Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team
Encyclopedia
and are a matched pair of Pokémon
games
for the Nintendo DS
and Game Boy Advance
, respectively. These two games were developed by Chunsoft
and were published by Nintendo
.
The two versions are mostly identical, with the Blue version taking advantage of the dual-screen features and increased graphical capabilities of the Nintendo DS. The game has six Pokémon exclusive to each version. As of July 25, 2007, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team sold 3.08 million copies worldwide. Sequels, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness
were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008. They featured Generation IV Pokémon, improved Wi-Fi
features, and more touch-screen options.
, Squirtle
, Charmander
, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Chikorita, Treecko
, Torchic
, Mudkip
, Pikachu
, Eevee
, Machop, Cubone, Psyduck
, Meowth
, and Skitty) and is determined by a personality quiz taken at the beginning of the game. The player chooses a partner Pokémon which is one of ten Pokémon (which excludes the last six stated above and the Pokémon of the same type). The game is mission-based with many jobs, which can be found on the bulletin board, requested by mail, or initiated through story events, and include rescuing Pokémon, delivering items, or escorting clients. If the player successfully completes a job, they receive a reward, and Rescue Points, which increase a team's rank.
These jobs take part in dungeons, of which the layout is randomized. The objective is to either finish a job, or go through all the floors to find the exit. In the dungeon, there are wild Pokémon that battle with the player's team. These battles are turn-based
, and take place in the dungeon map. Pokémon fight using the four moves they know, by using a standard 'A button' attack, or throwing rocks and other items. While going through the dungeon, the player gets hungry, and has to eat food either found in the dungeon, or bought in advance.
s — that have only begun to happen quite recently — the player and a newly made friend join forces and form a rescue team. The team meets other rescue teams, including a top-ranked rescue team consisting of Alakazam, Charizard
and Tyranitar, named Team ACT. The team makes enemies unwittingly with another rescue team, Team Meanies, consisting of Gengar
, Ekans, and Medicham, who seek world domination under the disguise of a rescue team. Not far into the storyline, the player is told of a legend about a Ninetales
laying a curse on a human who had deliberately grabbed Ninetales's tail. Ninetales predicted that the human would eventually be reborn as a Pokémon, and that the natural balance of the world would be upset. In the quest to discover the player's lost memory and purpose as a Pokémon, the team quests to where fortune-teller Xatu resides. Xatu is quick to realize that the player was once a human, and tells that the player's human-to-Pokémon transformation is tied together with the natural disasters. This conversation is eavesdropped upon by Team Meanies' Gengar, who reveals the player's secret to the townsfolk and says that eliminating the human-turned-Pokémon in the legend would bring everything back to normal.
They are then confronted by Alakazam, who says the Pokémon held a town meeting on what they must do to save the world: they must find and kill the player, and anyone who sides with them. As they give the team one night to get away, the two leave Pokémon Square as fugitives and make their way to the northeasternmost part of the world in an effort to elude the teams that are now hunting them down. Along the way, they encounter the legendary birds Moltres
and Articuno
who feel the effects of the disasters in their respective areas. They befriend an Absol who seeks to find the true cause of the natural disasters. The trio reaches the top of Mt. Freeze only to be cornered by Team ACT. They get ready to finish the player and partner off, but are stopped by Ninetales, who reveals that the player is not the human in the legend, but reveals that the world is in greater danger caused by the awakening of Groudon. Team ACT proceeds to try and stop Groudon, while the team heads home to clear all remaining suspicion at Pokémon Square and Gengar was blamed for starting it and their plans foiled again. After a few days, the player and the partner worry that Team ACT has not come back from their mission to quell Groudon. Asking to rescue the missing Team ACT, Lombre refuses to let them go, saying there are plenty of tougher Pokémon than them. Shiftry convinces three of the best Pokémon, Blastoise
, Octillery, and Golem
to form a special rescue team and rescue Team ACT. After a few days, the special team returns defeated.
