Draft:Pkmn:Introduction to Basic Gameplay

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This Pkmn:Introduction to Basic Gameplay page is about basic gameplay in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles. For the list of released games in the series, see Pkmn:Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon (Japanese: ポケモン不思議のダンジョン) is a crossover of Game Freak's Pokémon franchise and Spike Chunsoft's Mystery Dungeon video games.

Belly

A Pokémon's Belly has an original range of 0 to 100. When a Pokémon first enters a dungeon, they have a Belly value of 100. As turns pass, a Pokémon's Belly value decreases. At zero Belly, the Pokémon will not regenerate HP naturally and will lose HP every turn when the leader. HP lost from hunger is 1 per turn in games up to Gates to Infinity and 3 per turn in Super Mystery Dungeon onwards.

A Pokémon's Belly value can be found in the menu. In order to fill up the Belly, a Pokémon eats a food item such as an Apple, Gummi, Berry, or Seed. A Pokémon's Belly value will also decrease if the player holds the A and B buttons simultaneously (waiting mechanic) as it also causes turns to go by. Also, a Pokémon's Belly value will decrease faster if they are holding certain items such as a Munch Belt and decreases very quickly when in a wall.

The Pokémon's maximum Belly size can be increased during the adventure, usually by eating an Apple while its Belly is full.

Although the Belly feature is found in every Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game, it is only a feature in the last three dungeons in Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity.

In Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon and Nintendo Switch Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, each Pokémon has a separate Belly value, allowing the player to change leaders when one gets hungry. Note that hungry Pokémon cannot regenerate HP naturally as turns go by.

Partner Pokémon

The player's partner Pokémon is selected at the start of the game.

During the main story, the partner Pokémon must be in an adventure in every dungeon. In games up to Gates to Infinity, if the partner Pokémon faints and is not revived, the adventure ends in a defeat.

Once the main story ends, as the original partner Pokémon no longer has to tag along in adventures, partner Pokémon mechanics also end.

Jobs

The team can do jobs to get rewards and raise their team rank, which unlocks new content, including increasing the inventory limit. After completing a job, the player will be asked whether or not to escape from the dungeon and receive the rewards. Jobs can be activated by accepting them at a bulletin board. There can only be one active job per dungeon floor. There is a limit to how many jobs that can be accepted at a time, but in Rescue Team DX, the accepted job limit can be increased by ranking up their team.

In Super Mystery Dungeon, these jobs are known as expeditions.

Common Types of Jobs

  • Find the Pokémon. It can be another Pokémon or the client Pokémon.
  • Deliver an item to the client. If the requested item is not in the inventory, then the job cannot be completed.
  • Escort the client Pokémon. In the Rescue Team (excluding DX) and Explorers titles, if the client Pokémon faints and could not be revived, the adventure is considered a failure.
  • Find the item. It can be completed by just having the item in the inventory.

Job Difficulty

Each job has a difficulty level associated. More difficult jobs usually have better rewards and contribute more to the team's rank.

  • In Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, there are seven difficulty levels, ranging from E to S, and ★.
  • In Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky, there are fifteen difficulty levels, ranging from E to S, then from ★1 to ★9.
  • In Adventure Squad, there are five difficulty levels, ranging from E to A.
  • In Rescue Team DX, there are ten difficulty levels, ranging from F to S, then from ★ to ★★★.

Other games not mentioned above do not have difficulty levels.

Recruitment

In every Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game except Super Mystery Dungeon, a defeated enemy Pokémon may offer to join the team once conditions below have been met:

  • The leader hits the enemy Pokémon using a move, not an item.
  • The leader is within one tile (two in Rescue Team DX) of the defeated Pokémon.
  • There is sufficient room for the Pokémon to be recruited (in Red/Blue Rescue Team)

In some dungeons, no Pokémon can be recruited. Certain Pokémon cannot be recruited, and obtaining these Pokémon can only be done so through evolution.

Additionally, in Red/Blue Rescue Team, the newly recruited Pokémon must safely make it out of the dungeon; otherwise, it will leave the team. The adventure must also end successfully.

In Super Mystery Dungeon, defeated enemy Pokémon do not offer to join the team at all. Expanding the player's team is done through connections with the Connection Orb.

Move Stats

Move Upgrading

Drinking a Ginseng powers up the Pokémon's assigned move, making it more powerful and giving it a number after its name.

Starting from Gates to Infinity this mechanic has been replaced with Move Upgrades, which makes attack moves power up as they are used. When a move ranks up, it can increase in maximum PP, power, or accuracy. Upgrading a move increases its PP, Power and Accuracy. Move upgrades apply to all instances of the move across all Team members. Moves are temporarily reset when entering a Level 5 dungeon.

