Super Mystery Dungeon (Spoilers abound!)

So this announcement has finally persuaded me to catch up on the Mystery Dungeon series. Maybe this should go in a general Mystery Dungeon thread but I can't find one.

I'm starting at the beginning, and have played through to Sinister Woods in Rescue Team. It's... really quite an odd game. It felt a bit clunky to begin with but I think I'm beginning to appreciate it.

I feel like it's not a good game to play on emulator though. I just can't resist making a savestate at the end of every floor, which kind of undermines the point of a dungeon crawler.
 
Yeah. Savestates really mess with the rescue team concept. It's sorta like saving between turns in pokemon - you can do it, but it ruins the fun of it (imo, of course, feel free to disagree).
On that note, I think these games have really VC potential - IIRC the main holdup for regular pokemon games not making it to VC was trading, but here it's all done by code, and it works surprisingly well. You can still use online services in sky, and even use them in the original two (which is impressive considering one is GBA). Furthermore, I agree with a lot of the design choices, and this game has a surprising amount of depth and even some real difficulty later. I feel Sky (and maybe Darkness/Time, never played those) really improved on the formula that red/blue established, streamlining recruitment in particular (ugh, Friend Areas was a MASSIVE pain, if a cool concept). The gameplay itself is simple enough, and surprisingly streamlined (with the exception of moves, perhaps). I love some of the longer dungeons, and the inventory management needed (although, in all honesty, I'm a hoarder and only go into dungeons minimalistically - a couple oran berries, an apple, held items, while literally having pages of PAGES of apples and big apples, a couple of oran berries, and a page and a half of reviver seeds, and not even have finished the main story yet...go figure). Anyway, to wrap this up, music is great, Zero Isle is brutal, these games are amazing...no idea why I went on a pseudo-rant about it, but whatever.
 
I also feel a bit put off by the concept of a turn-based roguelike. In, say, Binding of Isaac, even if you are on like 1 HP with no healing items left, you can still try and struggle on by just being a total video gaming God. Here, if you encounter a Pokemon that is stronger than you are there's nothing you can do about it, and on a couple of occasions I've had that scenario where a Pokemon is waiting down a corridor to kill me with the stairs on the fair side of the corridor. That's really annoying and I don't feel it's particularly good design.

Oddly enough, I love all the non-gameplay aspects though. The music rocks, the sprite work is neat, and the dialogue is actually pretty entertaining.
 
Rejoice! Questionnaires return to choose your character (and your partner, apparently). I guess it's a bad thing if you had a definite choice, but it's a fun mechanic anyway.


The plot is that your partner wants to complete the world map, and both of you become Investigators (idk what the English translation is, but it's going to be this game's Rescue Team/Explorers/Adventurers) and explore the world's dungeons and other villages. The rest is the petrification stuff that was revealed already. Also another thing to note: traps break after activating! This means no more retarded AI stepping onto the trap that you uncovered just because they are following you. There seems to be a new friendship mechanic, with the pokemon connected in some sort of web system.
 
Credit to fivexthethird on reddit for this picture, be it seems that you can revisit the region in PMD: Blue/Red Rescue Team.
HHOJNFB.png
 
DragonWhale said:
Rejoice! Questionnaires return to choose your character (and your partner, apparently). I guess it's a bad thing if you had a definite choice, but it's a fun mechanic anyway.


The plot is that your partner wants to complete the world map, and both of you become Investigators (idk what the English translation is, but it's going to be this game's Rescue Team/Explorers/Adventurers) and explore the world's dungeons and other villages. The rest is the petrification stuff that was revealed already. Also another thing to note: traps break after activating! This means no more retarded AI stepping onto the trap that you uncovered just because they are following you. There seems to be a new friendship mechanic, with the pokemon connected in some sort of web system.
Click to expand...
And apparently if I heard correctly-- you can use tools.
Such as Pikachu using a berry that made Jynx fall asleep.
 
That friendship thing reminds me of Xenoblade's affinity chart, not sure if it'll just be for the party or extend to some NPCs as well.

