"Greetings, and now for some intermission. Today, given the impending release of Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, I would like to talk about a game that has been etched into the memories of many Pokémon fans: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. Though adored by almost everyone who has played it, it was critically panned, much like the rest of the franchise, for reasons that remain beyond me." Arceus' eyes narrowed.
"For example; one 'professional' reviewer gave it a 4.9 out of 10, simply for the fact that it had pixels, of course not taking into account that this game was based off a 2007 engine made for the Nintendo DS, OF COURSE IT'S GOING TO HAVE PIXELS YOU-"
(Masamune: Imbecile!)
(Bugs Bunny: Maroon.)
(John Cleese: Bastard!)
(Wigglytuff: ...Meanie.)
(Hades: Idiot)
(Ed Rooney: Brat.)
(Franziska von Karma: Fool!)
(Dark Helmet: As-)
Arceus' eyes went wide. "NO! Eh, sorry about that. It's just... well..."
(John Cleese: Ooooh! It makes me mad...)
"Right." the Alpha Pokémon coughed uncomfortably. "Well, back to the topic at hand."
"Particularly, I would like to ask the question of whether or not it is the best Pokémon game. No, not the best side game, I believe that is somewhat clear, rather I mean whether or not it is the best game overall. Yes; today I will examine whether or not a side game was actually the pinnacle of the entire Pokémon series, not just its own."
Arceus the Critic
Was Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky the best Pokémon Game?
"So, why don't we start this off this analysis with perhaps one of the biggest attraction points of the Mystery Dungeon Series?"
1: Pokémon
Arceus nodded.
"Yes, this has been one of the defining features of the Mystery Dungeon series, save Gates to Infinity, in which all 'official' Pokémon, and I say that because though I was well known by the time of Sky, I had not been officially released but was still given a cameo, have been present in game, and based on the fact that all eighteen starter Pokémon, as well as Riolu and Pikachu, are available to be selected from in Super, it would be safe to assume that tradition has been reinstated. Now, this is to not be confused with the capacity to have every Pokémon present; that, too, has been a feature in every main Pokémon game. In Platinum, if you caught every regional Pokémon, and traded/migrated the gaps with either Johto, Hoenn and Kanto, then you could fulfill the National Pokedex. The same applies to other titles."
"But the difference is in the fact that all Pokémon are available in the single game alone; the worlds that the Mystery Dungeon games take place in are just that; worlds, which contain all Pokémon, and Sky allowed you to gain every one of them without the need for another title." the Alpha Pokémon cleared his throat.
"Quite frankly, this is a point that needs no further explanation; it's simply one of the most obvious parts where Sky managed to outclass the main games."
2: Battles
"And now for a less obvious one," Arceus said, eyes glancing downwards slightly.
"Battles, for lack of a better term, have a more strategic bent in the Mystery Dungeon series; range is an important factor, and terrain is a slightly more integral part, but both have a much larger emphasis than base Pokémon games. Likewise, up to four Pokémon can be utilized at once, and in addition to their abilities, stats and moves, each have IQ induced skills that can prove handy in both battle and the more passive travel. In short; battles in Sky put a stronger emphasis on strategic planning and movements than the main games." the Normal Type nodded.
"However, that is not to say that necessarily makes the better; one shortcoming they did have was a lack of variety. Due to the fact that so much was available from the start, and given the inherent nature of the genre, there could be very little variety in the battles themselves that did not extend beyond the layout of the floor. The main games, on the other hand, would present different styles; namely double and multi, and later triple, rotation, reverse, reverse type, and sky battles. There were also specific areas designed to give you special and unique challenges, namely the Battle Frontier. Most of the Mystery Dungeon games have tried to recreate this with a few certain dungeons, but their challenge barely extends beyond placing restrictions upon your team, which ends up reducing a usually strategy-based game to one of luck instead of actually creating a unique challenge."
"So, though it was certainly a step in the right direction, I can't particularly say that Mystery Dungeon's battles eclipsed the main games. Were they a unique challenge in of themselves? Absolutely; in addition to the actual battles, the more placid exploration was also a battle in of itself, where time, in particular hunger, traps and the move limit, was your opponent, but I cannot say they were stronger either."
