- For a description of any Items named here, see DS Game Items
- For more details about the enemies battled, see DS Game Battles
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Introduction[]
Many ages ago, dinosaurs…were the rulers of the Earth. … Now, they are in danger again.
Reese Drake, head of the fossil-hunting D-Lab, has completed work on the DinoShots, devices that will bring dinosaurs back to life through cards by using a curious Stone Fragment artifact, exciting a pair of young boys of the dinosaur-loving D-Team. Immediately, however, one of the DinoShots is stolen by the Alpha Gang, an evil organization bent on taking over the world, their leader Dr. Z summoning a Tyrannosaurus…who calls out for your help. It wants you to stop it. Then a pair of stone tablets appear, empowering the other two DinoShots. It's time to choose your player character and level 1 starting Dinosaur: Max Taylor and his Lightning Triceratops, or Rex Owen and his Wind Carnotaurus. The unchosen boy will follow you around, though most of their dialogue and interactions will be the same whoever you're controlling, as they have rather opposed personalities: Max is excitable and brash, Rex is calm and calculated.
Neither starter choice is wrong, but for diversity's sake, Triceratops is a good choice, as half the Dinosaurs available on the first continent will be Wind, and half of them Scissors Sign, just like Carnotaurus; ceratopsids are otherwise endemic to the third continent, so Triceratops will be the only Lightning Dinosaur available for a while. Regardless of your choice, Reese will instruct you through the battle to a flawless victory, as you physically can't select the moves she isn't pointing to; the level 1 Tyrannosaurus also only has half the HP it should, so it wouldn't have been a challenge anyway. Impressed by your victory, Dr. Z lets you introduce yourself with any 10-character name you choose, but Max/Rex is the default. He then retreats.
Back in the Alpha Gang's headquarters, henchman Ed detects several Stone Fragments in Europe, something they'll need. Dr. Z sends him after them, but the doctor's granddaughter Laura whines at not going, shaking the room with her crying, so Dr. Z lets her go along, too. Meanwhile in the D-Lab, Reese sends you to talk to the other scientists while she researches the Alpha Gang (yes, you must talk to everyone to progress—well, except Dr. Taylor, Max's dad), where you learn about getting more Dinosaur Cards from fossils and the basics of assigning Move Cards; their dialogue often makes the most sense to follow starting at the far end and working back to where you started. Going back to Reese, the D-Team's third member and Reese's younger sister, Zoe Drake, rushes up with bad news: dinosaurs are causing trouble in Europe! Take the D-Lab's teleporter to get there quickly…
Chapter 1: The Alpha Gang's Evil Plan[]
Euro Town[]
Arriving in Euro Town, speak to the D-Site Branch Head (you can't leave town if you don't—get used to this sort of thing). Important throughout your adventure is that, should you ever forget your current story objective, you can use the DinoShot menu to "Contact the D-Lab" for Dr. Taylor or Reese to hint you towards the next checkpoint. As you explore, you'll find there are three exits (the east gate will stay shut long past completing the European chapter), but the only way out is to head up to North Euro Plain (once the guy at the gate accepts you know the D-Site Branch Head) to find the kidnapped son of a resident. He's a few steps away held by Ed, where you'll enter your first real battle, against a Purple Alpha Droid (there are 5 models in each of 3 colors you'll find as you go) with a level 1 Dinosaur; Reese will guide you through the battle, but you have to listen this time. With your victory, you will be gifted a Mystery Fossil, which will revive as an Irritator, an otherwise South American species (we'll never be going there, sadly) that still learns European Moves and one of the few Rock Sign Dinosaurs available in Europe, therefore being an important early source for Rock slot Moves.
Speaking of reviving Fossils, the Branch Head explains how to use the D-Site Fossil Restoration Room to clean Fossils under the guidance of Minmi; a good cleaning job revives the Dinosaur at a higher level than otherwise, so it's a skill to learn (though it's so early you can only manage level 1 revives, the cap raises with story progress). He also gives you the Broken Radar, which you need the nearby scientist Doc to fix, but he works with drills (like the big one he's standing next to), though will give it a try if you retrieve the Mass-Produced Drill stolen by the Alpha Gang, who are in the North Mine. Before heading out, more people are about town, one woman wanting you to buy her a Small Dino Drink from the Item Shop in exchange for twice the cost back (500 chell, which you're given even if you trade her one you found set or received as a random drop), a boy who wants a Knightia Fossil (which you'll have to drill for) and will reward you an Alpha Stop Drop +, and the mysterious Dinoman (who is clearly "not" Max's dad Dr. Taylor, he says so) who will give you Mystery Fossils for filling in your Dinosaur Encyclopedia by certain amounts (you must revive them from fossils, seeing enemies with them won't count, neither do EX or Move Card Helper Dinosaurs).
