Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon is Clearly Peak Pokémon

Unbeknownst to many, the quintessential game in the Pokémon franchise actually released over eight years ago.
You can read the original essay here: docs.google.com/document/d/18...
Chapters:
00:00 - A Recounting of Taste
03:22 - Magic in the Mundane
13:13 - Super Is in the Name
19:55 - Bigger Isn't Always Better
25:57 - An Accounting of Taste
Credits (roughly in order of appearance):
All footage not credited captured by myself.
Pokémon Trailers footage from ProsafiaGaming: • All Pokémon Game Trail...
Pokémon Sleep Trailer: • Discover Pokémon in th...
Pokémon Go Trailer: • Pokemon Sleep - Offici...
Pokémon Concierge Trailer: • Pokémon Concierge | Of...
Pokémon Sword/Shield Trailer: • Pokémon Sword and Shie...
Pokémon Conquest Trailer: • Nintendo DS - Pokémon ...
Mario & Luigi and X/Y footage from aWiibo: • Mario & Luigi: Bowser'...
• Mario & Luigi: Dream T...
• Pokémon Y HD - FULL GA...
Supplemental PSMD and GTI footage from EddieERL: • (3DS) Pokémon Super My...
• (3DS) Pokémon Mystery ...
PMD: Explorers of Sky footage from theinstantmatrix: • 2009 [NDS] Pokémon Mys...
Rescue Team DX Footage from BeardBear: • Pokémon Mystery Dungeo...
Black and White Footage from Typhlosion4President: • Pokemon Black - Comple...
Sword and Shield Footage from PCPlaythroughs: • Pokémon Shield playthr...
Shadows of Almia footage from Solesif: • Pokémon Ranger: Shadow...
Pokémon Colosseum footage from Geocax: • Pokémon Colosseum - Al...
Partner Rejection footage from PMD Gang: • All Rejection Options ...
Heart Gold/Soul Silver Footage from UHD Longplays: • Longplay - Pokemon Hea...
"One Thousand Pokémon! 🥳": • One Thousand Pokémon! 🥳
Mega Evolution footage from Pheonixmaster1: • Pokemon Super Mystery ...
DX Mega Evolution Footage from NintendoAndMusic1205: • ALL MEGA EVOLUTIONS in...
Regions Combined Image: / are_there_any_rom_hack...
Continent Mappings from Serebii: www.serebii.net/supermysteryd...
Bulbapedia on the Pokémon Logo: bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wi....
Polygon -- "Not all Pokémon will carry over to Pokémon Sword and Shield": www.polygon.com/e3/2019/6/11/...
Nintendo Life -- "Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon Review": www.nintendolife.com/reviews/...
PSMD OST from VGManiac456: • Opening & Main Theme |...
#pokemon #pokémonmysterydungeon

[@codename618]

I can't tell you how many times I've seen people criticize this game for the school section, yet here you are praising it. It's _super_ refreshing!

[@AurumAlex64]

The school section is awesome. I wish more Pokémon games were willing to do things like that and weren't in a rush to get to the "good" stuff.

[@Axecon1]

That's actually one of my major criticisms with newer Pokemon games and latter Mystery Dungeon games, the beginning areas feel far too hand-holding. Sometimes it's better to drop oneself into the world unadvised. But I do find this take very unique and it was a great argument in the video essay.

[@AurumAlex64]

@@Axecon1 I occasionally do video addendums to my essays, basically shorter videos where I talk about a topic tangentially related to the essay at hand, and the one next week is exactly about why I love these kinds of long, hand-holdy intros. Maybe I'll convince you :)

[@AzureTheSky]

@@AurumAlex64 I'm sorry, I'm really enjoying the video, but this is the worst take possible. These intros can exist, and they have merit in existing, but being unskippable and mandatory are objectively awful design decisions and are things that every mod/rom hack and quality of life update makes away with on their first opportunity, and they do so for a reason.

[@AurumAlex64]

@@AzureTheSky Oh, to be clear, when I talk about hand-holdy intros, I'm not talking about unskippable cutscenes or forced tutorials. I'm moreso talking about games which hold back central mechanics or have an extremely heavy story-focused intro. One of the examples I don't directly bring up but show in the video is Dragon Quest VII, where it takes about 3 hours to get to any real combat (and it takes 20 hours to unlock the main mechanic of jobs). The focus of those first 3 hours isn't overlong tutorials, it's setting up the world and story, at the almost complete expense of the gameplay. And I think that choice is ultimately a net positive for the game. I should also mention that my perspective is mostly from the story angle. I think when these intros are done well, they have a tremendous impact on the narrative of the game that games which rush through the beginning often lack. So I like when games give that extra time, even if they aren't that much "fun" to play in the moment.

[@guwuega8010]

i find it fascinating that you’ve played through all the mystery dungeon games but haven’t even cracked the surface of Explorers. that one truly is so rich and genuinely awe-inspiring at some moments. i hope you’re planning on experiencing it soon, it’s so so worth it

[@king_eziel]

There's no way I can take this video serious if they didn't even finish the main story of Explorers.

[@awastedcow]

@@king_eziel This was one of the few times I was so glad I came down to the comments in the middle of the video. I'm leaning towards that sentiment. Having played Super myself, it was ok, definitely not bad, but Explorers is still peak.

[@VilasNil]

To be fair, hearing that he dropped the game 2h in, he might have gotten stuck at Mt. Bristle and I wouldn't blame him. No chance to train before it so you are at quite a low level, huge chance of losing your starting items which are fairly powerful and useful (scarfs), stab quick attacks everywhere from 2 spaces far and you faint in 2 hits at that level meaning if you approach them you might die... It can feel rng-heavy for such an early point in the game.

[@king_eziel]

@@VilasNil It's difficult, but not drop-the-game difficult; children with minimal strategic skill have beaten the game. If you can't get past that, then idk how you can review a series you cannot keep up with.

[@OmegaG17841]

​@@awastedcow Okay so I rarely comment on.....really anything online and I definitely don't make long comments like this, but I cannot count the number of times I've booted up my DS Lite Explorers and played the Explorers games from beginning to end over the years. I'm in my late 20's and Generation 4 was my childhood. Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky are all I need in regards to the PMD series (and yes, I've got all 3 games). Never really sat down and got through the 1st PMD (idk why though, I've tried in the past a couple of times but I just couldn't get into it, despite knowing how great of a game it is). Gates to Infinity I heard was okay, but as for Super Mystery Dungeon, I've heard horror stories about it (and witnessed them too). Both my best mate from Highschool and my Fiancé have SMD and it infuriated my Fiancé and just flat out made my best mate rage quit multiple times. Their biggest complaints were how unnecessarily difficult it was. You can only recruit ONE of each Pokémon in the game, Everyone's HP Stat was cut in half (Ex: in PMD Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky. My partner is Empoleon who's Above level 70 and has over 200HP. Meanwhile my Fiancé's Empoleon had barely above 100 HP, maybe 110 or so, and her Empoleon was almost the same level as mine, maybe 5 levels off or so.), while you explore a dungeon, wild Pokémon can KO each other and EVOLVE, and some other things that have faded from my memory. The only good/cool thing I can think of from this game was the twist ending where you don't dissapear, but your PARTNER dissapears and you have to now go on a quest to bring him back. The worst part of it all, the story just wasn't good. By itself it's......alright, but compared to Gen 2 PMD, it's just........bad..............like REALLY BAD. The final boss was a complete let down too (It was just some weird shadowy sphere thing that was obnoxious to beat, just flat out forgettable). When I first beat Explorers of Time nearly 20 years ago, I literally cried. PMD2 as a whole is one of the very few games to exist that come close to pure perfection. The characters, gameplay, story, visuals, and that AMAZING SOUNDTRACK, ALL OF IT I LOVE!!! The only other game that I hold in such high regard is Terraria. Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon came out right as Game Freak and the Pokémon Company as a whole started putting less effort into the games. Heck, you could see the signs as early as Generation 6. Gen 6 was fine, until you got to the end of the game and found out that the Elite Four AND the League Champion's entire Pokémon teams were 10 Levels lower than your team or more, even if you didn't do any grinding or go out of your way to fight every single trainer. Mega Evolutions were an awesome idea and I, like many others, were excited to see what new Mega Evolutions would come from Gen 7. Instead we got "Alolan Forms" and Z moves. Then when the train which is properly known as Sword and Shied came out, you had Dynamax and Gigantamax which were just a half baked fusion of Mega Evolutions and Z moves. The overall difficulty of the games have dropped significantly over the years as well. I seriously don't understand why Game Freak doesn't give us a Difficulty Toggle like nearly every other game does, or even let us make multiple save fines instead of just ONE!!! Like I said, I'm in my late 20's and I started out with Generation 4 (both the main line games along with the side games and spin offs) and I went backward and played the earlier generations and loved them. Generation 1 - 5 is peak Pokémon. Gen 6 is alright, but after that, it all started going down hill very fast and I hate to see that happen to a franchise I held near and dear to my heart. Last year I got Cassette Beasts on Steam close to the holidays and for almost 2 months I could not put the game down. It reminded me of what I loved about the Monster Taming genre so much and added new things that made it fresh, fun, but fairly challenging. Hell, it's one of the extremely few games that I went out of my way to do a 100% run, including all of the Steam Achievements. I'm not gonna judge this dude or talk smack about him for making a video of his favorite game. If the dude enjoys it, then at the end of the day, that's all that matters. I grew up with Mega Man X Command Mission and replayed the living heck out of it over the years, and that game is not even close to being the best RPG ever (the game sold roughly 0.3 millions copies world wide, that's how much of a flop it was). But despite all of it's flaws, I still love the characters, music, and gameplay to death. So if this guy loves Super Mystery Dungeon then that's A-OK. Also if AurumAlex, if ya happen to read this, PLEASE go back and play PMD2 from the very beginning all the was to the end of post game (preferably Explorers of Sky since it has all the content from Time and Darkness plus a lot of extras) if you haven't already. I guarantee that you will love it dude.

