Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team is one of those weird, charming spin-offs where you wake up as a Pokémon—no trainer, just you, a little Squirtle or whatever, trying to figure out why you turned into a pocket monster. The personality quiz at the start is kinda fun (though let’s be real, everyone just resets until they get the starter they actually want).

Once you’re in, it’s all about crawling through randomly generated dungeons, rescuing lost Pokémon, and managing your tiny rescue team. The turn-based movement takes some getting used to—enemies only move when you do—but it makes for some tense moments when you’re low on health and debating whether to take that extra step toward the stairs. And yeah, the friendliness mechanic is janky as hell, but there’s something weirdly satisfying about convincing a wild Pikachu to join your squad mid-battle.

It’s got that classic DS-era simplicity, but the dungeon crawling can get surprisingly deep once you start juggling items, team synergies, and those brutal late-game floors where one wrong move means starting over. Definitely a niche pick, but if you like roguelikes or just want a Pokémon game where you are the Pokémon, it’s a solid time.