New Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Game Teased For Pokemon Direct
After the disappointment of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, isn't it about time we got back to exploring the rest of the Pokeverse where we aren't slaves to the Game Freak machine?
Away from the mainline games, the likes of New Pokemon Snap flew under the radar, Detective Pikachu 2 is worryingly MIA, and the various mobile games often fall short - we can't remember the last time we dusted off Pokemon GO.
All of that could be about to change, and after The Pokemon Company teased a return to spin-off titles, it looks like a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon could be escaping from the bowels of the franchise.
Is A New Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Game On The Way?
With the annual Pokemon Day on its way for February 27, Pokefans are expecting big things. An easy one would be a Pokemon & Scarlet DLC, and although we're presumably too early for a Gen X announcement, other games are a possibility.
The idea of a new Pokemon Mystery Dungeon game comes from a mysterious line of gone in the "Pokemon Together" section of the official Pokemon website. Notably, it features the copyright of Spike Chunsoft, which is the team behind Pokemon Mystery Dungeon.
It was shared by Universeo Nintendo Editor-in-Chief @Necrolipe and sent fans into a whirlwind. One cheered, "Please. PLEASE. Make a direct sequel to rescue team or explorers, bring back pixel art, and/or at least bring back the basic attack."
Another added, "It's actually there, omfg. Please be a new Mystery Dungeon, I beg of you," while a third said, "Yoooo! New game please you have 3 gens of new pokemon to work with just like the original. Explorers remake would also be great though."
What Is Pokemon Mystery Dungeon About?
For those who've been sleeping on Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, the spin-off series started in 2005 with the release of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red and Blue Rescue Team. The roguelike gameplay takes your team through a series of randomly generated dungeons.
Like the name says on the tin, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is just a Pocket Monster rehash of the popular Mystery Dungeon games. One of the big selling points is that your Pokemon actually talk like humans - adding a different dynamic.
As of 2020, there have been 11 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, but with the last mainline game being Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon from 2015, we're well overdue another outing. Then again, we'd be just as happy with more remakes. It's about time more of the franchise (dungeon) crawled onto the Switch.