MUSIC, BOOKS & GAMES

There just isn’t enough Pokemon games in the world. Said nobody, ever. But no sooner had the dust settled on the arrival of the magnificent Pokemon Sword and Shield, than Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX arrived on the Nintendo Switch.

For those trying to get their heads around where Rescue Team DX fits into the hit franchise, it is a remake of the 2005 video games Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team.

So, how does it hold up on the Switch 15 years on? Well, the game features a new style and features not seen in the originals, such as

Mega Evolution, autosave, and auto-mode as a starter for ten.

You start off as a human who turned into a Pokemon, which can be one of 16 – Bulbasaur, 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.

You choose an alternate type of Pokemon as your partner and set off on a mission-based quest packed with a host of jobs picked up from the bulletin board, mail or through the story events. You will do things like rescue Pokemon (no shocks there), deliver items and escort clients.

As per the game’s title, once you have successfully completed a job you are rewarded with Rescue Points, thus increasing your team’s rank. You come across wild Pokemon along the way and turn-based battles ensue. I can’t say I played the originally extensively, I was 23 at the time and Pokemon wasn’t on my radar as a gamer back then, but as I touched on before there is a clear and distinctive shift in the art direction which makes things feel radically fresh.

The soundtrack is great and there has been key improvements to the combat and exploration elements. The charming story really holds your interest, which is key for any game in this genre.

Boss fights are the big let down, though, and there is still too much grind in the exploration of the dungeons for my personal taste.

A lack of health bars makes boss fights maddening at times, and some of Rescue Team feels too repititive. The game will appeal to newcomers and fanboys and girls alike. This is not an entry which requires an in-depth knowledge of what has gone on before or since.

But overall it ticks enough boxes to warrant appeal to newbies, but returning Pokemoners could be forgiven if they gave this one a miss.