Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
- This article is about the game. For the animated special, see Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Beyond Time & Darkness.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (Japanese: ポケモン不思議のダンジョン 空の探検隊 Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky) is a game developed by Chunsoft. It is an enhanced version of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, similar to how Pokémon Platinum is an enhanced version of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. It is the fifth entry in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. The game was first announced in CoroCoro, which released the first details in January 2009. It was officially released in Japan on April 18, 2009 and in North America on October 12, 2009.
| Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky ポケモン不思議のダンジョン 空の探検隊 | |
|---|---|
 Boxart of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky drawn by Ken Sugimori | |
Basic info
| |
| Platform: | Nintendo DS, Wii U (Virtual Console) |
| Category: | Roguelite |
| Players: | 1 |
| Connectivity: | DS Wireless, Wi-Fi |
| Developer: | The Pokémon Company/Chunsoft |
| Publisher: | Nintendo/The Pokémon Company |
| Part of: | Generation IV spin-off |
Ratings
| |
| CERO: | A |
| ESRB: | E |
| ACB: | G |
| OFLC: | G |
| PEGI: | 3 |
| GRAC: | N/A |
| GSRR: | N/A |
Release dates
| |
| Japan: | April 18, 2009 (DS)[1] July 20, 2016 (Wii U VC) |
| North America: | October 12, 2009 (DS)[2] June 23, 2016 (Wii U VC) |
| Australia: | November 12, 2009[3] August 18, 2016 (Wii U VC) |
| Europe: | November 20, 2009[4] August 18, 2016 (Wii U VC)[5] |
| South Korea: | N/A |
| Hong Kong: | N/A |
| Taiwan: | April 18, 2009 |
Websites
| |
| Japanese: | Pokémon.co.jp Nintendo.co.jp |
| English: | Pokémon.com (US) Pokémon.com (UK) Nintendo.com |
|
Japanese boxart
 Explorers of Sky Japanese boxart | |
The game was released for the Wii U Virtual Console in the United States on June 23, 2016, in Japan on July 20, 2016, and in Australia and Europe on August 18, 2016. The Virtual Console release became unavailable after the Wii U Nintendo eShop was discontinued on March 27, 2023.
New features
- Players can now play as four new hero Pokémon: Phanpy, Vulpix, Riolu, and Shinx. Munchlax and Meowth are no longer playable as the main hero, and Eevee returns from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team. Moreover, every hero Pokémon, in addition to Meowth and Munchlax, are available as partner Pokémon.
- Some of the hero and partner Pokémon can now start with an Egg Move.
- Players can now play the music used in the game with the Sky Jukebox.
- Five Special Episodes are introduced, which can be played beside the main game.
- Poké stored in Duskull Bank and items stored in Kangaskhan Storage can be used in both the Special Episodes and the main game.
- There is a new place called Spinda's Café where the following can be found:
- Spinda's Juice Bar grants access to several exclusive dungeons (Lush Prairie, Serenity River, Happy Outlook, Lost Wilderness, Destiny Tower), and it also allows players to make drinks out of food items.
- Recycle Shop allows players to exchange excess items for other items. The more items exchanged, the better the items available will be. Players may also trade items for Prize Tickets (more kinds of tickets can be unlocked by a team's rank; for example, Silver Tickets are only available to teams in the Silver rank). Prize tickets can be used in a lottery, where the player gets to choose from three colors for the drawing (red, blue, and yellow). The player can sometimes get rare items this way.
- The player's team recruits who are currently in the party can now be found in Spinda's Café instead of the crossroads (once it opens).
- Job requests can also be found here, and can be accepted or rejected by talking to the client to the left of the exit.
- Dungeons that were previously only attainable through special job requests available before graduation are now found in Spinda's Juice Bar and the Recycle Shop. The ones available post graduation are still unlocked this way.
- There is a new location called the Secret Bazaar which is found randomly in dungeons. It is run by Kirlia. The bazaar has several stalls found inside.