[@altejoh]

On the subject of "is pokemon scifi", remember that even in Gen 1 and 2 they have aliens, teleportation, time travel, and can convert animals into data and vice versa, but are also only just putting up radio towers for the first time xD

[@AurumAlex64]

Yeah, the technological divide is kind of strange, even in the Mystery Dungeon series. Like, on the one hand, the connection orb seems to be this wireless device that can instantly connect with people across the globe, but then the most sophisticated technology in Serene Village seems to be houses made out of wood planks. I think it works, though, I like the aesthetic of the world overall. I also think the franchise has become increasingly more sci-fi since around Gen 6 as well, what with Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire introducing alternative universes and Gen 7 having the Ultra Beasts. It's funny, because I don't think most people see Pokémon as a sci-fi franchise, but I would say it absolutely is.

[@echtschlau8510]

​@AurumAlex64 I've always had the headcanon that PMD world basically has magic and the Pokemon just uses item like orbs and wands as magiteck devices (what witht the Connection Orb like you said, plus looplets that use emera in dungeons, etc).

[@AurumAlex64]

That would make sense, considering things like the barrier of the spring water definitely gives off "magiteck" vibes

[@AJ-ey5eh]

I think the pokemon human world is like that cuz of pokemon legends. Objects like rotom appliances get sent back in time with space time distortions + they have electric pokemon, so people end up reverse engineering technology rather than building it from scratch

[@intergalactic92]

Pokemon is definitely sci-fi. Maybe not in the vein that people tend to think of sci-fi, certainly leaning more towards the science fantasy angle, but I would definitely class it as sci-fi.

[@stupspider1507]

"It's even complete with random strangers who attack you for no discernable reason." Love that.

[@Aeenjyl]

Same here.

[@lucasferro6050]

While Dark Matter is similar to Bittercold, I think the key difference between them is the kind of negativity that formed them, Bittercold's was more malicious (like when the Pawniard tricked Dunsparce or when Gurdurr deceived you and your partner) while Dark Matter's was more mundane (literally anytime someone got angry or jealous for any reason ever, THAT mundane). This affected how they needed to be defeated: Bittercold was done by spreading positivity, trust and hope, while Dark Matter was by accepting those emotions as part of you, when it's defeated it even says "thank you" for accepting it, the game is basically telling you that the best way to deal with these emotions and thoughts is to accept them as part of you, not hating them or even yourself because it'll just make things worse, it's why Dark Matter has a voice, to make it feel like a person (just destroying Dark Matter with force makes it come back in the future but much more powerful) and I appreciate this message, I like how the power of friendship and hope isn't enough this time. Can you tell I adore this game? But just in case it's not clear, I absolutely ADORE this game

[@AurumAlex64]

I like this reading between the two games. I think my issue is that I don't feel Super does a great job getting across why Dark Matter has risen again until the literal last second. The Partner claims that we weren't able to beat Dark Matter the first time because they didn't understand they needed to accept it rather than just beat it up. That makes sense, but I think this should be reflected throughout the game. Like, we never see a character who tries to ignore all their negative emotions so they don't have to deal with it, only for that plan to end up backfiring on them because, well... you can't just bottle up your problems like that. They get sort of close with Krookodile, but he's shuffled off right at the final third. If there were an ongoing storyline of this sort throughout the game, it would build a clear thematic parallel to what Super is trying to do, and the difference is I think Gates does do this. I would also argue Gates does kind of get at the sort of "mundane" negativity as well. Kyurem has his great speech where he says: "The shadow of hopelessness and despair that darkens their view of the future.... The negativity of each and every one of those Pokémon stagnated and spiraled.... While no one paid any heed, it swelled greater and greater until at last.... The Bittercold was born." Kyurem makes clear that the Bittercold didn't come about because of nefarious intentions, but because people simply didn't care. They didn't care about their friends, they didn't care about their neighbors, they didn't care about making the world a better place. I feel like Gates is suggesting the Bittercold was born from apathy rather than malice.

[@lucasferro6050]

@@AurumAlex64 I'd say Super deliberately didn't want to show the "evil" building up because it really was bit by bit over a long time (likely thousands of years as they refer to Mew's era as ancient), extremely minor things adding up but as in Dark Matter forming, not pokémon's relationships growing worse over time like in Gates. All of this because, in my interpretation, Dark Matter was about our INNER struggles with our own flaws (which most of us deal with alone and tend to hide, maybe could be a reason why the story doesn't show it), while the Bittercold was about the distrust BETWEEN Pokémon and loss of hope caused by acts like the deceiving done by Gurdurr and Pawniard. It's a bit tough writing down all my thoughts here, specially with english not being my 1st language and me having way too many thoughts on these two silly games lol And to clarify, most of what I said really is just my interpretation on what we were given and not some sort of canon I created in my head, I'm kinda just trying to fill in some gaps as both games fail to state things 100% clear, more so Super but Gates also fails a bit, which might be good, it lets you fill the holes it leaves, could be why I enjoy these two stories more than Sky's

[@AurumAlex64]

@@lucasferro6050 Ah, that difference of "inner" vs. "between" makes a lot more sense! I think that sums up the differences between the two games pretty well.

[@wikiuser92]

I was going to say that Dark Matter formed out of the negativity of ancient Pokémon, while Bittercold is more recent and thus represents current negative feelings more, but your point is actually much better. Well thought out!

[@goli8699]

As someone who has thought more about the difference between the Bittercold and Dark Matter than they probably should, I really like this interpretation. Dark Matter being much more sentient than the Bittercold always threw me off when trying to think of them as sharing a universe (which was probably not the way they thought when making Super). I ended up coming to the explaination that Bittercold is much more composed of feelings like apathy and the lack of empathy, with the need for change not being acknowledged causing its physical form to be solid and cold. Meanwhile Dark Matter was built from so many different societies and situations that its form ended up being less clear, only having a solid form when in the world it pulls you into to fight. Dark Matter creating a hard shell could also be symbolic for how it was segragated and locked away from everything else. Their cores are also very simmilar, so I think that them being formed from a simmilar process is plausible. So basically the Bittercold was formed from who and what we see in Gates, while Dark Matter was formed from millenia of emotional racism.

[@MiniorDebry]

Honestly, I hope you give Explorers of Sky a spin. As a kid it was my first Mystery Dungeon game and it's story quite literally changed my life. To this day I can hear one specific song from the ost and just feel the exact emotions they wanted out of it from remembering the story segment it plays in. I'm only being vague to simply not spoil anything.

Don't Ever Forget? Memories Returned? In the Morning Sun?

[@lucygirl1111]

don't forget about the bonus episodes you get for getting farther into the main story

[@TheAbsol7448]

EoS is so _good._ I thought it might've been a little overrated since some people can get a little obnoxious over liking it. I've seen people praise it while trashing PSMD. I started playing it a while ago and it became my favorite game, beating out Xenoblade X.

