Pokémon Ranger

Did You Know?

• Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, the sequel, was announced in the January 2008 issue of CoroCoro Comic and released in Japan on March 20, 2008.
• Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs is the third and final installment of the Pokémon Ranger series, released worldwide in 2010.
• The Wii U Virtual Console release of Pokémon Ranger became unavailable after the Wii U Nintendo eShop closed on March 27, 2023.

Gameplay

Instead of turn-based fights and Pokéballs, the player captures wild Pokémon using a Capture Styler controlled by the Nintendo DS stylus. To capture a Pokémon, the player draws consecutive circles around it on the touchscreen; the wild Pokémon may flee or attack the Styler. Captured Pokémon temporarily join the party and can be used outside battle as Field Moves to solve puzzles—removing boulders, blowing fire, or tackling obstacles—or in battle as Poké Assists. Using a Field Move or being hit by an opponent’s attack causes the party Pokémon to leave. The Capture Styler has an energy bar that depletes when hit; if it reaches zero, the game ends and the player returns to the last save terminal. Save Terminals are found across the map, and a quicksave option is available when no terminal is nearby.

Plot

The player begins as a new Pokémon Ranger and works toward becoming top-ranked. After capturing a wild Pokémon, they are taken to the ranger base in Ringtown and complete missions such as saving Pokémon and doing favors. Once proven, they patrol through Krokka Tunnel and encounter the Go-Rock Squad, the region’s villainous team. In Fall City, the player reports the Go-Rock Squad to the Ranger Leader and is sent to gather information, during which a Go-Rock member’s Pokémon threatens buildings. As the player’s rank rises, they travel to Summerland and help the Ranger Leader find his lost Pokémon. In the Olive Jungle, the Go-Rock Quads—mysterious musicians—reveal the squad’s plan to build a Super Styler that can control all Pokémon and destroy the Rangers. After returning the lost Pokémon, the player clears Krokka Tunnel, fights a Go-Rock head member, and captures their Pokémon, earning another rank. Back in Summerland, the player is encouraged to challenge the Jungle Relic, which has four challenges: Wind, Destruction, Water, and a secret fourth. The Go-Rock Quads trick the player into calming a frenzied Pokémon, completing the secret challenge and causing an earthquake. The relic becomes a volcano, where a Go-Rock member battles the player and then sends a legendary Pokémon after them. After capturing it, the player returns to base, pairs with a Pokémon Professor, and goes to a factory to rescue Pokémon used as labor by the Go-Rock Squad.

Development

The first information about Pokémon Ranger appeared in the July 2005 issue of CoroCoro Comic, hinting at both a game and a movie. A short teaser aired at the end of the eighth Pokémon film, Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. The Pokémon animated series featured Rangers in several episodes, including the female protagonist Solana, who appeared in three episodes; in one, she stops the legendary Pokémon Deoxys. Several Pokémon Rangers appear as battleable characters in mainline games, where they keep Pokémon in Pokéballs and are depicted as preserving wild Pokémon and the environment. A direct-to-DVD animated film, Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, premiered on Cartoon Network on March 23, 2007, and was released on DVD the following month; it stars a Ranger named Jack Walker (Jackie) who protects a Manaphy egg. Merchandise includes a toy Capture Styler, a watch inspired by it, handbooks, pins, and other items.

Reception

Pokémon Ranger sold 193,337 copies in Japan during its first week. GameRankings gave it a 70% ratio. IGN scored it 7.1/10, praising the presentation, gameplay, and graphics but criticizing the use of 8-bit sounds from earlier Game Boy Pokémon games for Pokémon cries and the lack of a multiplayer mode. GameSpot rated it 7.5/10, highlighting the unique capturing system, good-sized quest, and attractive 2D graphics and animation, while noting possible touchscreen scratching and basic exploration sequences as drawbacks. Retronauts podcaster Jeremy Parish referred to the game as "crappy," criticizing its dialogue and story as worse than mainline games. Fellow contributor Justin Haywald criticized HAL Laboratory, normally a good developer, for making Pokémon Ranger.