Common Sense Media Review
By Erin Bell
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Nothing new, but still a fun dungeon crawler for fans.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Based on 15 kid reviews
Kids say this game offers a surprisingly dark and complex storyline, featuring themes like death, betrayal, and existential dilemmas, which may not be suitable for younger audiences despite its colorful presentation. While many players appreciate the engaging gameplay and positive messages about friendship and teamwork, others find its difficulty and mature plot elements unsettling for children.
- dark themes
- challenging gameplay
- suitable for older kids
- positive messages
- emotional impact
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
POKEMON MYSTERY DUNGEON: EXPLORERS OF SKY will give players a sense of deja vu if they've already sampled previous games in the series. The premise – where you play a human who wakes up trapped inside the body of a Pokemon, meets a companion, and joins an adventurer's guild – is identical to that of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness. So is the gameplay, which involves exploring randomly-generated dungeons to complete quests and defeat wild pokemon.
Is It Any Good?
What's new in Explorers of Sky is that players have access to a handful of new quests and special episodes, including being able to explore the previously inaccessible Sky Peak where a new Pokemon called Shaymin acts as a companion and guide as you hike up the mountain. Players also have five new starter Pokemon to choose from when they start the game, can find additional missions through bottles that wash up on the beach, and can trade exclusive items with friends who have other Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games. The degree of repetition between Explorers of Sky and its predecessors (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness) is a bit disappointing, especially if the games are played back to back. The frustrations of Explorers of Time, such as losing some of your cash and items every time you perish in a dungeon, are still a part of the new game, and Explorers of Sky hasn't undergone any sort of graphical improvements either. Nevertheless, Pokemon fanatics who buy into the franchise's "gotta catch 'em all" mantra will find plenty to keep them occupied.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Is it worth it to buy a game that's so similar to another game in the series for a handful of extra Pokemon and new features. Would a completely new game have been better?
What is your favorite Pokemon and why?
Which Pokemon remind you of real-life animals?
Game Details
- Platform : Nintendo DS
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : Nintendo
- Release date : October 12, 2009
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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