[@ArcadeEXP]

My first MD was explorers of darkness when i was a kid. I finished it in the span of a year just cause I didn't want to end. I still had to finish it but man was it a Rollercoaster. It's now in my top 5 among persona and xenoblade

[@graysonwalker2297]

The fact that several songs come into my head with the scenes/emotions attached to them truly shows how wonderful this game and its soundtrack really is. The beach scene with the bubbles, crossing the ocean on lapras, seeing your first time gear, let alone some of the more spoilery scenes, these are all ingrained in me

[@zacharydobbins6267]

God that ending with partner.. I played all mystery dungeons so when it came I had expected it.. but then the twist just stabbed me in the stomach

[@AurumAlex64]

Yeah, it is a pretty neat twist, it got me good my first playthrough

[@_marshP]

That's the point of the twist, and I love it I'd gotten so used to leaving at the end that I was in absolute denial. The fact that the partner didn't come back until after a few dungeons too was brutal (though I think it was a bit empty in terms of plot, as I got through that part of the postgame in only an hour of a few solo dungeons. The random memory loss plus timeskip at the end of it was jarring too, took me a while to understand what was happening.)

[@infinityheart_tm9270]

Also unlike other Mystery Dungeon games. Your partner doesn’t exactly follow you but instead, they walk alongside you. Usually they just walk behind you in towns. But Super has them walk to the side of you in town. This is because they’re more important than ever. It’s such a cute detail that didn’t need to be there, but it’s there nonetheless.

[@AurumAlex64]

Oh, I hadn't noticed that before. That's actually really neat.

[@kmaru9148]

The school premise is so underrated. It made me more attached to my “classmates” and my town, its more simple and chill and it made the stakes so much emotional. Plus the fact that this is the last game with mega evolution made it the perfect mystery dungeon game for me. I also loved the characterization of my partner.

[@nattieCSH]

some people complain about the pacing being slow in that portion, but I'd have been happy if the entire game was that pace, I never felt I cared as much for the expedition guild (even ampharos who shows up a bit earlier) because by that point it's like a railroad into chaos real fast. It'd have been better if there were more episodic adventures with the world getting increasingly empty and desolate before the abyssal badlands arc.

[@wikiuser92]

It made sense for me to go to school. It makes sense you learn about dungeon mechanics there. Plus all the reasons you said.

[@SLDNW101]

The school aspect was one of my favourite parts of Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia. I actually cared about my classmates and who they were as people. Guardian signs quickly lost me.

[@starmangalaxy2001]

Super I think manages to do something special with it's post game story too. It really makes you feel alone. Your one loyal friend is gone, and with that comes a big difficulty spike, and if you go to train up, your met with a mechanic that many have shown their distaste for... Other pokemon have their own lives. Helping that sad Riolu that helped them once get their Fennekin friend back isn't always their first priority, While you're connected, you're still little more than kind strangers to them. And so as you deal with the loss of your best friend, the world keeps moving not caring in the slightest about how alone you feel or the struggles you're going through.

[@LordTyph]

Or rather, just as you have struggles, they have struggles too. Part of friendship is understanding that your life isn't more important than theirs.

[@LuminusNova]

Did you choose riolu as character and Fennekin as partner? Me too! this duality of a physical attacker and a special attacker is very good :)

[@cs82271]

The part of Super that really got me was that it makes you feel like you've lived a full life by the end. The school is childhood, the guild is early adulthood, the end of the game is middle-aged, and post-game is retirement.

[@lorettabes4553]

Yess!

[@Nosretep]

Farming Stairway Wands for Arceus's Final Dungeon. This is the only game where Regigigas is actually good since you can nullify it's ability.

[@Aeenjyl]

What a rarity for Regigigas. Amazing.

[@Nintensmarts-Alt]

I've legit used Regigigas in PSMD because of how insane it is. Unless you get criminally bad luck and spawn in a monster house, you can just take like 5 steps or go to a wonder tile, and even if you spawn in a monster house, more likely than not, you'll have other party members to take care of it for the first few turns.

[@wikiuser92]

Arceus is the only Pokémon in the game whom I haven't recruited, because I don't feel I have the patience for it.

[@Nosretep]

@wikiuser92 It's not hard. Get a Loopet that allows you to avoid traps. And get Good Emeras that boost powers and stats. Only bring one teammate. And make sure to hoard at least 80 stairway wands. Regigigas is great.

[@justinarney3050]

I think it should be noted from the beginning your character is perceived to be a child by other Pokemon and your character is somewhat surprised by this revelation. This implies that they think themselves as being older and honestly they do act more mature.

[@echtschlau8510]

You know it's refreshing to hear someone actually liking Super AND Gates despite what most of PMD fandom have to say about them. Anyways, you are spot on with your analysis and pretty much convey what I most find endearing about this silly little spin-off of one of the most successful media franchises on Earth lol. Keep on the good work, mate, and consider me one of your new subscribers! I hope there will be more from you, especially in regards to PMD. P.S. Would love for you to share some love for Gates as well. Despite its flaws, that game deserves better. P.P.S. Also, I hope you will play Explorers of Sky soon and make a video on it. It's the fandom's darling for many reasons.

[@AurumAlex64]

I really, really like Gates as well. When I was collecting footage of Gates for this video, I just started sitting there and watching the scenes play out longer than I needed to, and I said to myself, "Wow. The character work in this game was pretty great." It also doesn't get enough credit for being a 3D Pokémon game on a handheld before X and Y (though I'm pretty sure Rumble Blast also came out before Gates).

[@intergalactic92]

There was a stylistic choice from gates onwards that I just couldn’t reconcile. I mean this is a world in which all pokemon are fully sapient, and capable of speaking perfect English, forming diverse communities and constructing towns and even cities…. So why do they say their own species name every other sentence?

[@davidwaxter66]

Gates doesn’t deserve any more love than it already gets. Game is the worst one in the series

[@LylatKnight]

Super is criminally underrated.

[@diamondmasterandwillytheca2642]

Its the second best mystery dungeon behind explorers

[@summersweete09]

I agree with you!

[@BloodyHowl69]

I played the Rescue Team DX and still don't get the appeal. I didn't have the nostalgia factor either but felt the gameplay was still a too bit clunky.

[@finnvaneekelen4966]

I feel like it gets hit by what i like to call “sticker star syndrom” where people who have never played the game just lump it in with gates to infinity (I dont hate gates as much as most people do mind you but i do think its the worst entry in the series)

[@myriad3569]

@@diamondmasterandwillytheca2642it is the best mystery dungeon game in front of explorers

[@TheGuyWhoSaidHi2]

I cannot tell you how much it means to me that you were able put into words what's so good about this game, that I have not been able to in uh... (looks at calendar) 4 whole years. All that stuff about mundanity and single mindedness and such is so incredibly spot-on

[@AurumAlex64]

I hadn't replayed the game since it released, and it held up so well. It's got such a good sense of humor too. I think I've convinced myself this in my top 10 games of all time.

[@myriad3569]

@@AurumAlex64honestly psmd is one of three games tied for all-time favorite for me One of the biggest things that makes me like a game is its soundtrack, so I’m only slightly disappointed that you didn’t mention how incredible psmd’s is

[@AurumAlex64]

@@myriad3569 Agreed. I listen to PSMD's music on the regular.

[@johhnycash45]

I grew up with the Explorers games, but nostalgia aside, I agree that Super Mystery Dungeon is by far the best in the series.

[@corrinflakes9659]

While I never played Mystery Dungeon beyond the Rescue Team demo, I know well that “Fire Island Volcano” from Super MD serves as an excellent example of the kind of music that video games may incubate “Yeah, didgeridoo intro then pound those drums to set the tone that this is a tropical volcano, now travel to the opposite side of the globe in Ireland! Yes, the Australian Aboriginals and Irish Celts, what do they share? Hatred of the British!”

[@AurumAlex64]

Fire Island Volcano is an instant playlist addition. I love Ancient Barrow as well

[@echtschlau8510]

​​@@AurumAlex64This game has so many good songs. Fire Island Volcano like you both say, Lush Forest, Noe Town (best town theme out of the extra continents for me), both of the Tree of Life theme, Final Boss - Phase 1 and 2; especially 2, etc. I could go on and on, btw, I always loved the jukebox in this game and Explorers, it's so cute. Wish we can get them back someday. Bonus: throw in the Partnet's Theme as well because of course you do that.

[@chronoxxe]

I had recently finished the main story and epilouge of this game and it's become one of my favorite games. One thing I felt you could have put more emphasis on in the video is your partner compared to previous games. The partner has more depth then any other game, and it really pays off by the end.

[@AurumAlex64]

Yes, I really love the Partner in this game. I also really like their relationship with Carracosta too. Like the scene where the Partner can't bear to see their dad turned to stone was great, and it's the kind of scene only Super could do.

