Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness form the second story of the Mystery Dungeon series, often called Mystery Dungeon 2. Developed by Chunsoft and published by Nintendo, they were released in Europe on July 4, 2008 on Nintendo DS. Here is their fact sheet.
| Japanese title | Pokémon Fushigi no Dungeon : Toki no Tankentai / Yami no Tankentai |
|---|---|
| English title | Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Explorers of Darkness |
| Platform | Nintendo DS |
| Release in Japan | September 13, 2007 |
| Release in North America | April 20, 2008 |
| Release in Australia | June 19, 2008 |
| Release in Europe | July 4, 2008 |
| Release in South Korea | December 11, 2008 |
| Developer | Chunsoft |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Genre | Role-playing game, dungeon crawler |
| Players | 1 (rescue and trading with multiple players) |
| Generation | Fourth |
| Starter Pokémon | 16 through the test, including Meowth, Skitty and Munchlax, who cannot be partners |
What’s new compared to Rescue Team
- The fourth generation makes its debut in the series, with Turtwig, Chimchar and Piplup among the starter Pokémon.
- Wigglytuff’s Guild replaces the team base: the duo lives there as apprentices.
- Treasure Town and its new shops: Electivire Link Shop, Chansey Day Care, Xatu Appraisal and Marowak Dojo. See Treasure Town.
- Ranks determine the capacity of Kangaskhan Storage and reward an item at each milestone. See Ranks.
- Connections: rescue through local wireless connection, Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or passwords. See Connection and passwords.
Two versions, then a third
The two versions are almost identical: only a few Pokémon and the rarity of some items change. See Differences between Time and Darkness. In 2009, Explorers of Sky retold the story with enhancements; it has its own complete guide.
Around the game
Like the first installment, Mystery Dungeon 2 received a special episode of the animated series. The main musical theme reuses that of the first installment with slight changes. Later, the game’s region served as the model for the Grass Land in Super Mystery Dungeon.
The French manual has the reference NTR-YFTP-FRA.
