[Editor's Note - "Seth" is currently 12 years old.]

It's been so very long since I've played a Pokémon game. I haven't had enough money to buy a new one since Red Rescue Team, and I was skeptical about the new Pokémon. However, when I got Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, I found that I really liked the new Pokémon. The chance to be a Pokémon instead of a human who uses them to fight other Pokémon was refreshing and fun.

One of the neat things about the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games is when creating a new save, the game asks you a series of questions, at the end of which, the game determines what type of Pokémon you will be. After that, you choose a partner and enter a land full of Pokémon.

Every Pokémon has resistance and weakness to certain types of moves. Because of this, you should pick a partner Pokémon who can help you against foes who deal extra damage to you or who are resistant to your attacks. If you have never played a Pokémon game before, you should just choose a partner you think is the coolest or the most powerful.

After creating your character and choosing a partner, the game runs through several cutscenes, including one that shows your soon-to-be partner and you talking, during which your character realizes that he has transformed from a human to a Pokémon. After your partner gets mugged, you both pursue the thieves and recover the item they stole. The item in question was your partner’s personal treasure, a rock with a strange design on it.

Together, the two of you go off to the Wigglytuff’s Guild to enroll as apprentices. The Wigglytuff’s Guild is an explorers guild in which teams of Pokémon meet to get missions, which might be as simple as delivering an item to a Pokémon in a dungeon or as tough as capturing an outlaw surrounded by his bodyguards. After each mission, assuming you got out of the dungeon without being knocked out, you return to the Wigglytuff’s Guild for a reward.

Near the Wigglytuff’s Guild is Treasure Town, where the explorers go to buy and sell equipment and treasure (hence the name). Located in Treasure Town are specials establishments such as the egg care center and the Electivire’s link shop. At the beginning of the game, only the general store, bank and storage center are open. Near the middle of the game, a Pokémon named Spinda opens a cafe at the crossroads in front of the guild. There, you can trade your items for different ones and have Spinda make you a drink, which may increase your heath or intelligence.

When you venture to complete a mission or go spelunking, you enter a mystery dungeon. Inside a mystery dungeon, Pokémon have gone wild and will attack you. If you fail to defend yourself properly or are hit by a overwhelmingly powerful attack, you will be knocked unconscious and teleported out of the mystery dungeon. If you are knocked out, you lose money, items and any missions you completed.

During adventures in mystery dungeons and as rewards for completed missions, you will find, receive and buy items that you can use. Berries are the most common consumables and have a variety of affects. They can heal you and remove most negative effects. Seeds come in second place. They can be used as weapons, heal afflictions and even teleport you to the stars so you can advance to the next dungeon level. Scarves, which are the most common wearable item, can make you immune to poison and hunger and increase your offensive and defensive capabilities. Other than scarves, there are only two or three other wearable items.

Orbs are the second most common items you can find. Most orbs have quite spectacular effects that cover the entire floor. They might paralyze or put all of your enemies to sleep. Others drain all the water from a dungeon floor or change the weather. Training Masters can teach your Pokémon new moves to add to its arsenal of attacks. Each TM teaches one move before running out of power. The only limit to your Pokémon’s attacks is that they can only know four. TMs can give your Pokémon moves it would usually learn later or give them access to new and special abilities.

I found Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky easy to control and fun to play. While adventuring, the dungeons were fair and well-rounded. The story was exciting and enjoyable. The only thing I disliked was that the cutscenes were long and couldn’t be skipped. Overall, though, I had a blast. I think that most people would thoroughly enjoy Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, even if they don't like Pokémon.