[@wikiuser92]

This game essentially turns the partner into the main character with a destiny they must fulfill, while you are the partner. And I like that. Nothing really encapsulates this better than the climax with the Dark Matter battle and them trying to reach a flying tree with hardcore parkour.

[@YggdrasilDizzyspellsSparklesta]

tysm fur making this video, pmd has been a lifelong fav series in gaming to me largely due to its unabashed, shamelessly goofy and softhearted good-naturedness, which feels like a panacea to teh cynisism and jadedness so prevalent in current popular culture in so much of society. blows my mind seeing you only have 990 subs, im here to stay, friend! PLUR it up!!

[@KrispyKrabby]

Freaking FINALLY some Super Mystery Dungeon love! Honestly so tired of seeing people call it bad. It's EXTREMELY underrated, and I'm glad you've put some words on why it's so good. ❤

[@wikiuser92]

Amen to this. Explorers is not bad, but I'm sick and tired of people gushing about it all the time without giving Super as much as a chance.

[@KrispyKrabby]

@@wikiuser92 Yeah, I love EoS, but it's honestly a bit tedious to get through nowadays. I appreciate some of the more modern features Super has.

[@servalzsubliminals]

if i had to choose something that represents my childhood, it's this exact game. The music, the characters, the amount of times i struggled in the dungeons cause ive never playes these types before and my 12 year old self screaming in victory when i reached Arceus at the very end. I could replay it for the rest of my life and be happy with it, there was always something new to see. (Also, the plottwists were INSANE for little me, kept me hooked all times)

[@AurumAlex64]

I really hope we get a new Mystery Dungeon some day. Eight years is a long time!

[@sagittariuwus4445]

It's so refreshing to hear someone praise this game and put words to the reasons why this game resonated with me so much as a teenager. This game was my introduction to the mystery dungeon universe, and despite all the praise for explorers I still can't help but just care about this game so much more, and all I ever hear about the game is complaints about it being after gates. The world really does go above and beyond, but it feels like it gets the short end of the stick solely because it came out after gates. It feels so unfair to the game that people write it off thanks to its predecessor's reputation, especially when it does so much to build on almost everything the previous games had to offer. In short, thank you for putting words to the feelings I've had issues explaining for 8 years. It's so nice to hear someone vocally praise this game besides myself for the what I think is the first time I've heard.

[@AurumAlex64]

Glad you like the video! I've always had a soft spot for this game. It's too bad it gets criticism for being after Gates, especially because Gates... isn't bad? I've really never understood the dislike for either entry, to be honest.

[@Spolcyps]

I still remember my first time picking up and playing PSMD. I first started with Gates and completed it, thoroughly enjoying it the whole way through. After that, I picked up Explorers of Sky and enjoyed it even more. These games just clicked with me. To this day, Explorers of Sky is still my number 1 favorite game of all time. So, when PSMD came around, I jumped on it, ready to sink my teeth into another PMD experience. But, I never got past the school section of the game. I lost motivation and put the game down for several years. At the time, I blamed the intro for being absurdly slow, and not giving me what I wanted, which was, to create an exploration team and go on missions, just like Explorers. I eventually did get back to the game a couple years later and reach the credits, and thank goodness I did, because the second half was right up my alley. Finally, I made it to Lively Town and the game can actually start. It was awesome. I'm not exactly a completionist, so I just stopped there once I beat it and moved on to the next game. Thinking back about the reasons why I stopped playing on my first playthrough, I really think if I had just gone in with the right mindset of what this game was going to be like, I would've completed it for sure. All I cared about was just getting to the exciting part. I didn't want to go to school in game, I played games to avoid thinking about school. I didn't want to play a kid. Now that a lot of time has passed and my gaming tastes have changed, I feel I've started to enjoy the little things that games like PSMD provide, and more importantly, what games like Pokemon SV lack. I'd always check in on Doduo running around Lively Town, along with the other NPCs, meanwhile SV doesn't even give us houses to enter anymore. I totally agree that if this game came out in 2024, the reception would be a lot different. However, that doesn't change the fact that 15 year-old me couldn't stand the glacially slow intro section and just went back to playing Explorers of Sky in protest. You truly never know what you have until you've lost it...

[@AurumAlex64]

PSMD clicked with me immediately. I played it when I was about the same age as you, so it's interesting in the difference in our reactions. I think there was something just kooky enough about the idea of Pokémon going to health class every morning that made me want to see it through. It helps that the dialogue is also pretty witty for a Pokémon game. I think there's just something deeply adorable about this game that I can't quite put my finger on, but it makes PSMD very inviting to revisit.

[@_marshP]

I always saw the school section as more of a prologue, to get you attached to your partner and flesh them out a little before the stakes rise to real levels, unlike something like rescue team where your partner just randomly has an entire house he can give to you.

[@AurumAlex64]

Yep, I also like that in Gates we had to literally find someone to get our house built. That's a fun early-game conflict to have.

[@Christiangamer22]

I loved this video. I was genuinely shocked when I saw how small your channel was for the quality you've put into this. I hope you grow, my friend. +1 Sub.

[@Nameless_mixes]

This was such a great take! Honestly, I still prefer the Explorers games as I found the plot to be the most engaging. But PSMD was still incredible! I loved the characters, the environments, the story, etc! And while many dislike the elementary school part, I loved how it got me invested in the other characters. I wish that we got even more of that in Explorers with the guild members. I wanted to go on missions with Sunflora, Loudred, Corphish, etc. And while EoS developed that more with the extra stories, it still didn’t quite satiate me. Getting to traverse the Ancient Barrow with Goomy, Deerling, and Espurr was so much fun! And then the dark matter world with the entire exploration society? Those experiences wouldn’t have been an option in the first two installments of the series! Overall, this was such an amazing game and I really hope Spike Chunsoft gives us another original game in the future. It’d be insane if they some how managed to naturally incorporate all 1,000+ mons into it. Idk how they would, but hey, it’s not the craziest thing they’ve done! Point is, the PMD series is my favorite part of Pokemon and I really wish more people understood what makes it great. Thanks for such an awesome video!

[@RioluLucario1994]

I still have my copy and my 3DS, and I go back to it regularly. Hard to believe there hasn't been a new PMD game since, aside from the Rescue Team remakes

[@AurumAlex64]

It has been a disgustingly long time, I'd be really interested in seeing what they could do with a new game. We have 3 entire generations worth of new material to work with!

[@wilsoncouto8285]

I had completely forgotten how special these games are until I saw this video. I have so many fond memories of playing every Mystery Dungeon game. It's such a charming and unique pokemon experience in its own right. Also I don't think you've mentioned this, but the soundtrack of every Mystery Dungeon version is also very much noteworthy and iconic. Thank you for rekindling my appreciation for these games

[@AurumAlex64]

Thank you for the kind words! And yes, I wish I had mentioned the music too, because it's really great stuff.

[@curtisbilly1569]

Completely agree, I loved the game from start to finish, and thought the school section was a super wholesome intro. The soundtrack is absolutely amazing too (looking at you Fire Island Volcano and Echoes of the Mystical Forest).

[@moonlightdragondc]

The release date in my country for Super was exactly on my birthday, i had school that day but I'd play it whenever could and finished the main story in just 4 days, probably thanks to my neordivergent hyper focus. My school days were rough and confusing as i wasn't very happy, my neurodivergent brain didn't help with school work unfortunately, but being able to know almost every time how much of every item i needed to safely finish the dungeon made me feel not so incompetent. Explorers will always be my favorite as that game helped me realize i wanted to be a writer so that I'd be able to make others feel the same way i did playing it, but Super helped me through a rough time and I'll always be thankful for it.

[@wikiuser92]

I personally prefer Super, but seeing someone respect both is still something I can very much respect back.

[@Klemeron]

Explorers of Time / Sky / Darkness is the best entry by far. Everything the later games in the series do well originates here, with the greatest execution. The mundane day-to-day takes up the entire first half of the game, followed up with a non-stop thrill-ride. Instead of Super's late-game grandiosity, the trek to the end of the world is desolate, lonely and tragic. Otherwise props for the video, it might be the first good video essay I've seen on the series, apart from the music ones. And for using Road to Primeval Forest as BGM.

[@AurumAlex64]

Thanks! Looking forward to playing through Sky for the first time!

[@ashtenbahr646]

super is such a cozy vibe

[@volkn_]

very good video, I love watching stuff like this when I'm doing other stuff at my computer. very calming voice and very very good work!

[@Aeenjyl]

Truly well said and I agree 100%!

