Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity is a game for the Nintendo 3DS and the third entry of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. It was first announced to the public in CoroCoro comic on September 12, 2012. It was first released in Japan in 2012, then in North America, Europe, and Australia in 2013.
Playable character[]
In each Mystery Dungeon game, the player plays as the selected Pokémon. Unlike the previous Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles, the Pokémon is directly chosen rather than through a quiz.
| Image | Pokémon | Type |
|---|---|---|
|
Pikachu | Electric |
|
Snivy | Grass |
|
Tepig | Fire |
|
Oshawott | Water |
|
Axew | Dragon |
Furthermore, one can befriend and have all player characters by going to:
- Uncharted Road via Silent Tundra or Dreamy Island (Befriend Pikachu and Oshawott)
- Uncharted Road via Rusty Mountain or Moonlit Forest (Befriend Snivy)
- Uncharted Road via Jaws of the Abyss or Smoking Mountain (Befriend Tepig and Axew)
Plot[]
The Arrival[]
The game begins when the Player enters a strange dream hears a voice from somewhere which tries to tell him/her to save the Pokémon world, but then screams for help, and the Player sees a vision of a Munna being chased by a Hydreigon. The player then sees his/her reflection being changed from a human into a Pokémon before falling through a portal. The Player exits in the middle of the sky and falls to the ground. They are awoken by the Partner and the two introduce themselves to each other. The Partner is curious how the Player ended up falling out of the sky and the Player reveals they used to be human. To the Player's surprise, the Partner believes their story and reveals they are fascinated with mysteries and the unknown. However, the Partner remembers they have a very important meeting to get to and asks the Player to help them get through a difficult path that is on the way through the meeting.
After the two get across the path, they reach a crossroad and the Partner thanks the Player for their help before the two travel to a nearby barren area. They meet a Quagsire who is the owner of the land and the Partner buys it from him despite Quagsire's warnings about the desolation of the area and the new Mystery Dungeons popping up. After Quagsire leaves, the Partner reveals to the Player they bought the land to create a paradise for all Pokémon and to be a base for their adventures. Upon hearing the Partner's dedication and excitement toward their dream and realizing they have nowhere to go, the Player decides to stay with the Partner and help them with their dream. The Partner is ecstatic at the news, but the Player is secretly concerned about why they were summoned and the vision they saw. The Player puts their worries aside for the moment and decides to focus on helping the Partner who declares they will build their paradise.
Building Paradise[]
The Partner and Player camp out and decide to build a house. Quagsire leads them to Post Town, where they meet carpenters, including Gurdurr, who needs gems from Stony Cave to build their home. After retrieving the gems, they encounter Scraggy, who steals them with Gurdurr’s help as part of a scam. The Player and Partner confront them, and Gurdurr’s history as a once-great carpenter is revealed; he turned to crime after losing his confidence. Moved by their support, Gurdurr agrees to build the house, which, despite being shabby, brings everyone joy.
The next day, the Partner plans to expand their land but needs more team members. They rescue Dunsparce with the help of Emolga and meet Virizion, who initially rejects Dunsparce. After Dunsparce is tricked by the Pawniard, he realizes his worth, and the group saves him. Virizion later apologizes and joins their team, motivated by Gurdurr’s story.
As they form an official adventure team recognized by HAPPI (Helping Adventurous Pokémon Prosper Institute), they receive Scraggy, reformed by Quagsire. Gurdurr opens a shop in Paradise, and the group encounters a comet that brings Victini, introducing the V-Wave phenomenon. The Player has a mysterious dream hinting at future challenges.
The Great Glacier Expedition[]
The Player and Partner maintain their routine while awaiting clues about the Player's arrival in the Pokémon world. Dunsparce invites them to see a special mirage, revealing the mysterious Great Glacier, which inspires the Partner to explore it. That night, the Player experiences a dream of a voice asking for help, which the Partner connects to their arrival.
