Pokemon Mystery Dungeon vs Pokemon Ranger!

Battle of the spin-offs! It’s the popular Pokemon Mystery Dungeon against the interestingly thought-out Pokemon Ranger! So, today we’ll see which is superior in terms of graphics, sound, presentation, gameplay, and uniqueness!

So, just to refresh memories, or to introduce these two games, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon is … well, a dungeon crawler. You are a Pokemon for starters, after you take a personality test that is … interestingly written. There are some strange questions in there… Anyway, you play it out in a central hub where you buy stuff/sell stuff/store stuff/train/link moves/similar thingy. Then you go do missions in dungeons. That’s kind of it. I'll be using Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky as a reference.

Pokemon Ranger, however, is a completely new take on this world. Well, to be blunt, the gameplay consists of drawing a circle. Yes, you heard me. A circle. Well, lots of ‘em. You loop and loop them like a lasso, and then it equates to throwing a Pokeball. That, and some adventuring and some generic action-adventure stuff. And I'll be using Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs as a reference. So, let's begin!

Graphics

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Can I just note that the graphics are ... well, exactly the same as the first Mystery Dungeon game? Seriously, I'll give you a comparison! Look below! Anyway, Mystery Dungeon has some rather sub-par graphics, still stuck in the Gameboy Advance world. Quite a pity. Well, that's usually in the dungeons, but in the overworld, it's rather cutesy and lovely, but ... could be better.


Pokemon Ranger

Unlike a certain other game, (*looks up at Mystery Dungeon*) Pokemon Ranger has actually gone in leaps and bounds with it's graphics, especially with Guardian Signs. Seriously, these are some beautiful backdrops, with all these pretty effects, and in general, it's just a joy to see everything in the latest in Pokemon Ranger. Well, apart from the pixelated characters/Pokemon. But you hardly ever notice because you're too busy looking at everything else.

Sound

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

As with any Pokemon spin-off game, there are some great tracks in here! The sounds are groovy and very nice to just listen to, and they always fit the occasion, whether it's an epic battle, a carefree environment, or the dangerous depths of a dungeon. Sound effects are alright, and mostly comprise of battle noises, and they fit the situation mostly. So yeah, overall, pretty damn good sound!

Pokemon Ranger

Meh... It's ok, it fits the mood ... but sometimes there's just not enough variety. There are some cool tunes in there, but they're mostly forgettable. Mehhh....

Presentation

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Overall, the feel and look of Mystery Dungeon is quite nice - the menu screens are quite cute and the presentation of things is usually cutesy and anime-like, so it's actually quite appealing to the eye. In general, it's a nice game. Very nice.

Pokemon Ranger



In comparison to Mystery Dungeon, I reckon that they're both at the same level. Pokemon Ranger has a fairly sleek feel about it, with some pretty good presentation in storytelling and pacing and all that. Not bad. A tie with Mystery Dungeon!

Gameplay

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

The above is pretty much the gameplay. That's it. And it's incredibly addicting. Once you start playing ... you can't stop. It's just amazing to see how they managed to make dungeon crawling so fun!

Pokemon Ranger

Well, the basic gameplay is ... well, drawing a circle. Drawing lots of 'em. Around a Pokemon. And that's a capture. Then you repeat that for the rest of the game. Oh, and did I mention there's adventure-type stuff too? To be exact, Pokemon Ranger is actually quite diverse in gameplay, as of Guardian Signs - jumping around, swimming, diving, running around, flying, all sorts of adventure-ish stuff. It's fun. Very fun. Just ... not as fun or addicting as Mystery Dungeon. 

Uniqueness

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon

Dungeon crawlers? Yep, that's normal. Dungeon crawlers + Pokemon? That's ... a different look at it. Mystery Dungeon does do a few new things, like actually BEING a Pokemon, in a Pokemon world where they talk, and trade, and do missions. The general backstory is also quite nice - it's got a great feel to it.

Pokemon Ranger

Loopy looping? That's new... Anyway, Pokemon Ranger is a literally, COMPLETELY different look at Pokemon. Mystery Dungeon may have taken it one step, but Pokemon Ranger takes it to the top of the stairs. Another layer of dimension to the Pokemon world, you are a guardian of nature, protecting and preserving. It's a totally different view, and even the gameplay is quite unique ... albeit simple. Overall, it's a very unique look on Pokemon.

Results:

- Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - 2 points
- Pokemon Ranger - 2 points

IT'S A DRAW! Personally, these two are actually really even. They both specialise in totally different areas ... and they perform just as well as each other. So, it really depends on preference. Both are nice games though!