3: Non-Battles
"In most Pokémon games, there has usually been something else to do besides battling. Hoenn and Sinnoh both have Contests, as well as the Secret Bases and the Underground, Johto has the Pokéathalon, Unova had Musicals and Movies, and most regions have had a game corner or some equivalent. Kalos had squat, especially ironic given what it was based off of, but that's beside the point. In Sky, however, the closest thing that could truly equate to these would have been filling in for Sentry Duty, or, to a lesser degree, Spinda's Café and the Shaymin Village, but both were heavily reliant on Exploring." Arceus' gaze became somewhat wistful.
"So, in this aspect, I would have to say that the main games triumph."
4: Difficulty
"Naturally, since the Mystery Dungeon series, like most side games, are a radical departure from the usual methods of the regular Pokémon games, they bring a new challenge in of themselves. So, in a sense, this would be comparing apples to oranges, but it's still important to approach. The Mystery Dungeon series, as mentioned before, have always provided a more complex, strategic front to Pokémon, sans Gates to Infinity, and as a result, have usually provided a more consistent difficultly to it. There are very few times where anything is easy enough that you don't have to pay attention, and even if your team is strong enough that it can afford to ignore the local Pokémon, there is still the matter of hunger and other inherent inhibitors that forces you to be engaged. There's always some form of challenge, be it some of the base mechanics or the Zero Isle dungeons and Destiny Tower. And then there's the matter of a few boss battles..." Arceus cleared his throat, shaking his head.
"If only for the fact that Sky provided difficultly more consistently, I would have to say it surpasses the main games in this aspect. Though it's contemporaries, Platinum, Heart Gold and Soul Sliver, all provided a consistent challenge as well, the underlying design of Sky, and its predecessors, all ensured that it was never wanting."
5: Aesthetics
Arceus' eyes narrowed slightly.
"Though judging a game solely on its aesthetics is a ridiculous concept, it would be just as ridiculous to say they play no part in one at all. This has been something that I have approached in the past, but I might as well go over it again for the occasion. Sky's soundtrack contains, arguably, the largest amount of memorable pieces from any Pokémon game, and was universally enjoyed. Whereas the only largely remembered track from the Rescue Team games now is Sky Tower's theme, many of the tracks from the Explorers games have stood the test of time. This is most likely due to how fitting many of the pieces were for their situations, many of them being able to act as the dialogue in of themselves, and the nostalgia that is derived from that."
"However, Sky has its work cut out for it; Platinum's soundtrack is nothing to sneeze at, and it was preceded by Hoenn's and succeeded by Unova's. So, though certainly a solid one, I cannot say for sure whether or not it surpasses the main games in that aspect." the Alpha Pokémon gazed downwards.
"As for the visuals themselves, they seem to strike a proper balance. While you can see everything in the overworld, dialogue also brings up a small portrait of the character that changes depending on their reaction. In the main games, everything takes place in the overworld without such additions, albeit it's more detailed, and the closest thing to art is the occasional VS sign. On the other extreme end of the spectrum, there was Pokémon Conquest, where the majority of interactions actually involved near-full renders of the characters, whose appearances and stances would also change depending on situation, while the majority of the detail in the overworld was reserved for battles. In this, I would say that by striking that balance, the Mystery Dungeon series has managed to eclipse the main games in terms of visuals."
6: Story, Characters and Plot
The Alpha Pokémon let out a heavy sigh.
"And now for the big, obvious one. Though Pokémon had been increasing the emphasis on story, character and plot with Sinnoh, the Mystery Dungeon series had already eclipsed it in those aspects with its first installment, and Sky was the pinnacle of that. This point, I feel, is obvious enough that I do not need to reiterate it; Sky provided arguably the best character, plot and story ever seen in a Pokémon game. From the average characters who would have rarely gotten expanded upon in a regular Pokémon game such as Marill and Azurill, to ones who were important but still got entire stories devoted to them like Bidoof and Wigglytuff, pretty much everyone was developed sufficiently. The world was, in a word, vibrant. It felt alive because so much effort had been placed into everyone. And of course, there was Grovyle." Arceus nodded.