The next day, they learn of a suspicious Pokémon in Post Town. Quagsire asks them to deliver money to Swanna at the inn, where they discover the townsfolk are anxious about worsening relations among Pokémon. Later, they search for Leavanny's lost son, Swadloon, in Inflora Forest. They find him safe, and he gifts a red jewel to his mother.
At the inn, they encounter an injured Umbreon, who reveals he and Espeon were attacked while researching the Great Glacier for special cards called Entercards. The Player and Partner decide to help save Espeon, who is being pursued. They confront and defeat the attackers, rescuing Espeon. The reunited pair explains that the Entercards can create portals to the Glacier, where a crystal with mysterious powers may exist.
Umbreon and Espeon invite the Player and Partner to explore the Great Glacier with them. However, they must leave one team member behind due to HAPPI rules. After a drawing, Dunsparce draws the short straw, but Emolga switches with him at the last moment, allowing Dunsparce to join the adventure.
Upon arriving at the Glacier, they navigate challenges and discover it is hollow with an ice palace inside. They find Frisms, which record messages, and one contains a message from Keldeo, a former friend of Virizion, revealing he is exploring deeper into the palace. The group fights off some enemies, but Kyurem appears, saving them and confirming the existence of the Great Crystal.
Kyurem tells them to leave, as there’s nothing more to explore, but rewards them with a treasure chest. With hope restored for finding Keldeo, the group returns to Paradise, declaring their expedition a success.
Back home, the Player and Partner resume their activities, but Emolga plays a prank using the Frisms. They notice mysterious lights rising in the sky, which worry the townsfolk. The Player dreams again of the voice that brought them to this world, hinting at a purpose behind their journey, as they ponder their role in the Pokémon world.
The Truth Revealed[]
That night, the Player dreams of Munna, who reveals she is the Pokémon they saw in their initial vision and that she is being hunted by Hydreigon. Munna explains that Hydreigon is disrupting the balance of the Pokémon world, which could lead to its destruction. She had called for help from the Player, but when Hydreigon discovered this, he began to chase her. Munna reveals she is hiding at the base of Mount Kilionea when the dream abruptly ends due to Hydreigon's presence.
The next day, the Player shares this information with their team, who believe the Player’s story. They decide to rescue Munna and bring her back to Paradise to figure out how to stop Hydreigon. Umbreon volunteers to create a Magnagate to reach Mount Kilionea quickly. Once they arrive, they camp overnight. In a dream, the Player meets Munna again, who indicates she is still hiding but in danger.
When the Player and Partner search for Munna, they are ambushed. Munna's personality shifts dramatically, revealing her alliance with Toxicroak and Purugly. Despite the betrayal, the Player and Partner manage to escape by blinding Munna’s henchmen. However, in the chaos, they become separated. The Player is soon pursued by Toxicroak and, despite defeating him, is overwhelmed by incoming reinforcements.
Just as the Player is cornered, Hydreigon intervenes, revealing his gentle nature contradicts Munna's claims. He explains that he was the voice the Player heard before coming to the Pokémon world. Hydreigon reveals that he summoned the Player to combat a threat known as the Bittercold, a force that endangers the Pokémon world. This Bittercold is tied to negative feelings and manifests as the Great Crystal of the Great Glacier. With Kyurem guarding it, Hydreigon needed to seek help from humans, who are unaffected by the fog of negativity surrounding the Bittercold.
The Player, convinced by Hydreigon’s explanation, agrees to help stop the Bittercold. Meanwhile, Munna and her henchmen prepare another ambush. The next day, the Player and Hydreigon head to Post Town to enlist Umbreon and Espeon’s aid, but they are ambushed again by Purugly and Excadrill, who reveal they have captured the Partner.
Determined to rescue the Partner, the Player and Hydreigon head to the Holehills, aware they are walking into a trap. They find a Frism that confirms the Partner’s capture. After a confrontation with Munna’s gang, Hydreigon helps the Player escape just in time.
