History VideoGame / PokemonMysteryDungeon

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: At one point in ''Gates'', the abovementioned HAPPI's rules force one member of your team to stay behind while the rest journey. This is treated like it has to be one of the core team, ignoring the potentially ''dozens'' of random noncharacterized Pokémon you've recruited from dungeons.

** However, in the aftergame, if you are in a dungeon and playing as another character (such as your partner or a recruited Pokémon) and you speak to your player character, the only response is "...".

** The Sky Stairway in ''Explorers of Time'' 'Explorers of Darkness'' and ''Explorers of Sky''. is a major location erected over a large terrain made of clouds. Rayquaza, one of the OlympusMons, can be challenged and captured here.

* RandomEncounters: While the dungeons generally rely on wandering opponents inside dungeons, later dungeons occasionally toss in "monster houses" where a [[ZergRush swarm of Pokémon]] drop in on the player for a surprise attack. If you manage to surive this and take down the swarm, you can pick up the items they drop and rack a ton of experience points.

** As of ''Gates to Infinity'', your wallet is limited to 9,999 Pokés, making the Deposit Box a necessity.

* ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonRescueTeam Red and Blue Rescue Team]]'' were released for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS in 2005. Like the main series, there were [[OneGameForThePriceOfTwo a few minor differences]] between the ''Red and Blue'' versions, but both were required for true OneHundredPercentCompletion [[note]]if one didn't have the proper Wonder Mail codes[[/note]]. A remake for UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, ''Rescue Team DX'', released in March 2020.

* ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonGatesToInfinity Gates to Infinity]]'': The fourth installment in the series, released on the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, with fully 3D graphics. Unlike previous installments, this game is a standalone title. It makes use of items called Magnagates, which are generated based on AugmentedReality minigames. It was released in Japan on November 23rd, 2012, while North America had their release on March 24, 2013, Europe on May 17, 2013, and Australia a day later on May 18. Notably enough, this entry is responsible for a major overhaul of many mechanics, that has since been kept.
* ''[[VideoGame/PokemonSuperMysteryDungeon Super Mystery Dungeon]]'': The fifth installment of the series, released for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS on September 17, 2015 in Japan, November 20, 2015 in North America, February 19, 2016 in Europe, and February 20, a day later, in Australia. The choices for the two PlayerCharacters are the starters from gens 1-6, plus [[SeriesMascot Pikachu]] and [[BreakoutCharacter Riolu]].

** Starting with ''Gates to Infinity'' though, this seems to have been a process that was dropped, as both it and ''Super Mystery Dungeon'' have no counterpart game. It was also averted in the remake of the ''Rescue Team'' games, where there is only one ''Rescue Team DX'' for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, whose box art features the art from both versions of the original game.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* ReincarnateInAAnotherWorld: Most of the games start with the protagonist waking up as a Pokémon in a world with no humans with a vague memory of once having been human.

* ReincarnatedInAAnotherWorld: Most of the games start with the protagonist waking up as a Pokémon in a world with no humans with a vague memory of once having been human.
* ReincarnatedAsANonHuman: It isn't clear if you actually died in the human world but at the very least you don't have a lot of memories of your past life.

* GetBackHereBoss: Certain outlaws will [[OhCrap freak out when they see your exploration team]]. One slightly notable example is Abra, whose response is to use the one move he knows, Teleport, making you have to search for him first. Thankfully, he won't Teleport again when you do find him.

* GlassCannon: The ComMons tend to be like this.

* Chlorophyll, Swift Swim and Sand Rush allow a Pokémon to attack twice in a turn while using only one [=PP=] due to every Pokémon having the same speed.

** It's also played straight in Gates to Infinity, though there is a point where you can get a NonStandardGameOver for picking a certain response.

[[folder:S-Y]]

* NotCompletelyUseless: Doom Seeds lower your level by 1 when you eat them. It's not too useful even for weakening bosses or other powerful Pokémon, but in the original ''Rescue Team'' games it's the most reliable way to duplicate useful moves that can only be learned by level up (especially if you eat a Joy Seed right after every Doom Seed you eat, to quickly gain back the level you lost), as the Link Shops do not allow for move duplication. Move duplication does not work starting from ''Explorers'' (including ''Rescue Team DX''), but even then, it's still the only way to get Deoxys, whose different forms learn different moves on level up, to learn moves from all of its various forms, as the Link Shops do not allow it to recall any moves, either. At least, in games where Deoxys is available, anyway.

* GenderNeutralWriting: The main characters of each game can be of ambiguous gender, regardless of choice, so [=NPCs=] never use gendered pronouns when HelloInsertNameHere would suffice.
** Though, this is not always respected in languages other than English. In the German version of Super, for instance, the Partner Pokémon is explicitly written as female.

->''"Introducing the newest Pokémon ... ''YOU!''''"

** Late in the ''Explorers'' games, during a major plot point a selection dialog pops up ... and there's ONLY ONE OPTION to pick from!

* GenderNeutralWriting: The main characters of the game can be of ambiguous gender, regardless of choice, so [=NPCs=] never use gendered pronouns when HelloInsertNameHere would suffice.

* GuideDangIt: These game have their own share of these moments, [[GuideDangIt/{{Pokemon}} listed here]].

** [[spoiler:The Bittercold]] in ''Gates of Infinity'' is more of a plague ''caused'' by hate (well, despair, actually, but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference). But it also causes despair...

* HeterosexualLifePartners: Officially, the player and partner are merely friends who work together on the same team. This doesn't stop the {{Shipping}} fandom from numerous pairings of HoYay, LesYay, (etc.) between them, but that aside... That or ensure that their [[HoYay player and partner]] [[AvertedTrope are opposite genders]].

** The Lv.1/0 IQ/No items dungeons, especially in ''Time/Darkness/Sky''. The game might not spawn enough HP/PP recovery items, you might start in a trap-filled room (or worse, a Monster House), some enemies in the late floors are nigh unkillable... really, skill is required, but if luck isn't also on your side, you WON'T complete those dungeons. On the flip side, not being allowed to take items into a dungeon means you have (literally) nothing to lose when attempting them.

** There are two Timburr in ''Gates to Infinity'', though... and both are addressed the same way.

** False Swipe is useful in the original games, where HPToOne is optimal for catching Pokémon, but the ''Mystery Dungeon'' series does not allow the player to collect Pokémon that way. ''Gates to Infinity'' changes the mechanic to increase the chance of recruiting a Pokémon by knocking it out with this move... but then ''Super Mystery Dungeon'' is forced to reverse the change due to the lack of a recruiting feature. ''DX'' then brings back ''Gates''' mechanic for this move.

** Item-grabbing moves such as "Thief" or "Covet" are rarely worthwhile since enemy Pokémon can only carry one item at a time, and they just drop it when KO'ed anyway. [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard On the other hand]], ''you'' have a large inventory that enemy Mons can steal from ... but at least they still drop the stolen item when defeated. Except for the moves "Pluck" and "Bug Bite", which not only steal a food item (like Oran Berries and Reviver Seeds) from your inventory, but ''use it up'' at the same time.