Nintendo Switch has now become a thriving garden where to cultivate the Pokémon brand: if Pokémon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee set fire to the powders before the eighth generation, it is also true that space is given to less classic experiences. The month of March will be the turn of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX, remake of that game that arrived in 2005 divided into Red Team e Blue team on the distant Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS and which bewitched many players for the different perspective it can offer.
The series borrows the formula tested by Spike Chunsoft, developer of the original game and also of the remake, that is, that of a dungeon crawler revisited in Pocket Monsters sauce. The demo downloadable from Nintendo eShop is the ideal opportunity to get a clear idea of what this remake will be. The demo save will be transferable in the full version in March, so we didn't miss an opportunity to dive into the world of Pokémon.
In this first chapter of the spin-off series we are a trainer who found himself in the role of a Pokémon who is mysteriously seen teleported precisely in the Pokémon world, a pristine forest where monsters have developed a society. Even before starting the adventure, the game will give us some questions that will result in the ideal Pokémon depending on the answers, but we will also have the right to change creature at our choice. As in the original game, you can choose between 16 Pokémon like Pikachu, Mudkip, Cubone, Charmander and all the others in the image.
A difference (albeit minor) between the original and the remake on Switch is found in this important selection, since in the Red and Blue Team some Pokémon had sex locked, such as Machop, which was exclusively male, or Skitty, only female. In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Rescue Team DX this limit has been removed, nipping any controversy in the bud.
Plunged into the new world we will be rescued by another creature (which we will choose) and will be our first companion, a Pokémon that will go down with us in the dungeons. The demo allows you to taste a scarce two hours of play divided into two main missions and some secondary ones, all with the same goal of saving a specific Pokémon in any floor of a dungeon. The first assignment will put us in search of a small Caterpie lost in the woods and from there to the formation of the rescue team, a team whose job is to help all Pokémon in need, the step will be very short.
The first thing that catches your eye when playing the demo is it graphic distortion: the Japanese developer abandons the old 2D style of portable consoles in favor of three-dimensionality, with warm and rounded tones using the available Switch hardware and the technique of cel shading which is very pleasant in practice, denoting the nice rescue team and the world of Pokémon of a light and fairytale note, which is in the meantime obscured by an incessant succession of natural disasters only hinted at in the demo but which will be deepened in the version complete.
This only apparent lightness is also expressed through the same dungeons, which are procedural, that is, different from time to time, and have one "block" structure which must be kept in mind during the lightning-fast fights that this game offers. Our Pokémon (in our case a Cyndaquil) starts at level 5 with four attacks, instead of two as in the original version, and with these we will have to make our way through the various floors by knocking down the Pokémon marked in red in the side map, perhaps with a super effective attack . In dungeons it is possible to move freely, but when an enemy creature approaches it will start a turn-based combat, where each step (block) is a turn, so choosing whether to move or attack will be decisive for our strategy. Some attacks like Brazier will be able to hit up to 2 blocks away, while others will require a closer approach - all this, as always, taking into account the type of the Pokémon and the ability it has.
It is possible to go faster through the button in charge of the dash, a click with which you can skip entire corridors, plus one the absolute novelty of this remake is the automatic mode, which does just what the name suggests: by pressing the L key, the Pokémon will start walking alone with two possible settings, one that favors exploration and the other that sees our "trainer" heading towards the stairs leading to another floor or allow escape from the dungeon. Once you cross an enemy, however, the automatic mode will stop immediately, so the fights will always be won with only the forces of the rescue team.
Once you have cleared a dungeon of its objects it will become a ritual to go to the Pokémon Square, the central hub of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, to deposit the accumulated money of a Persian and everything else to a Kangaskhan. The Parent Pokémon will take care of keeping the loot safe from any accidental death, since dying in a dungeon is equivalent to losing all the contents of our backpack. Before accepting any assignment from the bulletin board next to the Pelipper Post Office it will therefore be essential to choose what to bring with you and what you absolutely do not want to lose in the event of a challenging dungeon or a boss. Of this rogue-like nature which soon takes on Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is also complicit in a mechanic that sees the Pokémon being more tired than losing HP on the way, except eating an apple to fill its belly.
Also in the Pokémon Square, most of the free time from missions takes place, where it is possible to talk to other Pokémon, such as a wise Whiscash in the adjacent pond and take advantage of other services such as the Kecleon warehouse, where to buy more powerful moves, without forgetting the Makuhita Dojo, the purpose of which is to practice the many variables that the game offers and level up faster.
So far the title has proved faithful to the original but with the necessary updates, bringing back to Nintendo Switch all Pokémon of the first three generations, but it is not excluded that Spike Chunsoft adds Pokémon from the fourth and later as Lucario, which is given for certain given its presence in the presentation trailer, not to mention that the megaevolution, along with updated abilities and moves that didn't exist back then, lead the game in this direction.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX convinced us from the beginning: the demo offers a great little glimpse of what will be the restart of the beloved Pokémon spin-off on Nintendo Switch. The game appears very large, with an attractive art design and with the necessary adjustments given the age of the original. Spike Chunsoft's title will be an opportunity to rediscover Pokémon from another point of view, including their legends, with a light-hearted but not too much adventure, hoping that the watering down of the difficulty given by the new automatic mode and the best attacks to game start does not affect the final product too much.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX arrives March 6 on Nintendo Switch.
► Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a RPG-Adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for Nintendo Switch, the video game was released on 06/03/2020
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is a beautiful game that cannot be missing from your collection: we have decided to evaluate it with a 80%, if you are interested in learning more you can read the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Review: Rescue Team DX