After being discouraged by Gengar, the player and partner are able to get everyone's spirits back up, and volunteer to rescue Team ACT themselves. When the team reaches Magma Cavern, they find Charizard and Tyranitar defeated, with Alakazam fighting against Groudon alone — but is quickly defeated. The team takes matters into their own hands and defeat Groudon. They return back to town as heroes, but their celebration is short-lived as grave news arrives from Xatu. A huge meteor, revealed to be the true cause of the natural disasters, is heading for the world, threatening to destroy it. The only way to stop it is to ask for help from the sky guardian Rayquaza
. It is less than cooperative, but after a battle Rayquaza agrees to use its Hyper Beam to destroy the meteor. The team reawakens on the ground, surrounded by their supporters, where they find that the world is safe once again. However, the player must return to being a human and leave the Pokémon world behind. Once the credits roll, the player returns to the rescue team base in Pokémon form, and surprises everybody. Afterward, it is revealed that a shard of the destroyed meteor opens a secret cave under Whiscash Pond, enabling evolution.
rated the game a "Passable" 6.5, feeling that the DS version could have been better, if it did not have to be made for GameBoy Advance. They stated that "For a game that encourages team play, it's amazing that ChunSoft missed the boat when it comes to exploring dungeons and finishing missions with a friend". The game has been criticized for its visuals, with reviewers stating that the DS version does not improve graphically on the GBA version. GameSpot
gave it a 5.2, stating that "No matter how much you claim to love Pokémon, you should probably skip Pokémon Mystery Dungeon", stating that "ChunSoft
's dungeon hack game wasn't that good to begin with, and the injection of Pokémon elements hasn't done a thing to change that". 1UP
gave the games an A-, saying "you may realize the game isn't "perfect," but somehow it's addictive". GameSpy gave it a 4/5, stating "It may confuse some and frustrate others, but its addictive nature should keep you hooked until you learn to appreciate the art of the dungeon crawl". Nintendo Power
gave the game an 80/100, saying that "Mystery Dungeon is not perfect, but its robust and original aspects form a game more solid than many expected". Electronic Gaming Monthly
gave the game a 7.2/10, stating that "storing and retrieving items is too much of a hassle", and also did not like that when the player faints, they lose all of their valuable items.
As of July 25, 2007, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team sold 3.08 million copies worldwide.
games
for the Nintendo DS
. The two games were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008. New features include the addition of Generation IV Pokémon, improved Wi-Fi
features, and more touch-screen options.
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
games
Pokémon (video games)
Pokémon is a series of video games developed by Game Freak and Creatures Inc. and published by Nintendo as part of the Pokémon media franchise. First released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy, the main series of role-playing video games has continued on each generation of Nintendo's handhelds...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, respectively. These two games were developed by Chunsoft
Chunsoft
is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix...
and were published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
.
The two versions are mostly identical, with the Blue version taking advantage of the dual-screen features and increased graphical capabilities of the Nintendo DS. The game has six Pokémon exclusive to each version. As of July 25, 2007, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team sold 3.08 million copies worldwide. Sequels, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness
and are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS. The two games were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008...
were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008. They featured Generation IV Pokémon, improved Wi-Fi
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
features, and more touch-screen options.
Gameplay
The player starts out as a human who turned into a Pokémon, which can be one of sixteen Pokémon(BulbasaurBulbasaur
Bulbasaur, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Ken Sugimori, their name is a combination of the words "bulb" and "dinosaur." First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue as a Starter Pokémon, they later appeared in subsequent sequels,...
, Squirtle
Squirtle
Squirtle, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. It was originally conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized by Ken Sugimori...
, Charmander
Charmander
Charmander, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Charmander first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
, Cyndaquil, Totodile, Chikorita, Treecko
Treecko
Treecko, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Treecko first appeared in the video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
, Torchic
Torchic
Torchic, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, it first appeared in the video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
, Mudkip
Mudkip
Mudkip, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Mudkip first appeared in the video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
, Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
, Eevee
Eevee
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Eevee first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels...
, Machop, Cubone, Psyduck
Psyduck
Psyduck, known as in Japan, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Psyduck first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and later in subsequent sequels. They have later appeared in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and...
, Meowth
Meowth
Meowth, known as in original Japanese language versions, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Meowth first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and...