As they regroup, Hydreigon explains how the Player noticed inconsistencies in Munna’s trap. The team decides to return to Post Town for assistance. However, they are soon ambushed by Kyurem, who destroys Hydreigon and attacks the Player. The Partner pleads for mercy, and Kyurem spares them, revealing the world's impending destruction due to the negativity spawned by selfishness among Pokémon.
Kyurem explains that the rising lights seen from Post Town were humans summoned by Hydreigon, who were ultimately defeated. After warning the Player, he departs, leaving the team disheartened. Luckily, Emolga and Dunsparce find the injured Player and bring them to safety.
Upon awakening near a spring, the team learns they were led to safety by Hydreigon’s essence. Espeon deduces that even though Hydreigon's physical form was destroyed, its essence remains to protect the world. Umbreon expresses doubt about whether destroying the Bittercold would matter if the underlying strife among Pokémon persists.
Despite the despair, the Partner refuses to give up and believes they can promote friendship and positivity to change the future. Inspired, the team decides to return to Post Town to spread this message and find a way to confront the Bittercold together.
The Final Battle[]
After returning to Paradise, the Partner informs the citizens of Post Town about the imminent threat posed by Kyurem and the Bittercold, but their despair is palpable. An earthquake reveals the Glacier Palace is now floating, escalating the danger. While most flee in fear, Swanna and Lillipup offer support, reigniting hope. Dunsparce stays behind to rally the citizens as the rest of the team prepares to confront the Bittercold.
Using special Entercards found by Umbreon and Espeon, the team accesses the Glacier Palace. They face various ambushes but also discover Keldeo, who has been imprisoned. As the team navigates the palace, they confront Munna and her gang, who believe the world isn’t worth saving. Through heartfelt dialogue, Munna starts to reconsider her stance after saving the Player and Partner from a collapse.
As the team reaches the Bittercold, they battle Kyurem, ultimately defeating him. However, the Bittercold's negativity overwhelms the Partner. With encouragement from their friends, the Player attacks the Bittercold, shattering it and restoring hope.
In a dreamlike state, Kyurem acknowledges the Player and Partner's impact, and they wake up to a joyous reunion in Post Town. However, Hydreigon reveals the Player must return to the human world to prevent cosmic distortion, erasing their memories. After a bittersweet farewell filled with promises of remembrance, the Player departs, leaving behind a lingering sense of connection as they ascend into the sky.
After the credits end, the Partner wishes them goodbye and promises they will still be there in spirit forever as the game ends.
Post-Game[]
Months after the Bittercold was destroyed, peace returned to the Pokémon world and the Partner spends their time at Paradise with their team, but the Partner still deeply misses the Player since the memory of them still remains even though they were supposed to be removed when the Player returned to the human world. Also, Keldeo and Hydreigon have joined the Partner's team. That night, Emolga and Dunsparce have dinner with Hydreigon while Keldeo and Virizion talk on the hillside and Keldeo admits he joined the team because he was inspired by the Partner's conviction when they convinced Munna and her gang the world was still worth fighting for. They also discuss how the Partner is still mourning the Player's absence and their renewed friendship.
The next day, Dunsparce meets with Hydreigon and asks him for a favor. Later, Emolga asks the Partner to keep an eye out for Hydreigon because he, Emolga, and Dunsparce agreed meet so they could pay the tab for meal at Swanna's, but Hydreigon is nowhere to be found. The following morning, the Partner meets with Emolga, who still hasn't found Hydreigon. Hydreigon suddenly reappears and apologizes for forgetting about paying the tab, having forgotten about it during an errand. He then asks the Player to gather the whole team at Swanna's Inn after he pays the bill. At the meeting, Hydreigon reveals there might be a way for the Player to return to the Pokémon World, which is what Dunsparce asked him to look into. He admits that he thought the Player's presence would cause a distortion in the world due to the laws of nature of the Pokémon world, but he discovered those have begun laws changing ever since the team defied them by remember the Player when they were supposed to forget them. This revelation made Hydreigon suspect there may be a way for the Player to return and after gathering information, he discovered a way for the Player to return. He explains that inside a dungeon called Worldcore, there is a place called the Hill of Universal Order where a wish can be made and if the wish has a strong desire behind it and does not upset the balance of universe, it will be granted. However, only one member of the team can go, and everyone nominates the Partner, but the Partner is conflicted about going since it would mean bringing the Player away from their loved ones in the human world. Hydreigon offers a solution by suggesting that the Partner wish the Player could freely between worlds and reveals Dunsparce asked him about bringing back the Player so the Partner wouldn't be depressed anymore. The team encourages the Partner to go make the wish for and the Partner is motivated to go to the Worldcore. Hydreigon goes ahead to meet the Partner at the Hill of Universal Order and the Partner sets out for the Worldcore.