[@recentteen14]

I still love the living shit out of Super Mystery Dungeon to this day, and am sad my 3DS has bit the dust so I can't really go back to it easily (At least, without going down the piracy route for something I already own). It does a damn good job at making the world feel alive - and it did something that I hated at first but grew to love. It forced me out of my comfort zone in regards to progressing with the game and forced the story to keep moving. I despise the hell out of time limits and going at someone else's set pace usually, but something about how this game did it made me enjoy the story all the more. It wasn't a case of the story only moves on when you're ready - you're thrown into the thick of it whether you like it or not, and whether you're prepared or not. It forces you to think on your feet a lot more, and use all the resources at your disposal while also making the threat of Dark Matter all the more real. It's actively trying to destroy the planet, and no - you don't have time for sidequests. I still long for a new Mystery Dungeon - not another rehash, but an actual proper entry into the series bringing in the new mons. You could do so much with 3 more generations of Pokemon and all the new mechanics - Eternamax a Whalord that has a town living on its back and a mystery dungeon in its belly. Have a region where Pokemon are naturally Terrastialized - but fall sick when they venture too far out, so you have to find a cure or workaround when you and your partner suddenly Terrastialize as well. Bring in Z-Rings and have there be a chain of missions where you're trying to figure out how Z-Moves work and how to do the dances. Make a government that is trying to use Mega Evolution to start a war and seize control - causing the other major regions to fight back with their own gimmicks. There's so many possibilities on mechanics alone - let alone the hundreds of new Pokemon to throw in. It's such a shame that such a great series is sitting and collecting dust at this point - I hope that Nintendo gets their ducks in a row and makes a new Mystery Dungeon for Gen 10, since I doubt it would happen for 9 at this point.

[@AurumAlex64]

Yeah, there are so many possibilities for a new PMD. I'm sure we'll get another one eventually, but I don't think it'll be any time soon, unfortunately.

[@zoruasnivy]

I love this game, one of the most standout things for me is how much love and care they put into the postgame. Every Pokemon you recruit has its own quest to go on, and legendaries have their own special boss fights. It really felt like a love letter to the series when it came out because they put *every* Pokemon in. The sense of exploration felt by trying to find the Pokemon you want to recruit on the web or unlocking new dungeons on a far off continent is awesome too.

[@AurumAlex64]

Super is such a good time. Replaying it for this video desperately makes me want another with Gen 7+ stuff.

[@IWestrada]

Super Mystery dungeon was much more difficult than its predecessors imo

[@AurumAlex64]

Agreed, some of the later dungeons were a bit of a struggle

[@wikiuser92]

Yeah. It felt so rewarding conquering so many dungeons, but some were still beyond me. To this day, I've yet to even attempt to reach Arceus to complete my Connection Orb.

[@Ikcatcher]

I’m really glad they focused on the partner Pokémon for Super and the main character just kinda feels like taking the backseat most of the game

[@MikuHatsune159]

Explorers of Sky was my first and only game in the series. I have so much to say about it now after like 12 years, but I wont rant. It was one of the first games I owned that made me cry for the characters loss and turmoil to save their future. It's very melancholic to know that the best time to enjoy these deep stories has already passed for me, rhe emotion just isnt as strong now as an adult.

[@creativityfails1]

As someone who played explorers as a kid and it stuck with them, I can say you should really experience super for yourself. Or should have. I played super for the first time 15 years after explorers and it hit the same notes. If anything the perspective of leaving childhood and innocence makes super hit harder as an adult.

[@danirbumusic]

Super is like... my second favorite videogame of all times. My favorite pmd game, also, even though I played all of the others in order as they released, so it does say a lot that I wasn't biased towards thinking everything that came after explorers was bad. I'm so happy to see that there's more people out there that instead of complaining about Super's first half, praises it. That was actually my favorite part of the game, it just... felt so good. It was living your second life as a pokemon, seeing those characters in situations that bring you back to your childhood (it really made me feel nostalgic) and just getting to experience such a colorful and beautiful world... It was perfect. And if that wasn't enough, you get to the second half of the game and turns out this game also has a deep dark story (or rather setting, since gates' story is actually darker than this) like explorers?? For me, this was the definitive pokemon game. Sure, this game has some problems like the ones you mentioned + the human being a bit useless to the plot in the end + the postgame being really lacking, but the rest is so enjoyable that I've already beaten this game 4 times and I'm going for the fifth. And don't get me started on the music. It's my favorite soundtrack from any videogame to the point it has shaped my own style. There will never be a game that makes me feel so alive than this one. Great video btw :)

[@AurumAlex64]

Glad I was able to verbalize some of your feelings about the game! Super's in my top 10 video games as well.

[@mythicalmew6054]

Super is also my favorite PMD game, and you hit the nail on the head. I've been trying to include it in some PMD-centric stories I craft for that reason-it really is just peak. Also, I'm a big fan of your music. Keep up the great work!

[@danirbumusic]

@@mythicalmew6054 Omg, thank you so much!! ^^

[@99sonder]

Thank you for making me realize that there's more fun to the school section than it just featuring my favorite Pokemon as an important character!

[@corrinflakes9659]

Nintendo cooks when they emphasize story. >I much prefer the average Xenoblade story to the average Final Fantasy story, it’s not even close. Xenoblade’s emotional narrative, enriched characters, and consistent storyline with only a single retcon (and it was on a character design losing a key in DE). >Fire Emblem doesn’t always hit on the story, but when they do, it is absolutely 🔥. Though in Three Houses, it’s mainly 2 out of the routes that are excellent (not Black Eagles) >Zelda when there’s good story is high art. Majora’s Mask is so layered. >Mother 3’s social commentary deserves its place with core literature. >Super Paper Mario made me cry, and has actually inspired a certain western animated series I wish the interview was still up for. Let Nintendo writers cook!

[@AurumAlex64]

I think Nintendo also cooks with their comedy too. Bowser's Inside Story is genuinely hilarious, and (maybe controversially), I think Color Splash is almost just as good in that regard

[@ViddysVids]

As someone who played Super and loved it (not as much as Explorers 😅) It’s so refreshing to hear someone praise it! Also really solid and clean video! Keep up the great work! 😊

[@rhymespace6740]

This is a great video! You really hit the nail on the head for why Super in particularly drew me in, even as a fan of the main series. As much as I like Explorers of Sky, Super just was always more enjoyable to me by a pretty large margin, and I’m glad to see other people understand where I’m coming from.

[@Wayrail]

is it wrong for me to say i like rescue team the most? its the most vague about the protagonists life, which helps the most for self-insertion, making the story feel more immersive in a personal manner. and for a story based game immersion is absolutely important. the big threat is also basic being a natural disaster, but it helps direct the importance/concern towards the characters in the story. you also get a cozy house all to yourself as well! I Do love an overwhelming majority of the music from all the games though, with gates having the overall most appealing ost.

[@psychoDon525]

YES!!!! I haven't even watched this video yet, but I already love it. This is my favourite game in the series, and people are SO critical of it, but it's SO good! Yes it's got some problems, but it delivers on some incredible moments. I can't wait to hear what you have to say about it!

[@Orion582]

i played this game as my first mystery dungeon and i found painful explorers, the reason this game is so good in my opinion is because the gameplay is fluid, other games are so slow and unbalanced, if you ever play explorers again, don't do the last dungeons, you'll find a monster room and get discharg'd by every porygon ever all at once and die, also super can be 100%, for other games because of the different recruiting method you will never have every mon recruited, heck, arceus is just not in explorers for some reason (even if having keckleon as a near impossible catch that recquires the maximum recruiting odds just to have a 0.1% chance of recruiting is genius) also super being the last original mystery dungeon game is painful, it was in 2015, 10 years ago please spike chunsoft do somethingggggg (also the only point nobody criticizes and for a reason is the ost, god damn dark mater 2's ost hits harder than 252+spatk chi yu with overheat specs under sun

[@AurumAlex64]

Yep, though I liked all the mystery dungeons I've played, I suspect Super will be the only one I 100% exactly because of the recruitment method. And the OST does indeed slap.

[@pikathemimikyu6655]

Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon is, without a bunch, my favourite Pokémon game of all time! The story is so surprisingly incredible and interesting, and the characters are so compelling. I adore all of the MC and Partners schoolmates, and the entire Expedition Society.

[@shutuptyler]

Your vdieo made me wanna go back and finish the Mystery Dungeon games. Keep it up man!

[@AurumAlex64]

Thanks! You definitely should!

[@lunar9342]

The only two times a video game has made me cry, is the end of Explorers of Sky, and the school cast seeing me off in Super Mystery Dungeon. These games were the greatest~

[@NightKeo]

FINALLY THE ACTUAL BEST POKÉMON GAME IS GETTING ATTENTION! Like it’s got everything: great soundtrack, great story, has decent challenge, still has the best gameplay loop in the Mystery Dungeon series, has a lot of content, etc. I really hope this game gains a modding community, I’d love to play a version with the gen 7+ Pokemon added.

