The love-it or hate-it twist on the Pokémon series is finally getting a 3D entry. Mystery Dungeon is, as you may expect, a dungeon crawler starring Pokémon. You battle with Pokémon attacks, gain Pokémon levels, go through dungeons to complete objectives, and befriend (read: capture) other Pokémon. However, Gates to Infinity makes the largest changes of any sequel in the spin-off series' history--and not all of them may be accepted with open arms.

Going skin-deep, the first huge difference is that, like the recently announced Pokémon X and Y, Gates to Infinity is going all 3D. All of the environments are in 3D, and all of the Pokémon have 3D models of their own. Interestingly, it seems like the models used are identical to those found in Pokédex 3D Pro, which is a welcome use of these resources.

Another way the new game takes advantage of the 3Ds is with the Magnagate dungeons. You will get the opportunity to use the 3DS camera to open one of these dungeons by pointing the 3DS at anything circular (though the dungeon that actually gets opened up is randomized). While the game normally tasks you with completing a dungeon with a team, these are infinite dungeons that only allow you to take a starter Pokémon in. These dungeons are quite useful, as they offer money and rare items not easily found elsewhere.

While the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series has always kept battling inside standard, floor-based dungeons, the upcoming title elects to change up this formula by adding Outside Areas and Dungeon Switching. Outside Areas are several-floor sized blocks in a dungeon that drop the corridors and grid-based combat and movement and allow you to freely move around, complete puzzles, and avoid combat if you wish. If you do decide to interact with any of the nearby wild Pokémon, the game will temporarily revert to standard mechanics.

Dungeon Switching, meanwhile, is a post-game feature that twists up tradition. When going up stairs, you may find yourself randomly switched to a totally different dungeon for seemingly no reason. The change only lasts for a few floors, but it's a nice effort at changing the gameplay up. Outside of regular dungeons, the switch can also sometimes lead to special unmapped areas where you can find items and uncommon Pokémon.

On a far more basic level, the hunger mechanic that required that Pokémon be fed consistently (or risk gradually losing HP) is no longer active, except in select post-game dungeons. Another new mechanic is Move Levels, a new feature in which skills level up as they are used, extending PP while raising accuracy and power. In addition, Move Levels are game-wide, so one Pokémon raising Water Gun to level two means that all Pokémon that can learn Water Gun now have (or will learn) the upgraded version. There are a few other such changes to the gameplay formula, but these are the main ones.

With all of the new game improvements, some fans will be disappointed to know that only 144 Pokémon (many from Black and White) are in the new game, and only five starter Pokémon are available. This is a very questionable move, especially after the hefty number of Pokémon and starters in previous entries.

Unfortunately, the newest entry doesn't have any online multiplayer (only a very basic local mode), but the game does incorporate a fair share of downloadable content. Originally priced between 150 and 300 yen (though some was free for a limited time), the DLC includes various dungeons (of varying difficulty) riddled with rare Pokémon and items, as well as unique challenges.

Outside of the aforementioned changes, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity is looking like a slightly expanded sequel to the spin-off series. In other words, if you're a fan already, there should be plenty to love with a new story mode, fresh Pokémon, and new ways to experience what you already love. If you are not a fan of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, there may not be much here to change your mind when the game launches on March 24.