"The story, too, was the best. The world falling apart is a common theme in all Mystery Dungeon iterations, but only in Sky was is so expertly handled. It was subtle; it didn't constantly beat you over the head by pointing out that a rainbow was missing only to quickly add on that there was nothing anyone could do to restore it, but it was still visible; it progressed as more time gears were lost, but you were still lead to believe that the damage was reversible if they were restored to their proper places. It wasn't rushed, either; it took the time to personally show you the effects of the collapse of time on the world, from the increasing corruption of Pokémon like Drowzee, to the Luxio tribe's distrust, you could actually see that, even beyond the main characters, there was still something working in the background even on the most insignificant levels to the overall story (but that did not make them irrelevant asides either)."
"And, finally, there were the villains. One thing Pokémon has done very well since Generation III was the villains; Cyrus, Ghetsis, Lysander, and even many of their subordinates, are all very good villains. However, the Explorers games were really the only ones to have a proper villain." The Alpha Pokémon nodded once more as obviously pre-recorded gasps rang out.
"Indeed. In the original Rescue Team games, the true, nefarious villain who had been behind the world's distortion and orchestrated everything was... a giant meteor with no will of it's own?" The Normal Type deadpanned. "Which also means that Gengar was the real big bad, since he at least tried to hinder you at almost every turn. Gates to Infinity wasn't much better. The Bittercold lacked almost any real buildup or development, and wasn't even a real Pokémon but an overgrown snowflake with no real motive or will, Munna's Gang had almost no development beyond their namesake leader, and as a result their motives came off as flimsy, and Kyurem was too much of a fatalist to be anything more than an anti-villain. Their battles were perhaps even worse."
"However, in Explorers, we had Dusknoir and Primal Dialga, both focused on solely on self-preservation in a world of utter darkness. Dusknoir and the Sableye served willing because none of them could simply bear the thought of fading into nothing without a trace and fought with every underhanded and downright evil tactic they had to protect it, while Primal Dialga, as bestial and power mad as he was, still had the will to survive by any means necessary and enforce its twisted view of time upon a world utterly devoid of it. And then there was Darkrai." Arceus' gaze became pensive.
"Despite the fact that there have been multiple characters that have insisted that there are no evil Pokémon, Darkrai sure has been used or portrayed as a villain a disproportionally large amount of times. The Sinnoh Games, Explorers, Shadows of Almia, Poképark, the Anime, the Magna... Had there been another Orre game I'm certain he would have played a role..." the Pokémon cleared his throat and redirected his gaze.
"Forgive me. Darkrai was arguably the greatest villain Pokémon has created; someone willing to go to any lengths necessary, including the destruction of both time and space themselves, and eliminate anyone or anything in his way, to achieve the power he desired. But he wasn't just bluster either; he was very much a schemer who preferred to stay in the shadows, slowly manipulating events to his desired outcome until it was absolutely necessary to intervene, such as in the player's and Grovyle's time traveling exploits, or even to a lesser degree atop Temporal Tower, where one might manage to spot his shadow. Even as he orchestrated quite literally every event in the game, intentionally or otherwise, he still had enough foresight to plan an escape route so he could begin his plotting all over in the slim chance he did lose."
"So yes, clearly there's no contest when it comes to the plot, story and characters."
Arceus gave a curt nod. "So, having analyzed the main points of both games, is Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky the best game Pokémon has made?"
The Alpha Pokémon's eyes glanced upwards slightly, letting out a contemplative sigh. "To be honest, I can't definitely say. It's undeniable it's an incredible game, but I simply cannot say for certain if it was the best. It's certainly open for debate, but for now, I think that alone is sufficient."
The End
Special Thanks:
Mr. Grool
Dragon Niro
Credits:
Pokémon Conquest
Looney Tunes
Monty Python's Flying Circus - Dirty Fork
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Spaceballs
Arceus let out a melancholy hum as he powered down the computer, turning around only to come face-to-face with Mew.
"What's wrong, Arcy?"