North Euro Plain[]
Heading out now, you'll find a new girl who lost her Necklace a few steps away (it's the large flashing sparkle, a common sign in this game of something important to pick up or interact with) and gives you a Manual for returning it. Farther north into North Euro Plain is blocked for now because it's too dangerous, so head east to the North Mine; next to its entrance is a gold item case containing the North Euro Plain map. Each new area has a map discovered in an item case (usually) near the entrance, which will then take up the top screen while you're there. Along the way, you'll be running into random encounter Alpha Droids every 25-50 steps or so (unlike finding wild Pokémon in tall grass, any tile out of town can trigger an Alpha Droid, even once you complete that continent's stage in the story, and you can't catch them, but hey, infinite EXP and money, in small amounts). The Purple Alpha Droids around here have level 1-2 Dinosaurs and a simple strategy: open with their Critical Move, then try to beat any Sign you just beat them with. Cycling your choices counterclockwise will lead you to a no-damage win just about every time.
Before that, the North Mine is rather small, its map located down a right branch. Random Alpha Droids are largely the same as outside, but a static Purple Alpha Droid is blocking a treasure cave down the left fork with a level 3 Dinosaur; beyond is a Medium Dino Drink. At the back end is another Purple Alpha Droid with a level 3 Dinosaur, beating which will get you the Broken Drill (the Droid isn't there until Doc tells you about the stolen drill). Back in town, Doc will turn the broken items into the Excavation Radar and Mass-Produced Drill and give them to you—he's not interested in hanging onto finished inventions, that's what other people are for. He directs you up to the Master Excavator where the northern roadblock used to be to learn how to use them (and to unlock the ability to, even if you already knew what buttons to use).
The Master Excavator shows you the ropes to drilling: hit R to bring up the radar and A to scan, then walk to where you saw a ping and hit L to drill. The radar has 10 charges with batteries available to buy and use in the field or be fully recharged at a D-Site, but the drill is unlimited; right now you can only reach the shallowest white radar pings, but you'll gain access to more in subsequent Chapters. At your feet you will find your first European Fossil, which is scripted to always be an Iguanodon (Attack Type). He tells you to head south of town for lots of fossils, but you can't just yet. The Mayor went missing investigating the North Dig Site and his son is blocking the south gate; you'll have to go find the Mayor farther into North Euro Plain first.
After taking the path north and west, you'll find the random Alpha Droids are now levels 3-5, will begin mumbling hints about their upcoming move themselves instead of Reese instructing you, and will have pockets of differently distributed levels for each Dinosaur across each bridge and atop each plateau of the area (the only place to do this so varyingly). Divert all the way west to find a Manual along the top edge of the map through the Euro Town Memorial Tree's area (the ramp is hidden behind a tree), then return to the middle and turn south to find the Mayor with a hurt leg, having tried to reason with the Alpha Gang before a mysterious fast animal saved him from being captured. He tells you to direct his son here and gives you a Family Photo to prove you met him. After talking to the son, follow him back to the Mayor so you can hear about the legendary Forest Dweller which may have saved him and might be related to dinosaurs, the son mentioning a gardener on South Euro Plain who might know more. But first, you have to head to the North Dig Site and rout the Alpha Gang before he'll think you can handle being let out that way.
Just past them is a girl whose dad ran off after meeting her new boyfriend; you'll need to come back after reaching the next continent to help talk things over with him in South Euro Plain. Taking a west path along the way south leads you to a person being harassed by a new Purple spike-eared Alpha Droid, your first opponent with two Dinosaurs, levels 5-6, and a less consistent strategy; saving the person gets you a Manual (when you talk to them). You may have also noticed random encounter Droids skipping out on telling you their move sometimes; yeah, that's happening. Heading all the way south takes you to an item case with a Small Dino Drink; the entrance to the North Dig Site is due west from here. Heading inside, the boys split up to see who can beat the Alpha Gang first.
As may seem obvious, Europe's mine locations give a higher likelihood of drilling up a dinosaur Fossil than the outside plains. The random Droids in here are a new Green kind at levels 4-6, but still act the same way at this point. The map is just a bit in at the second corner, but a Green spike-eared Alpha Droid stands in your path with a pair of level 6-7 Dinosaurs. Past it, the left path is fenced off for now, so go right. The south fork has another Green spike-eared Droid with two level 8-9 Dinos and notably fewer helpful hints blocking the tunnel to a Workbook (the tunnel is invisible in the darkness, just run face first into the walls to navigate; you can still drill in them, though). If you take the north fork to the right, you will find a Red Super Alpha Droid guarding an item case who simply tells you, "You are still too weak," and shoos you away; you'll find more later, but you'll have to wait a very long time to fight them. Take the left turn.
Now you'll be facing your first Alpha Gang boss, Laura (the game alerts and lets you back out if you're not ready), who has a DinoShot and a Stone Fragment; her cries drive away the other boy who found her first, letting you step up. Her level 10-11 team utilizes Wind, has some rather exotic Move Cards, and contains the first Alpha Dinosaur, an Alpha Dilophosaurus; Alpha Dinosaurs won't appear in your Encyclopedia. Beating her gets you her DinoShot and Stone Fragment, but she reveals they already have another Fragment and runs off.
