Meta:Origin of Mystery Dungeon Mechanics

The page aims to cover the Origin of Mystery Dungeon Mechanics. It's a work in progress so only posts with next to them have been properly verified.

Game Mechanics

Adventure Log

For more on adventure logs in Mystery Dungeon titles, see: Adventure Log.

•  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer GB - Monster of Moonlight Village features an adventure log. It was the first Mystery Dungeon game to do so.

Backtracking

•  Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon was the first game in the franchise to feature Backtracking.

Blank Scroll Selection

Some games allow the player to select a previously read scroll from a list when writing to a blank scroll.

The following are the two earliest known examples from their respective series and are not confirmed to be the earliest yet.

• Torneko 3 (version unknown).
•  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 4 - The Eye of God and the Devil's Navel.

Golden Chambers

•  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 2 - Shiren's Castle and the Oni Invasion released on September 27, 2000, featured Golden Chambers.
•  Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness released on September 13, 2007, featured Golden Chambers.
•  Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky released on April 18, 2009, featured Golden Chambers.

Great Halls

•  Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon was the first game in the franchise to feature Great Halls.

Lookalike Items

•  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 2 - Shiren's Castle and the Oni Invasion released in 2000, featured Lookalike Items.
•  Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky released on April 18, 2009, featured Lookalike Items.
• Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 5: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate released on December 9, 2010, featured Lookalike Items.

Top Menu Icons

•  Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon was the first game in the franchise to feature Top Menu icons. They have been a staple in the franchise ever since.
•  Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer was the first Shiren the Wanderer title to feature Top Menu icons.
• / Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team were the first Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles to feature Top Menu icons.

Monster Houses

•  Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon was the first game in the franchise to feature Monster Houses.
•  Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer was the first Shiren the Wanderer title to feature Monster Houses.
• / Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team were the first Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles to feature Monster Houses.

Personality Test

• Personality Tests first appeared in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Red and Blue Rescue Team. They originated from Chunsoft's Dragon Quest III.

Rescues

•  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer GB2 - Magic Castle of the Desert was the first Mystery Dungeon title to feature rescues. They could be done via Game Link Cable or Passwords. They have appeared in the franchise ever since.
  • Rescue Mechanics in Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer series.
• / Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team were the first Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles to feature rescues.
  • Rescue Mechanics in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.

Shops and Shopkeepers

•  Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer was the first game in the franchise to feature Shops with super powerful Shopkeepers.

Statue Rewards

•  World of Dragon Warrior: Torneko: The Last Hope was the first game in the franchise to feature reward statues in the overworld for completing objectives in the game.
•  Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 2 - Shiren's Castle and the Oni Invasion was the first Shiren title to feature a statue reward.
• / Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team featured Statue rewards.

Turn Limits

•  Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon was the first game in the franchise to feature Earthquakes.
•  Mystery Dungeon 2: Shiren the Wanderer was the first Shiren the Wanderer title to feature the Winds of Kron.
• / Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team were the first Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles to feature the Unseen Force.

Upgrade Value Limits

•  Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon was the first game to feature Upgrade Value limits for Weapons/Shields.