- Mime Jr.'s stall restores the team's Health Points (HP), Power Points (PP), and fill the belly for 100 Poké.
- Swalot's Grab Bag Shop gives players Grab Bags for 100 Poké. They may hold useful items inside them.
- Lickilicky will clean the player's items in their inventory for 100 Poké.
- Shedinja's gives players a chance to escape the dungeon sooner for 100 Poké.
- A new location, Shaymin Village, is unlocked after completion of the main game, featuring a tribe of Shaymin, where the player also allies with Team Frontier to reclaim the trail leading to the top of the nearby Sky Peak mountain. An accompanying Shaymin demonstrates its ability to instantly purify polluted environments, its use of the Gracidea to transform into its Sky Forme, and can be later recruited into the player's party.
- Players can find a statue of Arceus in a new dungeon called Destiny Tower. The story here involves a new item called the Space Globe.
- Players only lose half of their money when defeated in a dungeon, instead of all of it.
- Tradeable items can be traded for any others now, provided they are available at Croagunk's Swap Shop.
- Using DS Download Play, the player can send their friends a demo of the game.
- The Luxray and Luxio tribe that was the boss of Amp Plains has been replaced by the Manectric and Electrike tribe. This is possibly due to one of the hero and partner choices in this game being Shinx.
- A new item called the Sky Gift can be obtained in an area consisting of ten dungeons called Sky Peak Mountain Path.
- Raikou, Entei, and Suicune are now found in Southeastern Islands, Inferno Cave, and Treacherous Waters respectively and are no longer acquired with the Mystery Part and Secret Slab or in Final Maze. These dungeons are unlocked through random challenges in Spinda's Cafe, but the only way to get these challenges is to unlock the Secret Rank.
- The same applies for Mewtwo, but it can be fought in Sky Stairway instead.
- Jirachi is now fought in Star Cave, only accessible through Wonder Mail codes or Spinda's Café. The Special Episode "Bidoof's Wish" must be completed first.
- Occasionally, bottles containing job requests will wash up along the beach. Upon finding a bottle, the player has the option to take or reject the request. Rejected jobs remain on the beach until taken. However, if the player wants, they can accept the job and then delete it to remove the bottle.
- Some of the items found in a dungeon might not be what they seem to be. These items are called Lookalike Items. For example, a blue Berry found in a dungeon might not be of the healing Oran variety, but the damaging Oren.
- Outlaws may react to the player's appearance. While some just attack as normal, others are located in a Monster House, while others may run away, similarly to if a Foe-Fear Orb was used on them. Their reaction is hinted at by the title and description of the job.
Other minor differences with Time and Darkness
- Certain dialogue is slightly different; for example, when the player robs a Kecleon in Time/Darkness, he says, "Robbed! I've been robbed! Catch the thief!". In Sky, he says, "My precious merchandise! Catch the thief!" instead.
- When the player recruits a Pokémon, and the team is full, it allows the player to choose who they would like to send back to the guild, instead of immediately sending the new recruit back. Likewise, the same goes if the player tries to do an escort mission and the team is full. Additionally, a Pokémon who already has been recruited will have their name in orange, rather than the usual blue.
- The amount of time it takes to save the player's game is shorter.
- When saving their game, the player can choose whether they want to continue playing or return to the main menu.
- The ending theme "Memories Returned" has been extended slightly.
- When the team leader tries to switch places with a teammate while they are on a terrain the teammate cannot normally walk on, the teammate will warp right back to the player, whereas in previous games, it would warp the teammate to a random spot.
- Wonder Mail is replaced with a new format called Wonder Mail S, which is not compatible with Time/Darkness, and making Time/Darkness Wonder Mail codes incompatible with Sky.
- Money rewards from jobs are now stated as the complete reward before it says that the team received its share of the reward.
- When money appears in amounts of 1,000 Poké or more, it now includes a comma in the normal place.