"Hm?" the Alpha Pokémon blinked when he realized the question. "Oh, nothing. I just feel I could have said more, done more."
"Don't sweat it too much, Arcy! I think you did a good job," the Alpha Pokémon would have smiled at her comment.
"Thank you, but I still cannot seem to shake that feeling..."
The Pokémon let out a sigh and hovered out of the room, Mew in tow.
The columned room was eerily dark and silent, only a few rays of light floating down on the dais emblazoned with an image of Keldeo the three figures cloaked in black found themselves gathered around. One was of normal build, his cloak falling down naturally, though the hood was slightly wider than the norm. The other two were much larger; one's cloak having two protrusions from its back, falling over it like how one would cover a car with a sheet, while the other's was large enough it looked more like an oversized bed sheet, the hood being unusually elongated in the back.
"Now..." the deep, gravelly voice echoed out from beneath the darkness of the final one's hood. "Shall we begin?"
"Is there any reason you have to use that voice?" this one came from the second largest member, who craned his covered neck.
"It's fitting; why do you think we're in these ridiculous getups?" the other's voice had returned to normal despite his protests, while the former just let out an dismissive sigh.
"Anyway," the shortest said, shifting around slightly. "Are we going to start?"
"Yes, let's get underway."
Right as the tallest had finished uttering those words, the room was suddenly flooded with light as the door behind him swung open.
"Hi guys! Sorry to keep you waiting, but I got my costume and candy! Let's get this party started!"
Genesect and Kyurem turned to look at Arceus, the former removing his hood with a heavy sigh, while the Alpha Pokémon was too busy gazing at Mew in disbelief to notice their deadpans.
"This- This is not a costume party, Mew," the New Species Pokémon, who had wrapped the cloth around her into a toga, and was performing a few mid-air backflips, stopped abruptly and pouted.
"Aw... Well, that explains why I wasn't invited. Then what is it?"
The three legendaries exchanged nervous glances, Arceus floating forward slightly.
"It's a secr-"
"Don't help me, I can figure this out!" the Pink Pokémon quickly replied with a wave of the paw, before putting it to her chin in contemplation, sticking her tongue out of the side of her mouth, only for her eyes to go wide.
"Wait! I know..." she uttered, not noticing Kyurem charging up an Ice Beam. Rather, she abruptly spun around, and pointed an accusatory finger at the trio.
"You're secretly a rock band and these are your stage costumes!" Kyurem's attack died in his throat, icy jaw going agape and letting out a frozen mist, while all three quickly looked at each other in horror. Mew however, remained oblivious. "Yeah! Genesect on the synthesizer, Kyurem on the xylophone and Arcy on the harpsichord!"
"You play the harpsichord?" Kyurem asked, yellow eyes glancing down at the Pokémon's uncovered hooves. Arceus floated around, his visage having become quizzical.
"You play the xylophone?"
The Boundary Pokémon opened his mouth, but quickly closed it, crossing his arms. "Touché."
The Psychic Type ignored the two legendary's aside and floated up to Arceus. "Oh, please let me join, Arcy!"
This time Arceus looked back to the two other critics, all three sharing the same nervous look and silent understanding, before turning back to the Psychic Type at his hooves. He gave a slow, hesitant nod. "Sure..."
"Great!" Kyurem growled as Mew did another back flip. This couldn't lead anywhere good.
He was proven right a few minutes later.
"This is demeaning," the Boundary Pokémon hissed to Arceus, not even bothering to look down as he randomly hit notes (not that he could, given that the proportions of his neck to his arms required the legendary to have the instrument as close to his icy body as possible). Arceus let out a sigh, stopping his mental manipulation of the keys long enough to reply.
"Just play along for a little while longer so we can fake what causes most real bands to implode."
"Creative differences?" Genesect chimed in, looking up from his mechanical instrument. Kyurem raised an eyebrow himself.
"Vice?"
"I was going for ego, but I suppose those work too," the three Pokémon winced as Mew hit a high note, all sure that had somehow shattered a piece of glass somewhere, before quickly returning to their instruments and randomly playing in hopes of being able to drown out each other, each wishing for the torture to be over as soon as possible.