As is often the Nintendo way, there are a few catchy tunes that provided a few earworm moments during my time away from the game. It ranges from soft, almost unnoticeable background melodies to rousing tunes during particularly grand dungeons. Perfectly accompanying the beautiful visuals is a lovely musical score. It reminded of Yoshi’s Crafted World, offering a similar vibe of gleeful charm whilst playing. It’s a style I couldn’t help but love as I played. At times the hand-drawn style reminded me of A.A.Milne’s Hundred-Acre-Wood with its delicate watercolour shading and free-flowing lines. It feels perfectly in keeping with the cute Pokémon universe and the endearing monsters who live within it. It’s a delightful mix of almost cel-shaded character models and hand-drawn landscapes. The pixelated graphics from the GBA era have been updated and boy does this game look adorable now. The most obvious upgrade over the original is in the visual department. Carefully selecting the Pokémon and items to use and when is the key to victory. There are lots of items to help you out, some heal, others attack enemies, whilst others remove debuffs. Movement and combat are tile-based and each Pokémon has four abilities they can use to defeat enemies. This requires you to go dungeon-crawling in randomly-generated dungeons, fighting off enemies, and looting treasure. You are a Rescue Team and embark on quests to help out Pokémon in need.

The story and core gameplay mechanics from the DS and GBA originals are largely unchanged. I choose Eevee as my partner in crime, and we’re off: Rescue Team Awesome is officially open for business. I take it on the chin because the reveal is I’m Bulbasaur, which is clearly amazing. With my test complete, apparently I’m a hardy type who gets stuff done, which I politely accept before I’m then accused of being stubborn and potentially feuding with friends. But, before I can, I’m asked a series of questions to best match one to my personality. To begin the adventure I must become a Pokémon, choosing from a selection of well-known favourites. Rarely have I felt so judged by a game before I’ve even started playing, than Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX.

Pokemon dungeon dx review