- When the introduction screen for each chapter is shown, there is now an image in the background based on what will happen in that chapter.
- In the beginning when the game asks if the player has played Time/Darkness, and if the player answers yes, some dungeon Pokémon will have their recruitment rate doubled.
- A glitch causes the game to softlock if a Pokémon has 10 characters in its name or nickname.
- Certain moves have been slightly modified, such as their base power.
- Storm Drain and Lightning Rod now draw moves only from the same room, rather than entire floor.
- Pokémon learnsets were changed to account for Platinum.
- Certain scenes and maps had their special effects and/or visuals altered, such as the Sentry Duty or the purely visual fog in Steam Cave.
- The move summary now displays approximation of their accuracy and power (if applicable).
- Unlike in Time and Darkness, the player's held item is no longer unequipped at the end of the day.
- If a member of the player's party is damaged by weather, the damage animation no longer plays every turn.
Plot
|
This plot summary is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this plot summary to add missing sections and complete it. |
Being a sister game to Explorers of Time and Darkness, Explorers of Sky has a similar plot with minor differences.
Special Episodes
- Main article: Special Episode
During the course of the game, players can engage in various scenarios that expand upon the story of some of the different characters.
| Episode | Title | Information |
|---|---|---|
| How to Unlock | ||
|
Bidoof's Wish | The first episode features the past of the Bidoof in Wigglytuff's Guild just after he entered the guild. He goes to the Star Cave to have his wish granted by a Jirachi. |
| Arrest Drowzee in Chapter 3 | ||
|
Igglybuff the Prodigy | The second episode features Wigglytuff as an Igglybuff. It explores his past and explains how he became an explorer. |
| Return to the Guild in Chapter 9 | ||
|
Today's "Oh My Gosh" | The third episode features the fellow guild member, Sunflora. She was given a mission to seek out a Haunter but was apparently unprepared for what she was about to face. |
| Come up with the plan to capture Grovyle in Chapter 13 | ||
|
Here Comes Team Charm! | The fourth episode features Team Charm and their past. Team AWD can also be found here. |
| Return from the future in Chapter 15 | ||
|
In the Future of Darkness | The fifth episode is set in the dark future after Grovyle pushes Dusknoir back into the future. Grovyle and Dusknoir work together when Primal Dialga tries to get rid of them or so it seems... |
| Graduate from Wigglytuff's Guild | ||
Blurb
Now you can go beyond darkness...outside the limits of time...to the skies!
Be a Pokémon and experience the world in a whole new way! Learn more secrets of Time and Darkness...Journey with your friends on remarkable adventures and save the world!
Characters
Playable characters
In the beginning of the game, the player takes a personality quiz. The answers to these questions determine a nature, which along with the player's gender is used to decide the hero Pokémon that the player plays as. Certain Pokémon are only available to players of a certain gender.
| Pokémon | Nature | Egg Move | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | |||
|
Bulbasaur | Lonely | Docile | — |
|
Charmander | Docile | Brave | — |
|
Squirtle | Quirky | Bold | — |
|
Pikachu | Brave | Hasty | — |
|
Vulpix | — | Relaxed | Faint Attack |
|
Meowth* | — | — | Hypnosis |
|
Eevee | — | Jolly | Flail |
|
Chikorita | Calm | Quiet | — |
|
Cyndaquil | Timid | Calm | — |
|
Totodile | Jolly | Sassy | — |
|
Phanpy | Relaxed | — | AncientPower |
|
Treecko | Quiet | Hardy | — |
|
Torchic | Hardy | Rash | — |
|
Mudkip | Rash | Lonely | — |
|
Skitty | — | Naive | Zen Headbutt |
|
Turtwig | Bold | Timid | — |
|
Chimchar | Naive | Impish | — |
|
Piplup | Impish | Quirky | — |
|
Shinx | Hasty | — | Quick Attack |
|
Munchlax* | — | — | Zen Headbutt |
|
Riolu | Sassy | — | Bite |
After the player's hero Pokémon is determined, they then choose their partner Pokémon. Their choices of partner Pokémon are any of the Pokémon shown above, but they must be a different type to the player character. Meowth and Munchlax are only available as partner Pokémon.
