The best Pokemon spin-off game from the mainstream series

The Pokemon game franchise has been a staple in Nintendo’s arsenal since early 1996. Over the last 25-years, The Pokemon Company has overseen the release of over 120 Pokemon games spanning eight generations.

These games have different genres, such as RPGs (Role Playing Games), puzzles, simulations, etc. The range of games has been released on consoles as well.

On March 4th, 2020, 35 different mainstream Pokemon series games were released on various consoles, from the original Gameboy to the new Nintendo Switch.

It might be impossible to pick one from the remaining 87 mainstream games, given the vast catelog of this franchise. That being said, some titles clearly stand out. The game discussed in this article won't surprise many players.

Of all the games reviewed, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon stands out as the clear choice for the best spin-off game. Released towards the end of 2005, the game has been around for a while and has solidified its status.

The spin-off game has positively impacted players and the franchise. So much so that the 2005 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon got a fantastic remake 15-years-later and was released as Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX. This article discusses both games.

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The Best Pokemon spin-off from the mainstream series

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team

Image via The Pokemon Company

Originally released in the United States in September 2006, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team are Rogue-like video games.

Rogue-like (sometimes written as rogue-like) is a subgenre of RPGs. Turn-based gameplay and dungeon crawl are unique marks of this genre. Released on Nintendo DS and Nintendo Gameboy, each copy of the game came with six exclusive Pokemon.

The plot revolves around the player starting as a human who is turned into a Pokemon. It can be one of 16 characters determined by a personality quiz players take at the start of the game.

After turning into a Pokemon, the player loses all memories of human life and decides to join a team of rescue “partner” Pokemon that follows the player along on their journey of remembering who they used to be.

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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

Image via The Pokemon Company

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX is the first game outside of the main series to be rebooted. This title has a fresh design that players had not seen before.

Besides the visual differences, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX includes features not seen in the original games, such as autosave and Mega Evolutions.

Although an improvement from the original, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX received mixed reviews from fans and critics, most trainers claim that the improved story alone helps the game stand its ground.