Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team review

Stop-gap solutions are a necessary evil. Sometimes people or companies have to offer a temporary remedy to address a need without fully satisfying it. That's exactly what Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team is. This tourniquet of a title is meant to keep Pokemon fans occupied while they wait for the new Pokemon role-playing games - you know, the ones that have been dazzling gamers for the last decade. Until then, they'll have to make do with this game, which has some good qualities that are ultimately wasted by poor pacing and a lack of depth.

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon lets you play the part of a human character that suddenly wakes up as a Pokemon. A brief series of questions determines what kind of Pokemon you'll be and who you get to choose as your primary partner. After sorting all that out, you get to go on an adventure as part of a "rescue team" that helps Pokemon in need. But your desire to journey with said team depends on how hard you sweat over your new Poke-products. That said, the wandering gameplay and level design are quite boring, and the story isn't enough of a payoff.

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You and your companions walk through numerous, multi-level dungeons, fight things, pick up items and save a Pokemon. The turn-based combat utilizes the same rock-paper-scissors like combat that made the RPGs so deep, but it's not used effectively enough. Leveling up your Pokemon takes way too long in this game. You won't gain any cool powers until well after the main narrative is over.