Non-player characters
Guild
- Wigglytuff - Leader of the Wigglytuff Guild.
- Chatot - Chatot is Wigglytuff's assistant, whom assigns jobs to the guild as a whole on a daily basis, as well as taking charge when Wigglytuff dozes off.
- Loudred - This Pokémon guards the guild entrance gate and wakes up the player in the morning.
- Diglett - Diglett assists Loudred; he identifies visitors by examining their footprints.
- Dugtrio - Diglett's father; Calm and trustworthy, Dugtrio keeps the bulletin board current with the latest jobs.
- Chimecho - Chimecho runs the Chimecho Assembly and summons guild members when it's time to eat.
- Croagunk - Croagunk runs the guild's swap shop.
- Sunflora - Sunflora is the senior member of the apprentices and is always happy and seems to cheer people up easily. She is optimistic and keeps a journal by her bedside.
- Corphish - Corphish is very high-spirited and is usually quick to trust the player in high-stress situations. He has a tendency to start nearly all of his sentences with the phrase "Hey, hey!".
- Bidoof - Bidoof is the previous newest guild member, prior to the player's arrival. He, too, keeps a journal at his bedside. Bidoof also has a habit of saying "yup yup" and "by golly," similar to Corphish's manner of speaking.
Treasure Town
- Kangaskhan - As in previous Mystery Dungeon series, she will store items in Kangaskhan Storage for the player, though this time around there is a storage limit.
- Xatu - Xatu will tell you what's in your Treasure Box - for a price.
- Kecleon - As in previous Mystery Dungeon series, they run two shops, one for consumables, one for Wonder Orbs and TMs.
- Duskull - Operates the Duskull Bank, where the player can store their extra cash, replacing the Felicity Bank run by Persian.
- Electivire - Electivire will link moves and allow the player to relearn forgotten moves, taking the place of Gulpin.
- Chansey - Chansey runs the Day Care, and she is happy to take care of your Egg until it hatches!
- Marowak - Marowak runs the dojo where you can train and improve your battle skills, taking the place of Makuhita.
- Magnezone - When you capture Pokémon fugitives, deliver them to Magnezone, the town sheriff.
Exploration Teams
- Team Razor Wind
- Team Seedgey
- Team Glee
- Team Skull
- Team Charm
- Team Tasty
- Team Poochy
- Poochyena ×3
- Team Ebony
- Team Slacker
- Team Flame
- Team AWD (Japanese: 盗賊団MAD Team MAD)
- Team Raider
Bosses
While most of the Bosses in this game are the standard legendaries, there are some average Pokémon added to the mix. Unlike previous Mystery Dungeon games, the player may encounter multiple opponents that appear in certain dungeons. The following is a list of boss battles and their Dungeons, in storyline order.