If it means anything, the Party chart in Xenoblade affected some battle mechanics like Chain Attacks and Tension, basically combo attacks and little incremental boosts, respectively. The NPC chart affected what sidequests could come about based on how the NPCs interacted.

Might affect things like stat buffs or hunger for the former, or maybe some side missions for the latter.
 
DragonWhale said:
Rejoice! Questionnaires return to choose your character (and your partner, apparently). I guess it's a bad thing if you had a definite choice, but it's a fun mechanic anyway.


The plot is that your partner wants to complete the world map, and both of you become Investigators (idk what the English translation is, but it's going to be this game's Rescue Team/Explorers/Adventurers) and explore the world's dungeons and other villages. The rest is the petrification stuff that was revealed already. Also another thing to note: traps break after activating! This means no more retarded AI stepping onto the trap that you uncovered just because they are following you. There seems to be a new friendship mechanic, with the pokemon connected in some sort of web system.
Click to expand...

Thank god for the questionnaire returning, that was one of my favorite features (and the most unique to the series). Also, I hope the whole "petrification" plot point ties into how the ultimate weapon was created in XY, and how it used stones to absorb the life force of pokemon to power it. I think it would be a really cool way to tie in the new mechanics and plot points of gen VI into the Mystery Dungeon Universe
 
DEMo_Gorgon47 said:
Thank god for the questionnaire returning, that was one of my favorite features (and the most unique to the series). Also, I hope the whole "petrification" plot point ties into how the ultimate weapon was created in XY, and how it used stones to absorb the life force of pokemon to power it. I think it would be a really cool way to tie in the new mechanics and plot points of gen VI into the Mystery Dungeon Universe
Click to expand...
Once again I doubt it, as these games are developed and written by a different group of people from the main series games. The plot of XY might get a reference, but I doubt they're going to tie it together (let alone give a canon explanation).
 
Kurona said:
Tying in Mystery Dungeon Canon to Main Game Canon would... be an awful mess of tragic proportions. Where would you even start
Click to expand...

It doesn't have to tie in per se... maybe just reference. I'm sure the petrification could have some reasonable thing to do with Pokemon's internal energy (or life force) being removed. And perhaps, since it has been said so many times that Pokemon release energy upon evolution, that his internal energy is actually infinity energy and thus it would connect or "tie in" to the main series. But that is just my idea, I think it could work if done right

powergo1 said:
Credit to fivexthethird on reddit for this picture, be it seems that you can revisit the region in PMD: Blue/Red Rescue Team.
HHOJNFB.png
Click to expand...

Maybe they are actually connecting all the maps and worlds created in the past games? some of the continents didn't have definitive end points so it could be possible
 
*minor spoilors for PMD:E* I know it's probably nothing to do with the game, but I remember, being the masochistic idiot i was, climbing all the way up the Ultimate Dungeon Tower place in explorers there was a Stone Arceus / Arceus Statue and you removed a cosmic stone or something like that from him. Anyone else think they might tie that in with this game? (or at least the pokemon turning to stone bit?)

Just a little spitball theory i have going, i havent been keeping up with news on this game like i was so lmk if they've released info that says otherwise or that this won't tie in with other explorers games (i know it's unlikely they would but stranger stuff has happened in pokemon games)
 
CoroCoro has some new info! Source: http://www.pokebeach.com/2015/06/ken-sugimori-artwork-super-mystery-dungeon

The only interesting screenshot at a glance is this one:
Pokemon-Super-Mystery-Dungeon-CoroCoro.jpg


Just as we all expected, mega-evolution is coming. And it seems like evolution is going to play some kind of role during the main adventure and not be restricted to post-game. This just means that certain starters are going to be substantially better than others, which is a real shame...

Also, it's worth noting that some Pokemon there are wearing scarves (most of them, actually) whereas others are wearing badges, like Braixen. As far as I can tell it's only the basic evolutions who wear scarves, all evolutions wear badges instead. No idea how this will affect gameplay, though.
 
