Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

Lore & Background

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness continues the story of the Orre region five years after the events of Pokémon Colosseum. The player character, Michael by default, is tasked by inventor Professor Krane to test the Snag Machine, a device used to capture other trainers' Pokémon. Krane explains that Shadow Pokémon—Pokémon whose hearts have been artificially closed—have been sighted again. While testing the Snag Machine, Krane is kidnapped by agents of Cipher, the criminal syndicate responsible for creating and distributing Shadow Pokémon. Michael rescues Krane and then travels across Orre, snagging and purifying Shadow Pokémon from Cipher agents. The leader of Cipher, Greevil, challenges Michael to come to Citadark Isle, where Greevil unleashes XD001, a Shadow Lugia engineered to reject purification. Michael overcomes it and defeats Greevil. Greevil's son Ardos prepares to destroy Citadark, but his brother Eldes declares Cipher finished and convinces Greevil to turn themselves in, with Ardos swearing vengeance.

The game features 83 different Shadow Pokémon to collect. Shadow Pokémon come with Shadow-type moves that are strong against non-Shadow Pokémon but weak against other Shadow Pokémon. If the player fails to catch a Shadow Pokémon, the antagonist Miror B. may appear later with that Pokémon. Purification can be done via the Purification Chamber or by carrying the Pokémon in the party. The Purification Chamber allows the player to arrange purified Pokémon around a Shadow Pokémon to purify it; ideally, four purified Pokémon arranged clockwise with type advantages fill the tempo gauge for most efficient purification.

Pokémon XD also introduces Poké Spots, where wild Pokémon can be captured after luring them with bait. Two battle attractions at Realgam Tower are Battle SIMs, where the player uses a pre-set team in puzzle-like battles, and Battle Bingo, where the player battles and captures Pokémon to fill a bingo card. A multiplayer Battle Mode allows players to battle using Pokémon from Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen.

Reader's Guide

Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness received mixed reviews, with common criticisms directed at similarities to and reused assets from Pokémon Colosseum. GameSpot commented that 'not much has changed since the original.' The Poké Spot areas were regarded as very limited and small compared to Ruby and Sapphire. Gamepro criticized the gameplay as monotonous and lacking challenge, and felt the game 'doesn't have the pizazz for mature audiences,' though it praised the flashy visual style of Pokémon and their attacks, concluding that 'Gale of Darkness is not a terminally unplayable game by any stretch of the definition, but gamers are going to really have to love Pokémon in order to find gratification here.' Despite mixed reviews, Pokémon XD was a commercial success, selling over 1 million units as of March 31, 2006. The game was released on the Nintendo Switch 2 through the Nintendo Classics service on March 18, 2026.