| Bosses | Level | Dungeon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main Story | |||
 
|
Koffing and Zubat | 6 3 |
Beach Cave (Pit) |
|
Drowzee | 12 | Mt. Bristle (Peak) |
|
Groudon (Fake) | 30 | Steam Cave (16F) |
 
|
Manectric and Electrike ×8 Amp Plains tribes |
33 18 |
Amp Plains (20F) |
|
Mesprit | 18 | Quicksand Cave (B21F) |
|
Grovyle | 44 | Crystal Crossing (B14F) |
|
Spiritomb | 37 | Sealed Ruin (Deep) |
 
|
Kabutops Omastar ×2 |
42 35 |
Brine Cave (Lower) |
 
|
Dusknoir Sableye ×6 |
45 38 |
Hidden Land (Old Ruins) |
|
Primal Dialga | 48 | Temporal Tower (Pinnacle) |
| Post-Story | |||
|
Uxie | 42 | Steam Cave (16F) |
|
|
Mesprit | 42 | Quicksand Cave (B21F) |
|
Azelf | 42 | Crystal Crossing (B14F) |
|
Dialga | 48 | Temporal Tower (Pinnacle) |
|
Wigglytuff Wigglytuff's Guild |
50 | Mystifying Forest (14F) |
|
Froslass | 41 | Crevice Cave (Pit) |
|
Gyarados | 46 | Deep Miracle Sea (4F) |
  
|
Regigigas Hitmonlee ×4 Bronzong ×4 |
49 35 35 |
Aegis Cave Pit (Regigigas's Chamber) |
|
Palkia | 48 | Spacial Rift (Bottom) |
      
|
Darkrai Aggron Arbok Magcargo Magmortar Mismagius Rhyperior |
53 36 36 36 36 35 36 |
Dark Crater (Bottom) |
Connectivity
This game is capable of trading items with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness. Rescues may also be carried out between the three. If a rescue mail is sent from Sky to Time or Darkness, the mail will appear to have come from either Time or Darkness.
Reception
Gaming magazine Famitsu gave Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky a score of 35 out of 40.[6] IGN rated the game a "Bad" 4.9/10.[7] It holds a rating of 55.84% on GameRankings, based on 19 reviews.[8]
Sales
As of March 31, 2010, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky has sold 1.40 million copies worldwide.[9]
Japanese sales
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky sold 141,771 units on its first week on the Japanese market, with a sell-through of 39.28%. By January 2, 2011, the end of its 90th week, it had sold 411,649 copies.
| Week | Week ending | Ranking | Units sold | Total units sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 19, 2009 | 1st | 141,771 | 141,771 |
| 2 | April 26, 2009 | 2nd | 54,413 | 196,184 |
| 3 | May 3, 2009 | 5th | 42,950 | 239,134 |
| 4 | May 10, 2009 | 1st | 44,012 | 283,146 |
| 5 | May 17, 2009 | 4th | 15,569 | 298,715 |
| 6 | May 24, 2009 | 7th | 12,082 | 310,797 |
| 7 | May 31, 2009 | 14th | - | - |
| 8 | June 7, 2009 | 11th | - | - |
| 9 | June 14, 2009 | 11th | - | - |
| 10 | June 21, 2009 | 11th | - | - |
| 11 | June 28, 2009 | 24th | - | - |
| 12 | July 5, 2009 | 22nd | - | - |
| 13 | July 12, 2009 | 20th | - | - |
| 14 | July 19, 2009 | 20th | - | - |
| 15 | July 26, 2009 | 29th | - | - |
| 16 | August 2, 2009 | 44th | - | - |
| 17 | August 9, 2009 | 44th | - | - |
| 18 | August 16, 2009 | 40th | - | - |
| 38 | January 3, 2010 | 39th | - | 400,755 |
| 90 | January 2, 2011 | - | - | 411,649 |
Staff
- Main article: Staff of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
Gallery
Japanese logo
English logo
European game cover
The new hero Pokémon (and Skitty)
Exploration
Using the jukebox
A message in a bottle
Destiny Tower
Arceus statue at the top of Destiny Tower
Virtual Console icons
Wii U Virtual Console icon (English)
Wii U Virtual Console icon (Japanese)
Trivia
- This is the first and only sister game in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series.
In other languages
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References
- ↑ Pokémon.co.jp
- ↑ Pokémon.com (US)
- ↑ Nintendo of Australia
- ↑ Pokémon.com (UK)
- ↑ Nintendo Europe press release (Nintendo Everything)
- ↑ Famitsu review scores - Nintendo Everything
- ↑ Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Review - IGN
- ↑ Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky for DS - GameRankings
- ↑ Nintendo Co., Ltd. - Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2010
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This article is part of Project Sidegames, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames. |