A move upgrade happens whenever the meter is done filling up with a color, in order: blue, green and red, after which the next number is reached. This means that, while the game only shows the Roman numeral going up to VIII, moves can actually be upgraded a total of 24 times. After the VIII meter is done filling up with red, the definitive gold star icon is reached and the move can't be upgraded any more.

Moves in the Status Category have a silver star icon and can't be upgraded.

Only attacking moves can be upgraded. They can be recognized by the icon next to the move name, which is formed by a meter with a Roman numeral on top. This icon represents how much the move has been trained and how much training is required to reach the next upgrade.

PP

Each move has a default max PP stat, which is the amount of times a move can be used. Using a move normally causes its PP to temporarily decrease by 1. Once a move reaches 0 PP, it can't be used anymore until the Pokémon regains PP by drinking an Max Elixir, by completing the current Adventure or through other methods depending on the game. Once all four moves are out of PP, attempting to use a move will end up in using Struggle instead, a move that can be used an unlimited amount of times and that causes recoil damage to the Pokémon who uses it.

Maximum PP of a move can be permanently increased. The methods to do so change depending on the game, as well as the Max PP limit, which can also be different for each move.

Power

Determines the base damage the move will inflict.

Power of a move can be permanently increased using a Power Drink. Effects are shared by Pokémon who have the move.

Accuracy

Determines how well the move hits other Pokémon. Known as Hit Ratio in Explorers of Time, Darkness and Sky.

Accuracy of a move can be permanently increased using an Accuracy Drink. Effects are shared by Pokémon who have the move.

Pokémon Stats

Ability

Abilities provide an effect on the Pokémon or on the dungeon floor. Most Ability effects in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon mirror the core series' effects. There are some differences, though. For example, the Intimidate Ability weakens the power of physical attacks used on it instead of lowering the Attack stat,.

In games prior to Gates to Infinity, Pokémon that can have two Abilities in the core series have both at once. Since Gates to Infinity, each Pokémon can only have one Ability, and for Pokémon that can have two Abilities, one is chosen at random.

HP

Stat which determines how much damage it can take before fainting. When it reaches 0, the Pokémon faints. It regenerates naturally under normal conditions.

Attack

Stat which determines damage done by physical moves.

Defense

Stat which determines damage received from physical moves.

Special Attack / Sp. Atk

Stat which determines damage done by special moves.

Special Defense / Sp. Def

Stat which determines damage received from special moves.

Speed

Introduced in Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon. Not to be confused with Travel Speed. It determines the accuracy modifier of the moves used by the Pokémon. Speed also determines how well it evades other Pokémon's moves.

Body Size

Due to technical limitations in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and, although less intrusive, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness and Sky, as well as in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Adventure Squad Titles, Pokémon that have bigger sprites or multiple forms might need too much memory to be in a full party. Because of this, in addition to the maximum amount of Pokémon allowed in a party during an Adventure, the party also needs to respect body size limitations. Each Pokémon has a body size of either 1, 2, or 4, represented as stars in the Pokémon's details menu. When assembling a party, the maximum allowed body size is 6.

This limitation has been removed starting from Gates to Infinity, where the original body size mechanic is entirely absent. The game introduces a new mechanic that can be considered a replacement for body size. Pokémon that are physically bigger, known as Gigantic Pokémon, take up 3x3 tiles instead of 1 when inside a dungeon. They can be a part of the player's team starting from Super Mystery Dungeon onwards and they do not limit the party size in any way.

Storing Items and Money

Items and money can be stored so that they are not lost when an adventure is failed. Where items and money are stored varies with the game.

In Super Mystery Dungeon onward, there is an option to use the storage for items and money before starting an adventure.

Where Items and Money are Stored

Reviving

When a Pokémon faints, a Reviver Seed is used to revive it. In Super Mystery Dungeon onwards, when a teammate faints, the player can choose to revive it or not using a Reviver Seed in the inventory. There are some situations where Pokémon will be unable to revive even with a Reviver Seed in the inventory.

Reviver Seeds not just fully restore HP. They also fully restore PP and Belly. In Super Mystery Dungeon onwards, there is a weaker variant known as a Tiny Reviver Seed. When a Tiny Reviver Seed is used, it just fully restores the HP of a fainted Pokémon. Once a Reviver Seed or Tiny Reviver Seed is used, it becomes a Plain Seed.

In Super Mystery Dungeon onwards, when the client Pokémon faints, it warps to somewhere else on the floor. To revive it, the team must use a Reviver Seed from the inventory. If the team moves to the next floor, but the client Pokémon is not revived, the job request cannot be completed until the next adventure.

Status Conditions

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon has various status conditions, which can either be beneficial or detrimental to the Pokémon. The Pokémon's bad status conditions can be removed with a Heal Seed.