Hang on.
Mega Charizard Y is getting publicity instead of Mega Charizard X? ... a-are you feeling okay, Game Freak?

Regardless, this leaves 13/20 starters without Megas (Kanto, Hoenn and Riolu all get theirs). I assume there'll be something to make it up for the other starters, or Megas will be so late-game it won't matter. Maybe it's some aftergame quest where if you or your partner aren't capable of Mega, you get partnered up with a filler Mega like Audino or Pinsir or something? Absol could be fun as a callback to the original.
 
Sorry for the post just over 20 minutes after my last one, but I just looked at another image closely:

Pokemon-Super-Mystery-Dungeon-CoroCoro-4.jpg


See the two images on the bottom? One shows Hoopa in its forme change, whereas the other one shows it in its regular stage. The scenery is the same in both pictures, and look at the floor number. The picture on the left reads "5F" whereas the picture on the right reads "B1F".

I'm not sure what this means, but it's definitely worth noting. Never before has there been a downstairs and upstairs in the same dungeon. Maybe this dungeon has some freaky mechanic thing where you can flip dimensions from the regular world into a mysterious "B" world? Could there be dungeons with two sets of stairs -- one going up and one going down? We obviously don't know for sure either way, but it's certainly interesting, and it looks like Chunsoft are going to mix things up a little bit and try new mechanics with this game, which is really exciting for me.
 
Celever said:
Sorry for the post just over 20 minutes after my last one, but I just looked at another image closely:

Pokemon-Super-Mystery-Dungeon-CoroCoro-4.jpg


See the two images on the bottom? One shows Hoopa in its forme change, whereas the other one shows it in its regular stage. The scenery is the same in both pictures, and look at the floor number. The picture on the left reads "5F" whereas the picture on the right reads "B1F".

I'm not sure what this means, but it's definitely worth noting. Never before has there been a downstairs and upstairs in the same dungeon. Maybe this dungeon has some freaky mechanic thing where you can flip dimensions from the regular world into a mysterious "B" world? Could there be dungeons with two sets of stairs -- one going up and one going down? We obviously don't know for sure either way, but it's certainly interesting, and it looks like Chunsoft are going to mix things up a little bit and try new mechanics with this game, which is really exciting for me.
Click to expand...

I hope the do have something like that, where hoopa can use its portal power stuff, unfortunately I think it's more likely that the pictures are just two dungeons with similar themes. Maybe not though. We can hope!
 
Yeah I wouldn't go fretting over those pictures too much. For all we know it could also just be you went like B1F > 1F > 2F etc. I mean sure that'd be new to PMD but nothing remarkable. Don't think there's much point speculating on something that small.
 
Kurona said:
Hang on.
Mega Charizard Y is getting publicity instead of Mega Charizard X? ... a-are you feeling okay, Game Freak?

Regardless, this leaves 13/20 starters without Megas (Kanto, Hoenn and Riolu all get theirs). I assume there'll be something to make it up for the other starters, or Megas will be so late-game it won't matter. Maybe it's some aftergame quest where if you or your partner aren't capable of Mega, you get partnered up with a filler Mega like Audino or Pinsir or something? Absol could be fun as a callback to the original.
Click to expand...
Mega Charizard Y is getting more publicity than X these days with the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo promotions and stuff.

Also, since the game chooses your main character and your partner, the game might choose a non-mega partner if you get a mega-able main character and vice versa.
 
DragonWhale said:
Also, since the game chooses your main character and your partner, the game might choose a non-mega partner if you get a mega-able main character and vice versa.
Click to expand...
That's kind of annoying, especially if you have 2 favorites you want for your characters like Pikachu (hypothetical here, I don't care for it) and Chikorita.
 
DragonWhale said:
Mega Charizard Y is getting more publicity than X these days with the Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo promotions and stuff.

Also, since the game chooses your main character and your partner, the game might choose a non-mega partner if you get a mega-able main character and vice versa.
Click to expand...
Where was it said the game chooses your partner?
 
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