History VideoGame / PokemonSuperMysteryDungeon

%% * 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.

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: [[spoiler:Nobody is truly evil in this story. The only true evil is an EldritchAbominationwho's not even a Pokémon.]]

* WhiteAndGreyMorality: [[spoiler:Nobody is truly evil in this story. The only true evil is an EldritchAbomination [[AcceptableTargets who's not even a Pokémon]].]]

* GenderNeutralWriting: The player's Pokemon is never assigned a specific gender. And even though your partner is always assigned either "cool" (male) or "cute" (female), they're never actually addressed as such either.

** [[FunetikAksent Apparently]], Nuzleaf talks like [[WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill Hank Hill]].

* DifficultySpike: Choose any dungeon early on that's not from the story mode or the Water Continent, and your sorry kiddy ass will be handed back to you.
** In terms of the story, Poliwrath River is a major one especially if you chose Fire and/or Water types. Prepare for Luxio dealing insane damage with a Charged Spark and Heliolisk hitting an entire party with Razor Wind. The three Poliwrath ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg and Poliwag]]) waiting at the end are no joke either, as they will try to surround one Pokémon and spam Round, which gets stronger as more Pokémon use it.
** The Submerged Cave is outright cruel, with wild Pokémon being able to use Hydro Pump to hit a whole team in a straight line. The damage can easily cap above 100 HP, while your choices haven't left the double digits yet. Grass-type starters may ''barely'' survive one hit (without taking into account that Rain Dance may be in effect), [[TotalPartyKill but everyone else...]]
** If you chose a fire-type as your player character, the Sand Dune of Spirits is probably going to give you a hard time if not outright kick your butt. There's no avoiding it, because you are required to get through it to advance the post-game. The reason why it's so challenging if you're a fire-type is because you have to go through it alone [[spoiler:in order to find out how to get your partner back]] and the dungeon is crawling with high level rock and ground-types. Further complicating matters are two fire-types with Flash Fire (Growlithe and Houndoom), an ability that completely nullifies any fire attack you throw at it.
** Going through Mystery Jungle as a Grass type is simply hellish; literally every Pokémon in there is a Poison type, with a fair few of them also being Bug or Flying type, and they are perfectly capable of ending you in one hit. Similar to the Sand Dune of Spirits, it is also plot-demanded and you cannot bring allies on your first visit.
** In general, many dungeons and Connection Orb missions can seem like this due to the heavier emphasis on the {{Roguelike}} side of the gameplay. This seems to have been done to encourage players to swap their team members out rather than sticking with their player and partner. Since leveling your Pokémon is so slow, it's easier to do the harder missions with a team of the higher-level Pokémon that you gain access to early on in the game.

** [[spoiler:The ''sudden'' drowsy Jirachi boss fight]] is this. It comes absolutely out of nowhere that makes you totally unprepared for it, especially since said boss can ''heal'' its obscenely large HP bar. You can win, but the DifficultySpike is rather absurd. Later on, you and your partner wisely avoid talking to it while it is sleeping to prevent another brutal smack down.

** Just before you're teleported into [[spoiler:the Tree of Life]], you're told that only the player and partner can go because their scarves protect them from being turned to stone- anyone else would instantly get turned to stone. However, you then have to fight through two Mystery Dungeons full of Pokemon who haven't been turned to stone, and none of them have scarves to protect them.

* FakeLongevity: A dungeon is classified as completed the moment it is visited instead of being walked through. In short, you can completely skip those pesky and super long level 5 dungeons with a handy Escape Orb. You do have to go all the way to the end for dungeons that house treasures and legendaries if you want to CatchThemAll, though.

* MoodWhiplash: The first 3/4ths of the game is downright [[TastesLikeDiabetes saccharine]], but then Chapter 16 hits and the game slams the player with the dark storyline the series is known for.

** When [[spoiler:Dark Matter]] reforms, all seems lost... until [[spoiler:Nuzleaf and the stone crew]] come out of nowhere to kick ass so they can atone for what this monster caused them to do. [[SubvertedTrope It fails, however, and the gang is petrified.]] To add to that [[BigNo NO!]] moment, [[KilledMidSentence the one who feels the worst about it can't even finish his sentence.]]

*** Skuntank with Koffing[[note]]Members of Team Skull[[/note]]

* AutomaticNewGame: The first time you start the game, the 3DS camera provides a background behind the title screen, and you're taken directly to the personality quiz..

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: All 720 officially revealed Pokémon are in this game and are available to recruit.

* VendorTrash: Sure, you can buy and sell Apples at a Kecleon shop, but the sparkly-fresh Apples found in dungeons fetch a ''much'' higher selling price.

* AutomaticNewGame: The first time you start the game, the 3DS camera provides a background behind the title screen, and you're taken directly to the personality quiz.
* AdultFear:
** There are several Pokémon who will invite you "for tea" in their secret base (inside dangerous dungeons, miles from the safety of urban towns), only to assault you with a Monster House for no apparent reason other than deranged pleasure.
** For once, this game averts the FreeRangeChildren trope, so there are a few moments of this in the first part of the story. One example is when you and your partner sneak out to stop the ghosts at the school, and Carracosta gives you an earful for it.

** In the side quests, nothing is stopping you from putting that level 50 Salamence next to your level 15 protagonists! (Unless the game randomly excuses the most powerful members by a leave of absence on certain days).