Pokémon Types

Just like in the core series, type affects damage inflicted by moves. For example, a Grass-type move is super effective on Water-type Pokémon, while a Fighting-type move is resisted by Psychic-type Pokémon. However, damage modifiers due to type differ from the core series. They vary from game to game as well.

  • In Red and Blue Rescue Team
    • "Super effective" does 1.4× damage
    • "Not very effective" does 0.7× damage
    • "Little effect" does 0.5× damage
    • For moves used on dual-type Pokémon, the modifiers stack multiplicatively.
  • In Explorers of Time, Darkness and Sky
    • "Super effective" does 1.7× damage
    • "Not very effective" does 0.5× damage
    • "Little effect" does 0.25× damage
    • "Little effect" and "super effective" stacked become "not very effective". No further benefits from double weaknesses or double resistances.
  • In Gates to Infinity onward
    • "Super effective" does 19% more damage
    • "Not very effective" does 12.5% less damage
    • Attacks of "little effect" do absolutely nothing at all to the Pokémon. In Rescue Team DX, the message log prints "It doesn't affect the Pokémon."

Turn Limits

" Something's stirring... „
~ The first time a wind blows on a floor on Rescue Team and Explorers titles.
" A wind has started blowing... „
~ When a wind blows on a floor on Gates to Infinity onward.

If the team stays on one floor of a dungeon for many turns, a wind will start blowing. The team should head for the stairs to go to the next floor, as the wind will eventually blow the team out of the dungeon, in which the adventure ends as a defeat. Reviver Seeds cannot save the team from being blown out, and there is no usual option of getting rescued either.

" <Pokémon> was blown out by an unseen force. „
~ When the adventure in a dungeon fails because the team was blown out on Rescue Team and Explorers titles.

There are three warnings before the team is blown out of the dungeon. In Red and Blue Rescue Team, the warnings come at 250, 150, and 50 turns before being blown out.

Failing an Adventure

There are many ways to fail adventures in dungeons, and the most common is to have the team faint. In the case of adventure failure, the player is sent home.

Other ways to fail an adventure:

  • Choosing to give up
  • Client Pokémon faints and could not be revived (up to Gates to Infinity; when associated with an active job)
    • In later games, the fainted client Pokémon does not revive automatically and will not result in adventure failure (see above)
  • Partner Pokémon faints and could not be revived (up to Gates to Infinity; when required to tag along)
  • Winds blow the team out of the dungeon (see above)

Consequences of Adventure Failure

  • The team loses items and Poké that they had in their inventory.
    • Items and money that are in the storage are not lost at all.
  • The player does not receive rewards as usual for completing job requests, including earn points. However, completed jobs are erased.
Game Lose Poké Lose Items
None Half All None Some All
Red & Blue Rescue Team ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✓ ✗
Explorers of Time & Darkness ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✗
Explorers of Sky ✓ ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✗
Adventure Squad ✗ ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗
Gates to Infinity ✓ ✗ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓
Super Mystery Dungeon ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓
Rescue Team DX ✗ ✗ ✓ ✗ ✗ ✓

Getting Rescued

When the team falls in a dungeon, there is usually an option to get rescued in order to continue their adventure where they left off. The player can also rescue their own team. A code to get rescued is generated. There is also an option to get rescued through the Internet in Rescue Team DX, however this feature requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.

There are limitations and exceptions to this, though:

  • No Pokémon that are in an adventure may be selected before starting a rescue.
  • There is a limit to how many times the team can get rescued per adventure. Once the rescue limit has been reached for an adventure, fainting one more time will result in adventure failure.
  • There are some areas where rescue is not available, usually boss floors. In Rescue Team DX, the team can get rescued when defeated by a boss, in which they will be sent back to the floor before the boss.
  • The team cannot be rescued when blown out of the dungeon (see above) or faints when attempting to steal from a dungeon shop.
  • In Rescue Team DX, rescue requests expire after 7 days.

After a successful rescue by others, the team continues where they left off. In Super Mystery Dungeon, an Escape Orb appears on the ground. In Rescue Team DX, the player is asked whether or not to escape from the dungeon.

In Rescue Team DX, each successful rescue (except for their own team) contributes to their rescue team rank.

When the player is done making rescues, items and money are sent to the storage.

Game Platform Rescuing Rescues between different consoles
Red Rescue Team GBA ✓ ✓
Blue Rescue Team DS ✓ ✓
Explorers of Time & Darkness DS ✓ ✗
Explorers of Sky DS ✓ ✗
Adventure Squad Wii [Research required] [Research required]
Gates to Infinity 3DS ✓ ✗
Super Mystery Dungeon 3DS ✓ ✗
Rescue Team DX NS ✓ ✗

See Also

References

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