When the Partner reaches the Hill of Universal Order, they meet up with Hydreigon who encourages them to make their wish. The Partner makes their wish for the Player to travel freely between the human and Pokémon worlds and the hill begins to respond, but it appears as if the strain of the wish was too much for the laws of nature to withstand and Hydreigon reveals the hill is starting to collapse along with the entire cavern for a very long time. Despite the danger, the Partner refuses to abandon their wish and Hydreigon reveals he has been sensing the Player watching them from the human world and asks them to wish alongside the Partner. The Player and Partner's wish together becomes strong enough to grant and the Player returns to the Pokémon world and reunites with the Partner.
Game Mechanics[]
- The game features 144 recruitable Pokémon, many of which are from Generation V.
- You receive Quest Requests from a Request Board and go on the requests by talking with Azumarill. Cofagrigus runs a store that deals with Gold Bars, Rampardos runs the Treasure Store, Cinccino runs a gift shop, and Kecleon returns with his usual Goods Store.
- A Magnagate is a type of portal in the game that teleports your team into different dungeons. However, you do not use your own Pokémon, instead having your team chosen for you the first time you go through it. The dungeon you are teleported to is selected based on the circle used and also randomly.
- You can create new Magnagates by using an included AR feature and scanning circles.
- A three-dimensional world and models, as opposed to the two-dimensional worlds and sprites the Game Boy Advance and DS entries used.
- New Items.
- Team Attack and Team Skills instead of IQ Skills.
- The regular attack's power is reduced to 5.
- Creating and expanding the Pokémon Paradise.
- Job offers for Single player and Multiplayer.
- Ability to change from Player Mode to Companion Mode.
- Multiplayer Local Play.
- New player characters.
- Some Dungeons will not make you lose your Items and Money, but for higher leveled Dungeons only items will be lost.
- Many new Dungeons to explore, such as Scorching Desert and Cape at the Edge.
- Some Dungeons have three dimensional areas instead of the usual grid areas.
- Downloadable Content.
- Improved Legendary Battles.
- Move Growth where moves can become stronger through repeated use.
- All members of the Player's team share Exp. Points, even those who do not come into dungeons.
- The V-Wave phenomenon.
Characters[]
- Pokémon player character
- Partner
- Quagsire
- Azumarill
- Gurdurr
- Timburr
- Swanna
- Scraggy
- Dunsparce
- Emolga
- Virizion
- Umbreon
- Espeon
- Victini
- Pawniard
- Kyurem
- Munna
- Hydreigon
- Keldeo
- Meloetta
Trivia[]
- This game's plot shares a few similarities with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness and Sky.
- Both have a Pokémon that seems to be evil, but are actually trying to help. (Grovyle and Hydreigon)
- Both have a servant Pokémon of the main villain who first appear to be allies. (Dusknoir and Munna)
- This is the only Mystery Dungeon game:
- To have species of Pokémon that physically appear, but cannot be recruited.
- That uses 3D models on its box art instead of Ken Sugimori artwork.
- To have the player keep their memories after transforming into a Pokémon.
- Gates to Infinity features the fewest options for the player and partner Pokémon to choose from, with 5.
- In the Japanese version, if the partner is a female Pikachu, they will not have the heart-shaped tail that female Pikachu are supposed to have.
Gallery[]
Sprites[]
Corocoro magazine[]
Game screenshots[]