[@AurumAlex64]

It's a really fantastic game. I hope we eventually get a new PMD with gen 7+ Pokémon, but that's gonna be a while it looks like.

[@NightKeo]

@@AurumAlex64 Yeah, every single year Pokémon day rolls around I hope that we get that new gen 7+ PMD announcement, but in the meantime, I’m more than glad to play Super.

[@oddpanda4470]

I loved this game when l got it. The way l got my copy of super was ironically from my school as in, my school asked what we wanted for Christmas. (40 dollar limit) my teacher given it to me, l will treasure this game forever.

[@AurumAlex64]

Dang, I wish my school gave us Christmas presents. That was very nice of your teacher, though!

[@albertoarriaga3707]

I, since i watched concierge, i lamented the fact that there was no game that portrays this part of the franchise, but, now, i see that i was wrong, it exists, thank you, after watching this video, i will try to play it

[@djroscurro9859]

I definitely agree with the criticisms of the final section of the story. But I do actually have a LOT of appreciation for the ending because of a specific way I read it. Or at least, a little bit of it since everything would be WAY too long. It's not perfect. But I do love it. I almost like to think Dark Matter only shows up later because it parallels all the negative emotions building up without anyone even knowing, and then crashing down on them ALL at once. Almost no one shows any signs themselves because Dark Matter takes on the brunt of just about ALL of it. And it's too much for them to handle. So they resort to destroying the source, being everyone. Which will also destroy themselves, considering everyone is the only reason they exist. A line that really interested me was "This world WANTS to collide with the sun!" We're all aware of how excessive negative emotions can lead to VERY self destructive behaviors. Considering Dark Matter takes on what the world feels, they assume this is what the world wants. Kinda edgy reading yeah, but it is one way I interpret it. Definitely not perfect either. I'd say more but this is long enough. 😅

[@AurumAlex64]

I like this interpretation, and that it differentiates itself from what Gates was doing. I think what would make it work better for me is if there was some major character in the game who bottled up their negative emotions only for it blow up on them later. It would help make a thematic through-line to the game that I feel isn't as strong as it could be.

[@djroscurro9859]

@@AurumAlex64 Yeah exactly. I feel like the ONLY moment we got that showed any of this AT ALL was the partner's break down. Through that usual positive demeanor of there's was an isolation that ate away at them. Which was ALSO the only moment dark matter was foreshadowed.

[@AurumAlex64]

@@djroscurro9859 Krookodile was a character I thought they could've easily done this with. If you visit him before leaving missions in Lively Town, he's always grumbling about how much he hates the world. Which is really interesting, but they don't really go into details, then he gets turned to stone and we don't hear anything from him again.

[@djroscurro9859]

@@AurumAlex64 I really wish they elaborated on Krookodile more in the post game at least, if they really weren't able to in the main story.

[@AurumAlex64]

@@djroscurro9859 There is actually a cute story of him cleaning up his act, getting a job delivering, and getting a crush with his employer (a Miltank), so that's pretty neat. I still think he could've been utilized better in the main game.

[@michaelvisosky743]

29:14 I have been personally attacked! I sunk so many hours into this game to optimize my efficiency and accomplish ludicrous feats of precise execution! Fine with your opinions otherwise but Age of Calamity did NOT deserve that stray.

[@AurumAlex64]

Ha, while I will admit to not personally loving Age of Calamity, I was moreso trying to point out that the critical reception seems inconsistent; if you're gonna dock points for mystery dungeon being repetitive, I think there's a lot of games that should also have much lower critic scores. It could've been a lot of games really, Age of Calamity is for some reason the first one that came into my head

[@echtschlau8510]

​@@AurumAlex64To add my 2 cents on this point as well, I'd argue that it's not the repetitiveness that is the problem, plenty of games are really repetitive with the gameplay loop afterall. It's what you do with it during the gameplay loop that decides whether it's the fun kind of the repetitive, or the boring kind. Afterall, Left 4 Dead 1/2 are incredibly repetitive when you look at it. You start in a group 4 going from point A to point B, and you shoot zombies along the way, rinse and repeat until the finale where usually you have to hold down the fort for a bit 'til rescue comes. Yet, that game gets praised to hell and back because of the what happens in the journey from A and B. We can derive that from Super too. What sets Super gameplay apart from the other games in the PMD series to me is how they implemented more gameplay to the traditional dungeom crawl all its predecessors did. Super changes a lot what didn't work in the previous games while also adding lots of little things that just makes dungeoneering fun and engaging (i.e. the looplet and emera system is a great way to keep you engaged, the fact that you can assume direct control of your party, albeit limited compared to DX, is a godsend. Plus you can push Pokemon around, great for dealing with Monster Houses).

[@WenkSteen]

I have grown up with mystery dungeon and at 27 years of aga now I still will always put them as my favorite pokemon games. Great video and great games!

[@BigFearedBalloon]

With Super Mystery Dungeon as a Mystery Dungeon Fan, I started it but ended up dropping it early on, only starting over and playing through the main story only a few years ago. I think my overall opinion is I enjoy the gameplay loop, especially with Emeras adding something fun to collect, and the story was good, but could have been a lot better. I think my biggest problem is not that the opening act with school was too long (at it was enjoyable), but that it took up half the storytime of Super, when I feel like it should have been something like the first third/quarter of the game, allowing both the guild and main story sections to have time to build up. I felt it a bit difficult to get attached to the guild side of the story due to how fast it goes into the main story of the stone Pokemon, fighting Entei and then going up Revelation Mountain only to be stuck in the shadow realm and losing nearly the entire guild. Like the shadow realm plotline would have worked really well, if we had a more slow build up throughout the guild section getting to know the characters and the tasks of the guild helping out in more small scale rescue missions, like rescuing a Pokemon or defeating a Criminal. It goes too fast into main story, which that doesn't have time to breathe either, with the villain group not being well defined in motives due to mind control and the stakes ramp up way too quickly with involving nearly every legendary Pokemon available (that wasn't turned to stone) to defeat a non-pokemon entity, which was much better executed in Gates to Infinity. If the story had more time to develop and dungeons to explore during the second half, I would probably have this game's main story a lot more, but overall I think it just ends up being the weakest story of the Mystery Dungeon series for me. at least the ending gave me laugh when I named my partner Pokemon Fennekin "Light", causing one of the lines to be "The Light" "Light!" when the partner Pokemon was going away.

[@AurumAlex64]

I think an expanded Expedition Society would be better as well. I do like the school stuff, so I'd probably prefer to just make the main story a little longer (maybe take some time away from the postgame) to give the Society that extra stuff.

[@tayibnaeem9702]

I've subbed to other creators in a less time but.....this is just amazing. Not even halfway over the video and I subbed. Love your content, and hope you keep making more interesting ones!

[@sethpittmanandthem]

Really great work man, haven’t played Super Mystery Dungeon but I really need to give this series a shot at some point

[@AurumAlex64]

Thanks! I really do recommend trying them, even if there can be a bit of a learning curve. And I didn't mention in it in the video, but the soundtracks for these games are really fantastic, so even if you don't end up playing them, definitely at least give them a listen.

[@djheroxt]

You've earned a subscription solely for talking about my current hyperfication

[@chloukscolor7905]

Thank you for this video!! Finally some Super Mystery Dungeon positivity! Fun fact, in Japanese and other localisations, it is called… Mega Mystery Dungeon, eh. Resource management is probably the best way to describe the gameplay, yeah! It’s why I’ve always loved the games. I am very close to 100% Super, I just find the system very encouraging. I really appreciated the difficulty in the game too. I vastly prefer short but difficult dungeons to dungeons that are just… 40-99 floors for the sake of it.

[@commanderlouie8921]

PSMD is amazing. PMD in general is amazing.

[@crimsonmoon7848]

You brought up something I never considered about why I like this game, the slice of life side of things. I run a pokemon tabletop united game, I really focus on trying to give things a slice of life aspect the gym leaders have lives outside the gym, the pokemon league is regulated and most trainers have people to check in with and they have there own lives, the evil team don't wait for the party to show up if they are in one city and you guys go the other way they damn well are going to keep going and finish what they re doing while you are elsewhere.

[@AurumAlex64]

The older I get, the more important the smaller stuff is to me. I ran into a subreddit once that was a bunch of people recounting stories as if they were staff working in a Pokémon Center. So one story would be like, "a trainer yelled at me after I suggested they polish their steel type," or something like that. I just thought that was a really neat idea, and it's the kind of low-view perspective the series seems totally bereft of on occasion.

