Pokémon Ranger is an action-adventure game on Nintendo DS, developed by Creatures Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. The first of a series of three, it was released in France on 13 April 2007. Here is its fact sheet.
| Japanese title | Pokémon Ranger (ポケモンレンジャー) |
|---|---|
| Platform | Nintendo DS; Wii U Virtual Console (2016) |
| Japan release | 23 March 2006 |
| North America release | 30 October 2006 |
| Australia release | 6 December 2006 |
| Europe release | 13 April 2007 |
| Wii U Virtual Console | 25 February 2016 (€9.99) |
| Developers | Creatures Inc., HAL Laboratory |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Genre | Action-adventure |
| Players | 1 |
| Region | Fiore |
| Sequels | Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (2008), Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (2010) |
A new way to see Pokémon
Pokémon Ranger offers a different way to live in the Pokémon world. No Trainers or badges: the hero is a Ranger, tasked with protecting the Pokémon and nature of the Fiore region. Instead of capturing them in Poké Balls, the hero bonds with them using the Capture Styler, drawing loops with the stylus on the touch screen, then releases them after using their help. The game makes use of the Nintendo DS’s touch screen, which was brand new at the time.
The developers are two well-known studios: Creatures Inc., which created the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and HAL Laboratory, the makers of the Kirby games, Pokémon Snap and the Pokémon Stadium games.
The versions
The game came out in Japan a year before Europe, and an animated film inspired by its universe, Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, was released in Japanese cinemas in July 2006. In February 2016, Pokémon Ranger arrived on the Wii U Virtual Console, as we reported: Pokémon Ranger comes to Virtual Console.
Contents
- an adventure of about ten main missions: see the walkthrough index;
- over two hundred Pokémon to log in the Browser;
- special missions after the credits and the Ranger Net: see Special missions;
- a Manaphy Egg to transfer to Generation IV games.
Our review at the time gave it 14 out of 20: Pokémon Ranger review.
