Game review: Pokemon Ranger

In the Nintendo DS game, Pokemon Ranger, rather than play as a pokemon trainer like in the other games, you play the part of a pokemon ranger. Taking advantage of the DS stylus and touch screen, you capture pokemon in a whole different way – by “looping” a number of circles around them, all the while trying to keep them from breaking out of the loop or damaging your capture styler with their attacks. Instead of raising and battling pokemon, the job of a pokemon ranger is to take temporary control of pokemon with the capture styler and use their abilities to help solve problems in different cities and environments.

Plot/Story

Although I enjoy playing Pokemon Ranger, I can’t really give it too many points for a unique and interesting plot. It’s pretty standard as far as Pokemon stories go – you start off as a rookie pokemon ranger learning how to do your job with easy, beginning missions. Then you end up getting caught up in the main, bigger plot involving a shady organization (Team Go-Rock in this case) and having to thwart their antics. And in the end, you’re the one who stops their worst scheme involving powerful pokemon, thus becoming a well-renowned pokemon ranger. Yeah, nothing too unique about that. But still, the missions are enjoyable and the characters, such as the different leader rangers and the Go-Rock Squad members, are interesting enough.

Gameplay

Pokemon Ranger is a unique addition to the line of Pokemon games. Although as far as gameplay goes, it’s less complex and detailed when compared to the regular Pokemon games, it’s still pretty fun. Obviously its most unique feature is using the DS stylus to loop around pokemon on the screen in order to catch them. It starts off easy, with docile pokemon moving slowly on the screen and only requiring a few loops to capture them. But it can get very challenging in the later missions when you have to make as many as 15 to 20 loops around an aggressive, fast-moving pokemon, while dodging its attacks that can damage your styler and break the loops. Mastering the art of looping around pokemon on the screen with the DS stylus takes some practice, so even the beginning levels of the game are a bit difficult. But even though the later missions get harder, with the pokemon becoming more difficult to catch, none of them have been too hard. So as far as game difficult is concerned, Pokemon Ranger is very well balanced. You can actually get a pretty good work out having to intently make a bunch of quick loops around a pokemon during its brief, vulnerable state before it breaks free…just make sure you give your arm a rest after a while ^^

Actually, in Pokemon Ranger you don’t need to use any other controls besides the DS stylus. Besides capturing pokemon, you can use the stylus and touch screen to move your character, select menu options, interact with other things on the screen, etc., so that also makes the gameplay experience unique.

Probably the main issue I can think of that veteran Pokemon fans might have with this game is that you can’t actually capture pokemon permanently or raise them in different ways. The only interaction you can really get with pokemon you capture is by using their abilities to help you clear obstacles on the field, such as a Grass pokemon using its vines to help you get across a cliff. The other interaction is by using them to help capture other pokemon, but not in the usual way of pokemon battles and attacks. Rather, depending on the pokemon’s type, it can power up your capture styler in different ways. For example, a Fire type can turn each loop into a wall of flames that prevents the pokemon you want to capture from moving, an Electric type can recharge your styler if its been damaged, a Psychic type can levitate the desired pokemon in mid-air for an easy catch, etc,. But another disappointment is that only about 250 of the 386 pokemon appear in Pokemon Ranger, and they all have their own set locations and abilites in the game that are unchangeable. When you leave a certain area or if you use the pokemon’s abilities, it will leave your party and go back where you found it, and if you need its help again, you’ll have to capture it again. But even though these things make Pokemon Ranger different and less complicated than the regular Pokemon games, the unique task of having to use the DS stylus to loop around pokemon in order to catch them is fun and challenging.

Graphics

Most of the graphics in Pokemon Ranger are okay but nothing that impressive. The cities, forests, caves, etc., are pretty 2D-ish looking, as are the rangers and other people in the game. Also, I think they could have done better with the animation sequences of pokemon using their field abilities (it basically just turns into a black screen with a not-so impressive animation of the pokemon and the object it clears away). However, the actual pokemon themselves look good. Unlike the usual stand-still sprites of the regular Pokemon games, in Pokemon Ranger, obviously all the pokemon are constantly moving around on the screen so you can loop your styler around them. Some pokemon look better than others, but they all look a bit better than their GBA counterparts, as do their attacks.

Conclusion

Pokemon Ranger is definitely one of the better Pokemon spin-off games. Though it lacks the complexity and RPG features of the regular Pokemon games, the great DS stylus+touch screen action makes up for that. The background story isn’t too memorable, but if you’re a fan of Pokemon, or of the Nintendo DS, then this game is worth checking out! ^_^

By the way, just a little side note that Pokemon Ranger does have some connection capability with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. After you complete the main story mode of the game, you unlock the Ranger Net and the ability to get additional “special” missions. One of the special missions allows you to get a pokemon egg that, when transferred into Pokemon D&P, will hatch into the rare pokemon Manafy. In the Japanese version of the game, these special missions were only attainable through a Nintendo event. But in the US version, all you have to do is complete the main story mode in order to unlock them. As of now, I’ve completed the main story mode and unlocked the Manafy egg mission. I’ve just got to beat the mission, and once the US version of D&P is released in about a month from now, I’ll transfer the egg over ^.^ Gotta love Nintendo and their multi-game connectibility!

My rating for this game: 3.5 out of 5

Ups: – Unique game play with the DS stylus
– Missions are not too easy, not too hard
– Pokemon sprites look good

Downs: – Not the most interesting storyline
– Mediocre setting animation
– Less detailed compared to other Pokemon games