South Euro Plain[]
You are automatically teleported back to Euro Town where Reese says this isn't the Fragment originally stolen, meaning the Alpha Gang has to have multiple Alpha-DinoShots copied from the first; the signal from another Fragment is also coming from a coal mine south of town. Worse still, the Branch Head relays that the Alpha Gang has shut off power to the town (the D-Site has its own generator, thankfully). The Mayor agrees to let you through the south gate if you find Don the Gardener to learn how to pass the Straywood Forest, who is also the Forest Dweller expert.
Entering South Euro Plain, there is an east path that curves around to the Stone Circle, an area fenced off until you've beaten the main game; taking the other path brings you to the map. Back outside and you're facing Purple Alpha Droids again at levels 6-9, but though most still act the same, some may use a different strategy, starting by blocking your Critical instead of using theirs (Droids in this area in particular silently break their patterns more often than even the next few stronger areas, so be careful). There's also a new Purple floating Supply Droid variant who uses a level 6 Fukuisaurus and attacks randomly, but has a massive EXP payout, that is if you're lucky enough to beat it before it flees from battle on its own, usually after landing its first hit. Continuing west brings you to someone who lost their Key to the Garden by a clearing down south. On the way to fetch it you'll find a Green spike-eared Alpha Droid harassing a man with level 9-10 Dinosaurs; you're rewarded a Medium Dino Drink. The path east (to the Stone Circle) is fenced off, but a short detour a few steps south leads you to a man who tells you about the statue of a giant dinosaur that was stolen, broken, and its pieces buried long ago, wishing to see it whole; you can agree to seek out the Giant Head, Giant Body, and Giant Legs scattered across the world during the remainder of your adventure and into the postgame. They will be revealed to combine into the Giant Fossil Isisaurus that Reese can revive for you when you gain the ability to return to the D-Lab on your own, which the man will gladly give you because "fossils are worthless chunks of rock".
South down the west path leads you to Tree-Ringed Clearing (aren't all clearings tree-ringed?) and a super-easy discovery of the Key; an NPC who vanishes if you grab the key without talking to him clarifies that the gardener dropped his key when he fell and not, as he'd claimed, while napping. Very important. Heading east towards Straywood is useless right now, save for a Medium Dino Drink near the entrance (that a cutscene walks you past if you wait to get it later), so go back to let Don into the South Euro Garden. And immediately save him from a Green spike-eared Alpha Droid waiting for him with level 8-9 Dinosaurs (maybe we should've left it locked). Turns out Don's not the expert you've heard, but he directs you to someone he once worked with who's met the Forest Dweller, Tom, far into the North Dig Site, past the fence that is now gone.
The guy you find there after the other boy catches up (despite you not separating…) denies being Tom until you refuse to leave several times in a row (even if you agree to leave, the conversation won't end, so mash B not A), and when you mention the Alpha Gang's involvement he relents to protect his friend and gives you the Forest Flute. Playing it in front of Straywood calls forth the Forest Dweller—a Leaellynasaura! The dinosaur will let you ride it through the forest back and forth as desired. Entering the Old Southern Coal Mine, the boys split up to search, and you'll run into a new Red variety of Alpha Droids levels 7-9, though they still have the same mixed strategies. The basic shape of the Mine is a clockwise curve with a number of outer dead ends, the second with a Red spike-eared Alpha Droid with level 10-11 Dinosaurs blocking a tunnel to a Workbook, before you have to beat another Red spike-eared with levels 9-10 to continue around. The map is finally in the next off-branch, the bottom right branch containing another Red Super Alpha Droid you're still too weak to fight, so it's a straight west shot to the end of the Mine and Ed's secret base of operations.
Ed plans to use his ED-ULTRA supercomputer to take over machines all over the world, including causing Euro Town's blackout. Ed uses level 15-16 Earth Dinosaurs, which may be inconvenient if you chose Triceratops, especially if his ace Alpha Wuerhosaurus gets off its Earth Super Move and summons an Earth battlefield. Upon defeating him, his computers decide to spontaneously explode and you take his Stone Fragment, prompting Ed to flee as the other boy catches up, Reese calling you both back to the D-Lab.
In the Alpha Gang headquarters, Ursula interrupts Dr. Z's disappointment after detecting the aura of another Stone Fragment in Asia's Darkwood Forest. Rod volunteers to get payback for Laura, and Zander has a special plan. Back at the D-Lab, you have to talk to everyone again, not learning much you couldn't have already figured, before Zoe reports a sleeping sickness at the Gobi Village dig site in Asia! It's time to head out again…
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| (none) | Chapter 2: Deep Sleep in Asia |