[@sinisternorimaki]

It's weird how people almost never mention that the Mistery Dungeon games are roguelites.

[@Aeenjyl]

It’s probably because that’s not as memorable to say as “racing” games” or even “platform games” but the Mystery Dungeon games will always be a fan favorite.

[@untrollquifaitdesblaguessa2584]

A very good mix of roguelike and rpg.

[@Storm-hawke]

When it comes to the Explorers games, Explorers of Sky is the definitive version of the game. It has everything time and darkness has, and with a lot of extra content that adds to and improves the experience! I highly reccomend you try Explorers of Sky, because it stands as one of my top games of all time. I was blown away by how good Super was and if I'm going from a more objective standpoint, super is the best game, but my emotional attachment is to the music, pixel art, characters and story of Explorers of Sky. I recently finished my replay of it, and the story is absolutely amazing, and the post-game story is so worth experiencing. Hope you're able to get through it one day! Anyways, great video! Really glad you made this!

[@starmangalaxy2001]

12:50 What I like about things like this is that it doesn't assume you to be an all powerful hero, even ignoring being a kid, this scene shows just a standard level of competence once should get from a leader, Everyone else is much more experienced, Archen and Bunnelby have moves with good type matchups, and the only pokemon on the expedition society that has a weakness is Mawile who is second in command, it only makes sense that Buizel who has super effective moves and resistances would be tasked with ensuring the safety of new recruits.

[@AurumAlex64]

Agreed with everything here. For some reason, I find Pokémon being very competent and considerate at their jobs to be adorable, it's difficult to explain.

[@zawer41]

solid video, keep up the good work!

[@luxuryballer2216]

I am stunned that you bounced off of Sky, because Sky was absolutely the one that sucked me in BIG time. It's been a long time, though - it may have a much slower start than I remember - but where the story goes is immensely memorable and honestly I didn't find myself resonating with a Mystery Dungeon game as well UNTIL Super Mystery Dungeon. I do remember the context of your character being human not coming up until later in the game in Sky and Red/Blue, so the contrast of the school in Super DOES make sense for why it's a stronger initial hook.

[@shinreimyu]

When you talk about the appeal of Pokémon it reminds me of the Detective Pikachu movie and why I loved it

[@LordReks]

It was so nice to see someone praise a game I hold so dear to me. I remember I only watched one trailer to this game before it came out and bought it about a couple years after it had launched (Sun and Moon had launched by that point) I had previously played Gates back then, but it was my only mystery dungeon game. I had such a wonderful time with the story and the gameplay and I grew immensely attached to these characters. I also think the connection orb is the best implementation of the recruitment system in all franchise. Anyways, your video was amazing. It reminded me why I love this game and it's world building so much. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this game. It's my favorite Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game :)

[@EmberMoff]

Thoroughly impressed by how well you captured the exact thoughts I had trouble putting into words. It's shocking how little respect Super gets for how well it accomplished everything the fanbase wants.

[@thevioletbee5879]

The ending will always get better hyped and wet-eyed.

[@thefaceofchlo5390]

I find it interesting that all of the good things you listed about Super Mystery Dungeon are the same reasons why I tout the PokéPark games. I adore playing a Pokémon game with no humans and Pokémon that are just... living their lives. You can befriend every single Pokémon in each game and it's never just through battling - you solve tons of puzzles, too. Your partners (in 2, at least iirc) have their own backstories and character arcs and it's all just.... fun.

[@AurumAlex64]

Yes, I've heard PokéPark (especially 2) are very good games in that regard. I'm not sure why I've never played them before, but I should get around to it at some point.

[@colour_fall3851]

I appreciate how nuanced your analysis is. I've always debated on if I prefer Super or Sky as my favourite mystery dungeon game, both have their strengths and weaknesses, but it's frustrating when people are really black and white over which one is better. I also love how much focus was on the world building and casual elements of the story, but wished you'd mentioned the music or aesthetics of some of the locations because they're a huge part of the game's composition. Still a very enjoyable video :)

[@AurumAlex64]

Thanks! I wish I'd remembered to mention the music as well, because it is also one of the reasons I love this game so much. PSMD is always in my VGM music to listen to.

[@aleksandrnovakov2578]

Your way of telling and describing your topics is charming. Thank you for this immersive experience. You made me badly want to try Super Mystery Dungeon and others as well. I'll wait the Switch successor though. ❤

[@nethaira9374]

I loved the school section and it always bummed me out to see people rag on it because it imo juxtaposed the latter halfs craziness so perfectly! I adored collecting every Pokemon and all the touches to earlier series, 100% this game was a joy!! Also hearing the OST again gave me some feels, the volcano theme is soooooo good ❤

[@Ammiteur9]

I honestly can't even describe how I feel about Super. I absolutely adore it, starting by me being able to play as a Fennekin, but it honestly has one of my favourite, if not my favourite stories in Pokémon ever. It is such a great time just living in this little village and becoming an actual part of this community, and later sneaking out at night to persue greater things. Even though I see some iddues with the finale now, thank's to this video, I especially like the conclusion of accepting the darkness within instead of banishing it. I can't remember, because it was so long ago, but I think gates didn#t have the same conclusion, and was more in favour of destroying the darkness, but I could be wrong. I really appreciate someone highlighting most of the things I love about this game, especially since the Pokémon community has a very big "new thing bad" mentality, and while I can't recall people being particularly negative about super mystery dungeon, I don't remember seing much praise either.

[@AurumAlex64]

I think Explorers tends to hog the conversation about Mystery Dungeon, but I think there's a lot of good things to say about the other entries as well, so that's one of the reasons I wanted to make this video in the first place.

[@PlatinumComet]

I was randomly given this video in my recommendations, and I'm glad I gave this video a watch. This is coming from someone who's a diehard fan of the Mystery Dungeon series (Explorers of Sky being my favorite game of all time) and I never once played Super or even looked at any gameplay footage for it. This isn't to say I disliked it by any means (I still stand by Gates and say that it was painfully overhated, *though I do wish they let me speed up the dialogue...),* but I dunno; I never went out of my way to take a closer look at Super until now. I always felt like I missed out on something upon its release, but I'm so glad I came across this video to reignite that spark of why we love the Mystery Dungeon series. I have a reason to hunt down this game and give it a try now, so thank you for this incredibly well-made essay. I'll definitely be sticking around for more! :D

[@AurumAlex64]

Gates and Super are both great, so I'd definitely recommend trying Super if you liked the other!

[@MysticSquare]

I've been such an advocate for this game since it came out. I'm glad to see someone understands how great this game is!

[@laggianput]

Seeing as you havent even played explorers, i think hearing you discuss it will be an absolute treasure (pun not intended)

[@TaleOfTheToaster]

Fascinating video. I’ve pretty much never seen anyone stick up for this game so strongly, I was someone who loved PMD2 and then felt burned by Gates to Infinity, so when this game came around and I was told it was a better entry and even references PMD2 in places, I went in with fairly high expectations and ultimately felt let down, with the first 7 hours in the school feeling belittling for someone halfway through university now being made to feel more childish than any previous entry had required. I did beat the game but promptly forgot almost everything about it and decided I just barely preferred it to Gates but that it wasn’t a scratch on Explorers But an alternative take like yours really shows the value of how you can enjoy the first seven hours in the school if you’re not actively dissociating with it and trying to see the protagonist as yourself which the previous games had always set you up to believe. Cheers for showing the game positively for what it can be That said though, I’ll eagerly await the follow up video “I Finally Played Explorers of Sky and Now I See Why Everyone Says It’s The Best” 😂

[@AurumAlex64]

I think what helps the school section not feel overly belittling is that Super feels like a pretty self-aware game. The game feels like it genuinely understands how children might react in a school situation. There's one scene where Watchdog tries to play make-believe with the kids to help their learning, and the children play along not because they buy his performance, but because they don't want to bruise Watchdog's ego. Or the way the various characters react to the Partner's overwhelmingly positive attitude, like I mentioned in the video. I think it's pretty good comedy all around.

[@corvus6381]

I grew up playing rescue team, playes eos when it came out and only skipped gates in the entire franchise. I have every reason to join the crowd shouting eos as the greatest part of the series, if only out of nostalgia alone. But I absolutely disagree. Super is by far my favourite and its especially for the school section just like you said. It really understood what being part of a community of pokemon would mean and I love it dearly for that. The plot twist had me on the edge of my seat and I felt like they were specifically made for older fans of the series as well. It's insanely underrated Absolute banger of a video

[@TransNia]

I'll be honest I've never really understood why Super's reputation is what it is. I've tried to get into Mystery Dungeon a number of times but Super's really the only game that's ever grabbed me. It's one of my favourite Pokemon games ever and it makes me really happy to see a video rightfully praising it. Great video!

