are calming, and help you keep your cool in heated dungeons. Other than this, the overworld and town themes just sound fun and nice to hear after you return from one of the larger dungeons like Western Cave or Buried Relic. Some favorites of mine are Mt. Thunder and the Frozen Forest, among a few late-game ones. Also to note, the battle and boss theme in this game is one of the best I've ever heard, from many games and series! It's totally worth it, and fits the fight well~!
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Not much more I can say about the game, but I would highly recommend it! Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team is for the Nintendo DS, while Red Rescue Team is for the GameBoy Advance. Both games only have minor differences, such as a few Pokemon that appear in only one. But never fear, it is possible to get the Red-only Pokemon games in Blue, without having to connect with someone that has Red! So pick whichever you prefer or have access to!
For those of you who want the 4th Generation Mystery Dungeon games, look into Explorers of Time, Explorers of Darkness, and Explorers of the Sky~ All equally great games that many will enjoy!