, and Skitty) and is determined by a personality quiz taken at the beginning of the game. The player chooses a partner Pokémon which is one of ten Pokémon (which excludes the last six stated above and the Pokémon of the same type). The game is mission-based with many jobs, which can be found on the bulletin board, requested by mail, or initiated through story events, and include rescuing Pokémon, delivering items, or escorting clients. If the player successfully completes a job, they receive a reward, and Rescue Points, which increase a team's rank.
These jobs take part in dungeons, of which the layout is randomized. The objective is to either finish a job, or go through all the floors to find the exit. In the dungeon, there are wild Pokémon that battle with the player's team. These battles are turn-based
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
, and take place in the dungeon map. Pokémon fight using the four moves they know, by using a standard 'A button' attack, or throwing rocks and other items. While going through the dungeon, the player gets hungry, and has to eat food either found in the dungeon, or bought in advance.
Plot
The player wakes up one day finding that they have been transformed into a Pokémon, without any memory of their past. In a world devastated by many natural disasterNatural disaster
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...
s — that have only begun to happen quite recently — the player and a newly made friend join forces and form a rescue team. The team meets other rescue teams, including a top-ranked rescue team consisting of Alakazam, Charizard
Charizard
Charizard, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Charizard first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels. They have later appeared in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and...
and Tyranitar, named Team ACT. The team makes enemies unwittingly with another rescue team, Team Meanies, consisting of Gengar
Gengar
Gengar, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Game Freak, their name it is both the singular and plural name of the species. First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue, they later appeared in subsequent sequels, spin-off games, related...
, Ekans, and Medicham, who seek world domination under the disguise of a rescue team. Not far into the storyline, the player is told of a legend about a Ninetales
Ninetales
Ninetales, known as is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Ninetales evolves from Vulpix when exposed to a special item. Created by Ken Sugimori, it first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and later appear in subsequent sequels, various merchandise,...
laying a curse on a human who had deliberately grabbed Ninetales's tail. Ninetales predicted that the human would eventually be reborn as a Pokémon, and that the natural balance of the world would be upset. In the quest to discover the player's lost memory and purpose as a Pokémon, the team quests to where fortune-teller Xatu resides. Xatu is quick to realize that the player was once a human, and tells that the player's human-to-Pokémon transformation is tied together with the natural disasters. This conversation is eavesdropped upon by Team Meanies' Gengar, who reveals the player's secret to the townsfolk and says that eliminating the human-turned-Pokémon in the legend would bring everything back to normal.
They are then confronted by Alakazam, who says the Pokémon held a town meeting on what they must do to save the world: they must find and kill the player, and anyone who sides with them. As they give the team one night to get away, the two leave Pokémon Square as fugitives and make their way to the northeasternmost part of the world in an effort to elude the teams that are now hunting them down. Along the way, they encounter the legendary birds Moltres
Moltres
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Moltres first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and later in subsequent sequels. Moltres is one of the three winged mirages, along with Articuno and Zapdos...
and Articuno
Articuno
Articuno, known as in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise. Articuno is one of the three winged mirages, along with Zapdos and Moltres. It is a large bird, noted for its ability to control cold. Articuno was one of many designs conceived by Game Freak and finalized by Ken...
who feel the effects of the disasters in their respective areas. They befriend an Absol who seeks to find the true cause of the natural disasters. The trio reaches the top of Mt. Freeze only to be cornered by Team ACT. They get ready to finish the player and partner off, but are stopped by Ninetales, who reveals that the player is not the human in the legend, but reveals that the world is in greater danger caused by the awakening of Groudon. Team ACT proceeds to try and stop Groudon, while the team heads home to clear all remaining suspicion at Pokémon Square and Gengar was blamed for starting it and their plans foiled again. After a few days, the player and the partner worry that Team ACT has not come back from their mission to quell Groudon. Asking to rescue the missing Team ACT, Lombre refuses to let them go, saying there are plenty of tougher Pokémon than them. Shiftry convinces three of the best Pokémon, Blastoise
Blastoise
Blastoise, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Blastoise first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
, Octillery, and Golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
to form a special rescue team and rescue Team ACT. After a few days, the special team returns defeated.
