After Gates to Infinity, which disappointed some fans by simplifying the formula, Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon returns to the fundamentals: a personality quiz, hunger, long dungeons and a story that dares to be emotional. It adds the whole sixth generation, 720 Pokémon to recruit and a strong idea, the Connection Orb. The result is the most generous entry in the series on 3DS, but also the slowest to get going.
A story that takes its time
The hero, a human turned into a Pokémon and stripped of memory, wakes up in a forest and arrives in Serene Village. Nuzleaf takes them in first, then they are enrolled in the village school. The game then spends long hours in class, on school trips and in small quarrels between students. This is the game’s most-cited flaw: it takes about ten hours before you really set off on an adventure, and the early dungeons are short and guided.
Patience is rewarded. Once settled in Lively Town with the Expedition Society, the hero and the partner face a far darker threat: petrified legendary Pokémon, a world of Nothingness and a Dark Matter born from Pokémon’s negative feelings. The last chapters are among the strongest in the series, with a finale built on forgiveness rather than strength. Those who loved the ending of Explorers of Sky will find the same melancholy here.
The Connection Orb, a really good idea
Recruitment no longer depends on chance. Every Pokémon you meet or help is added to a huge web of relationships, and each bond opens new missions, new dungeons and new Pokémon. The urge to complete the map becomes the engine of the post-game. You can thus recruit all 720 species, legendaries included. The trade-off is that you can only have one Pokémon per species. The search function, by name, type or color, keeps this web readable despite its size.
An enriched battle system
In the dungeons, the classic formula is intact: turn by turn, tile by tile, with randomly generated floors. There are many new features. Link Moves combine the team’s power. Looplets hold up to eight Emeras with stackable effects, and Mega Evolutions deliver real moments of power. Branches join the arsenal, and pushing an ally finally solves traffic jams in corridors. The return of hunger brings back tension to long explorations.
It all stays readable, but some ideas slow the pace. Emeras that implode after a few turns force you to chase after them. And a Pokémon at a higher level than yours sometimes refuses to go through dungeons back to back, which forces you to rotate your team.
A restrained presentation
On 3DS, the game keeps the colorful style of Gates to Infinity, with more varied dungeons and livelier towns. Lively Town, Windmill Town and the other cities of the continents each have their own character. The music, finally, remains one of the series’ strengths, and the Jukebox lets you listen to the themes again.
Is it worth playing today?
On Nintendo 3DS, Super Mystery Dungeon is the most complete choice for discovering the series. It offers more content and more Pokémon than Gates to Infinity, and a story that ends up hitting the mark. The game can now only be found as a boxed copy since the eShop closed. If you prefer a more modern, tighter experience, the remake Rescue Team DX, on Switch, is more accessible. But it has neither the scale nor the cast of this one.
Our verdict
A successful return to basics, with the biggest cast in the series and a beautiful ending, provided you get through an endless start. The Connection Orb turns the post-game into a nearly infinite collection.
What we like
- 720 Pokémon to recruit, legendaries included
- The Connection Orb and its huge post-game
- A story that builds up to a striking finale
- Mega Evolutions, Looplets and Link Moves
What we like less
- A very slow start, at school in Serene Village
- Only one Pokémon per species
- Annoying Emeras to pick up
- Only available as a boxed copy
