Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX - Preview of the unexpected remake

Il Pokémon Direct organized by Nintendo on 9 January 2020 it turned out to be quite crackling after all. The password for the latter can certainly be "unexpected", given that the announcements were anything but predictable. In addition to the launch window of the highly anticipated service Pokémon Home we have known the future of Pokémon Sword and Shield, linked to the two DLCs that have created different discontent. However, an interesting announcement has fortunately appeared, and has managed to agree - for better or for worse - the entire community: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX.

We are talking about a remake of the chapter originally released in 2006, which already at the time was particularly appreciated by the players. We could perhaps define the original episode as the most loved as regards the various spin-offs of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, and the developer Spike Chunsoft he certainly cannot afford to make a mistake in his new work. We were able to try Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX in one free demo released on the Nintendo Switch eShop on the occasion of Pokémon Direct, how did it go?

Hello, but am I a Pokémon?

To welcome the player there is neither a teacher nor the mother of the protagonist, but a particular situation. In fact, after selecting the language, there was an immediate discussion with what appears to be an abstract entity. This proceeds by asking several simple questions, just to US who are extremely intrigued on the other side of the screen. After a few answers - that the game expects to be delivered in an exquisitely sincere manner - the adventure finally begins.

Based on what is selected, the title will try to outline our character briefly, among other things, succeeding inexplicably very well, and then provides us with a recommendation for a starter Pokémon in line with the analysis of our person. Nonetheless the choice among the many monsters available is always that of the player, which may or may not accept the idea that the work proposes. You then move on to the selection of your partner, which is not suggested in any way and is limited to the roster already seen, except of course for the main Pokémon already selected. The first differences with the original version can already be seen from here, because this freedom of choice has unfortunately not always been present in the other chapters of the spin-off.

It makes you iI immediately realize how the protagonist does not actually find himself in his body, whatever the choice of starter Pokémon was. In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX, an important part of the story lies in finding out what happened. What changed the protagonist into a Pokémon? In the demo this theme is touched very delicately, and we have not yet been able to fully savor the narrative style of this remake. Instead, what is best shown is the fulcrum of the work: the gameplay.

Dungeon adventures

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX the goal of each day is "simply" to explore the dungeons, not just for fun, however, because you will always be engaged in missions provided by other Pokémon. In this way you can level up and learn new moves, but also get coins and useful items, and in the same way improve the rank of your rescue team created precisely to represent the two members. Once you enter the dungeon you have to proceed floor by floor, with a gameplay that despite having remained very faithful is still particularly fresh: Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is in fact a grid-based title, unlike the chapters of the main series, and manages to be a hybrid between a turn-based combat system and one in real time. With Pokémon moves that can be changed, combined and improved, there is very little to complain about.

Between one dungeon and another the story goes on, and the adventure doesn't seem to tend towards monotony. Unfortunately the downloadable demo has a duration that is around one hour, and therefore we cannot for the moment make judgments that would actually risk turning out to be inaccurate. In the course of this experience we have noticed how several features - more or less small - have changed compared to the original version, even if one obviously stands out more than the others. We are obviously talking about the graphics sector, which has been completely modernized and adapted to the current videogame generation. The 3D models are quite pleasant, even if the graphic flaws due to the limited computing power of Nintendo Switch are felt; moreover, the atmosphere is certainly very original. It almost always seems to be in a dream, and the sounds - as well as the setting - at times point to a dream theme, which undoubtedly manages to be appreciated. Unfortunately the developers were unable to fight the 30 frames per second, which are fortunately particularly stable.

At first, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX seems to be ready to be promoted with flying colors, even if obviously it was not possible for us to deepen the experience as necessary. With some small technical uncertainty, which we hope will be resolved in the final version, we can only wait with trepidation for the debut day, scheduled for March 6. In case you are interested in the project we advise you to go to the Nintendo Switch eShop to download the free Demo and immerse yourself in the tasting of this experience. Fortunately, all your progress will be saved for the final version and you won't have to repeat the same steps over and over. See you then with our final review that will arrive soon, keep following us to find out more!