After being discouraged by Gengar, the player and partner are able to get everyone's spirits back up, and volunteer to rescue Team ACT themselves. When the team reaches Magma Cavern, they find Charizard and Tyranitar defeated, with Alakazam fighting against Groudon alone — but is quickly defeated. The team takes matters into their own hands and defeat Groudon. They return back to town as heroes, but their celebration is short-lived as grave news arrives from Xatu. A huge meteor, revealed to be the true cause of the natural disasters, is heading for the world, threatening to destroy it. The only way to stop it is to ask for help from the sky guardian Rayquaza
Rayquaza
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Rayquaza first appeared in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated, printed, and film adaptations of the franchise. Rayquaza also appears on the cover...
. It is less than cooperative, but after a battle Rayquaza agrees to use its Hyper Beam to destroy the meteor. The team reawakens on the ground, surrounded by their supporters, where they find that the world is safe once again. However, the player must return to being a human and leave the Pokémon world behind. Once the credits roll, the player returns to the rescue team base in Pokémon form, and surprises everybody. Afterward, it is revealed that a shard of the destroyed meteor opens a secret cave under Whiscash Pond, enabling evolution.
Development
First revealed August 2005, the Japanese release date was announced in September. More details were released later that month, showing information about the gameplay and plot. In November, Nintendo announced a bug in Blue Rescue Team version, when connecting to the GameBoy Advance slot to link up with Red Rescue Team. If the user had any other game besides Red Rescue Team, it would erase any game files the game has. Nintendo started shipment of replacement DS cards on December 8. At E3 2006, Nintendo announced the English release of the games, and revealed the release date later that month.Reception
The game has received mixed reviews. IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated the game a "Passable" 6.5, feeling that the DS version could have been better, if it did not have to be made for GameBoy Advance. They stated that "For a game that encourages team play, it's amazing that ChunSoft missed the boat when it comes to exploring dungeons and finishing missions with a friend". The game has been criticized for its visuals, with reviewers stating that the DS version does not improve graphically on the GBA version. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave it a 5.2, stating that "No matter how much you claim to love Pokémon, you should probably skip Pokémon Mystery Dungeon", stating that "ChunSoft
Chunsoft
is a Japanese video game developer specializing in console RPGs and visual novels. It was founded by Koichi Nakamura, a video game designer from Enix...
's dungeon hack game wasn't that good to begin with, and the injection of Pokémon elements hasn't done a thing to change that". 1UP
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
gave the games an A-, saying "you may realize the game isn't "perfect," but somehow it's addictive". GameSpy gave it a 4/5, stating "It may confuse some and frustrate others, but its addictive nature should keep you hooked until you learn to appreciate the art of the dungeon crawl". Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power
Nintendo Power magazine is a monthly news and strategy magazine formerly published in-house by Nintendo of America, but now run independently. As of issue #222 , Nintendo contracted publishing duties to Future US, the U.S. subsidiary of British publisher Future.The first issue published was...
gave the game an 80/100, saying that "Mystery Dungeon is not perfect, but its robust and original aspects form a game more solid than many expected". Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
gave the game a 7.2/10, stating that "storing and retrieving items is too much of a hassle", and also did not like that when the player faints, they lose all of their valuable items.
As of July 25, 2007, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team sold 3.08 million copies worldwide.
Sequels
and are a matched pair of PokémonPokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
games
Pokémon (video games)
Pokémon is a series of video games developed by Game Freak and Creatures Inc. and published by Nintendo as part of the Pokémon media franchise. First released in 1996 in Japan for the Game Boy, the main series of role-playing video games has continued on each generation of Nintendo's handhelds...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. The two games were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008. New features include the addition of Generation IV Pokémon, improved Wi-Fi
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection
The is an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii games. The service includes the company's Wii Shop Channel, DSi Shop, and Nintendo eShop game download services...
features, and more touch-screen options.
See also
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue TeamPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue TeamPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team is a 6-part manga serial that first appeared in Japan's CoroCoro Comic in the fall of 2005...
(the manga serial based on the games)