[@user-eu8mr9oq4i]

Time is a hard game to get through the early game, but once the story actually starts with the first expedition you get very invested.

[@user-eu8mr9oq4i]

Sky is the definitive version. I just wish magnetric didn't take lux planes from Luxray

[@TheAbsol7448]

I personally didn't have too much trouble with it, but I think it's because Torchic and Shinx are a fucking _cracked_ pair.

[@user-eu8mr9oq4i]

@@TheAbsol7448 I don't mean tough as in difficulty. I mean it's the introduction so they can do a lot of explaining and dialogue that make it a hard game to get into. Sorry for the wording

[@TheAbsol7448]

@@user-eu8mr9oq4i Oh, yeah. Explorers takes a long time to really get going, it's by far the wordiest PMD game, not that it's a bad thing. I think its text is very flavorful.

[@user-eu8mr9oq4i]

@@TheAbsol7448 agreed 💯

[@ZefoniusLinestraf]

My fav one and it brings all the old ones together old and new faces to be met and recruted

[@ZefoniusLinestraf]

Sky being my second fav

[@lorettabes4553]

Everyone praises Explorers, but yes.... super mystery dungeon was the one I owned. I played it over and over. It's my favourite mystery dungeon game.

[@RowanWolf22]

Honestly my favourite will still be explorers of sky, it was a masterpiece of the series, but I still REALLY liked all the games! I never had issues with the storylines or enjoyment of the games. Was I sad about selection and wanted to be a vulpix forever? Sure. Did I enjoy the stories? Yes! And I think the switch remake of the team blue and red were wonderful too!

[@coolestcartoonist7425]

For a long while this was my only foray into the Mystery Dungeon series. I had watched my brother play explorers of sky, and had always wanted Gates to Infinity when it came out. The first time I would actually play one of these games is when Super Mystery Dungeon came out. As a kid I never beat it. Getting to the first Yveltal fight and getting stuck. More time passed until my Sophomore year of high school, where I had deleted my save to beat it once and for all. What I'd found out is the best part of Super Mystery Dungeon is it's road to 100% completion. While I appreciate the story making an effort to put you as part of it's world, I didn't find myself getting super invested in it's storyline. This is because of what you mentioned with the execution of it's dark matter. You don't see it effect any of the characters. The plot twists as well I found got a little obnoxious towards the end. Once you get your partner back and all story beats have concluded I believe this game really takes off. All 720 Pokémon being obtainable and mission focused enabled some huge expeditions, difficult situations, and highly rewarding sections of gameplay throughout it's entire runtime. An aspect of these games I don't feel is brought up much it's ability to get stronger. When I found out there was absolutely zero limit to buffing your stats, those vitamins became everything I cared about! It got to a point where every team member (including legendaries) would do nothing but weigh me down due to the sheer strength of my two characters. Exploring every inch of this game was just such a fun process and theres so much more I could talk about. While I have gone through and played the others in the series, none of them gave me the heights that this game did and I believe it's one of the best experiences the 3DS has to offer.

[@AurumAlex64]

I totally agree that the road to 100% in this game is really fun. I would've done it again for this video, but to be honest, I didn't have that kinda time

[@coolestcartoonist7425]

@@AurumAlex64 Dude FR! It literally took me a couple years!!!

[@whatthewix6140]

They made me so sad because I couldn't upgrade my house. That was something I loved in another game.

[@AurumAlex64]

Nuzleaf's house is strangely bare for some reason. It would've been cool if we could've decorated it.

[@MikalEdmunds]

I’m so glad others out there love the school section of the game besides just me. I feel like everyone sees it as a waste of time, but I thought it was a much more natural progression that lead to the protagonists becoming a real expedition team. Not only that, but we see the beginning of the arc of so many characters here that eventually grow! And I thought that section of the game was super home-y and comforting feeling before the Lively Town segment.

[@AurumAlex64]

The school section is the whole reason I wanted to make this video, so I'm glad I was able to do it justice!

[@lol33380]

I fell in love with Mystery Dungeon. My parents got Blue Rescue Team for Christmas that year and I was hooked

[@ethohalfslab]

I really wish there was a chance at another game like Super Mystery Dungeon. But sadly I don't think Spike Chunsoft will be given the chance to make another on this scale :(

[@Aeenjyl]

I agree completely and that’s quite an upset :(

[@AurumAlex64]

Yeah, that's what I've heard as well, but I'll still hold out hope for one day....

[@_marshP]

I love Super, but one thing I'm absolutely bummed over is that... with them bringing back all the regions, and the perfecting of the gameplay, and the callbacks and fanservice, I fear it means that the game is essentially a love letter and goodbye to the series. Especially with no new game (DX hardly counts) for such a long time... Though the addition of a continent previously unseen other than the main one may mean that if they were to make another game, it would be on the Sand continent.

[@AurumAlex64]

In hindsight, it does feel like they might've known this was their last hurrah, at least for a while. But I'm hopeful that one day....

[@remberedink]

The Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series has been one thats been an important cornerstone of my life since I was a kid, and its so fun hearing someone else talk about it! Really makes me wanna replay Super! Also have fun with Explorers! As for what version to play, while Sky's gameplay is easier, it also has more story content than Time and Darkness. WHichever you choose to play though, I hope you have fun with my favorite game in the series!

[@DragonMagi]

The fact that you can replace all the pokemon with humans and it wouldnt change much is a *detriment* in my opinion.

[@AurumAlex64]

See, I'm okay with the Pokémon being more incidental to the setting in the Mystery Dungeon games because we already have the rest of the franchise that emphasizes how special they are. So I like that MD is able to give carve out that space for itself.

[@FlameHricane]

Super still holds a very special place in my heart. At the time I didn't think as highly of it as I do now because I was always comparing it to explorers of sky which still remains one of my favorite games of all time. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized how amazing of an experience it was in its own way. I can't exactly put it into words, but this game had me emotionally (fully organically) locked in from start to finish which I can't say many games have done. There may be games with objectively more complex and better executed plots, but I truly FELT everything that happened. The ending especially absolutely wrecked me. It's the only ending I can think of that left me *genuinely* stunned with tears following shortly after. Any time I hear that theme it instantly reminds me how I felt at that moment and I get a little misty eyed. I was not as emotionally attached with sky at the time I played it, but it's overall simple but effective brilliance was a literal breakthrough that I don't think can be experienced again.. which is why I love super so much because it nearly recaptured that magic for me even under a more critical lens.

[@AurumAlex64]

It's a neat final twist. Funnily enough, though, this most recent playthrough, I actually found the scene leaving Serene Village to be much more emotional. I'm not entirely sure why. But it is a really good scene regardless.

[@maracaegrizzley8734]

That story... all these years later, I *still* hear Arceus and every other Pokemon telling me, repeating to me, "Don't give up" and it fills my eyes with tears. Since I last played the game, I *died* and came back. And I still hear them telling me to not give up. I love that game as much now as I ever did and I'd *love* to see a remake of it on a current gen system.

[@AurumAlex64]

Honestly, I would take any new PMD related stuff at this point. It's been too long.

[@twdgs4]

this was a great essay! mystery dungeon has been a very important series to me ever since i was a kid and i hope that we'll continue to see more of it in the future. i'm really hoping for an explorers switch remake ala rescue team because explorers of sky is my favorite in the series. it's the best one in my opinion, but each game has so much to offer that i don't blame others for thinking a different entry is the best one. i do hope you'll give explorers a try! i recommend going with explorers or sky if you can manage to obtain a copy (or play it by.. other means) because it's basically the most complete version of time and darkness.

[@MudkipPog]

I love mystery dungeon but i truly believe it belongs in the pixel art style much more so than the main series games. The stiff 3D models essentially doing the same animations as 2D sprites would like jumping up and down twice quickly just doesnt feel right and lacks the charm of the classics.

[@AurumAlex64]

I agree some of the models can look strange, but the portraits are the most important part for me. As long as they keep those around, I'll be happy.

[@Solargress]

I absolutely adore this game. While I think the writing can be cheesy and times, and the twist came way too out of nowhere, I still think it's a very enjoyable and wholesome experience. Also the music is definitely the best in the whole series.

[@AurumAlex64]

It really is fantastic. I appreciate just how much personality all the characters have. The dialog is a consistent strength of the Mystery Dungeon series, it really makes some of the writing in the main games feel so wooden and stilted in comparison.