Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (DS) - Reviews

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7.2.2019

There's no denying the incredible impact 'Pokémon Ranger' (2006) had when it was first released. For a brand that's often criticised for portraying cruelty to animals (supposedly), it was a welcome change to see a game that toned down the violence. Rather than battling, it emphasised more on the bonds between people and Pokémon. Through working together and protecting the region, you could take pride in your role knowing it made a positive difference in others' lives. That, along with the simple-yet-addictive capturing mechanic, made this one of the most rewarding Pokémon games to date. It was so well-received that 'Shadows of Almia' was released two years later (2008) - an all-around better sequel.The games have even been referenced numerous times in the Pokémon anime, with various Ranger characters, episodes based on their bonus missions, and the 9th Pokémon movie was even titled: 'Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea'. Then the third game was released in 2010 ('Guardian Signs'). And while it still provided the full Ranger experience, it didn't quite live up to the quality of its predecessor. Let me explain.Taking place in the Oblivia region, you play as a Pokémon Ranger who's been tasked with investigating the evil Pokémon Pinchers. Along with your partner, Ben/Summer, you save a Latios/Latias from being caught but get separated when a plasma cannon sends you hurtling into the ocean. Washing up on the shore of Dolce island; you encounter a ukulele-playing Pichu, who wants to join you on your journey so it can save its kidnapped friends. Now you have to find your missing partner and protect the peace in Oblivia, all while learning about its legends and the connections they have to ancient Pokémon.In hindsight, 'Guardian Signs' has all the makings of a great Ranger game. It has thrilling missions, evil organisations, helpful partner Pokémon, and once you get into the heart of it, the story does become immersive. However, when I first played it, the main problem I had was with the prologue. Literally, the first thing you do, when you start a new game, is say you're a boy or girl. Then you're immediately thrust into a chase scene with Latios or Latias. There's no explanation for what's happening, no tutorial for the impromptu capture that occurs. You're just thrown into this scenario and expected to adapt to it. Even when some background is given, it's incredibly vague and doesn't even explain how you became a Ranger in the first place. As a result, there's nothing relatable about your avatar, and they don't form a personal connection with you. Now, to be fair, I can understand the developers' mindsets. After two games of building your avatar from the ground up, they probably thought returning players would want a quick-start to their game instead. However, quick-starts only work if there's context behind them. Take the first Ranger game, for example. It did have a rushed opening, but you still understood your avatar's backstory: you were someone who wrote letters to the Ring Town Ranger Leader, he could tell how passionate you were about becoming a Ranger, he makes you one after seeing you handle an emergency capture. Everything you needed to know about Rangers and yourself was established in the first five minutes.Similarly, they could've added more to your backstory in 'Guardian Signs'. Maybe you and your partner graduated from Ranger School recently. Maybe you were assigned to the Ranger Union as part of its new graduates' programme. Maybe Professor Hastings sends you to Oblivia to get some experience. And along the way, that's when you encounter the Pinchers. It might've taken longer to get to the actual gameplay, but at least it would've established your avatar as a rookie, like you, forming that all-important personal connection. As it is, it's hard to invest yourself in someone's when they're practically a stranger. Maybe I'm looking into this too much. But when you first play a game like this, you should know exactly who you're playing as - not constantly asking questions about them.So what about after the prologue? Well, like I said, once the adventure gets going, it's just as addictive as the last two games. There are missions to complete, obstacles to overcome and many different Pokémon to encounter. There's also plenty of variety to keep things from getting too formulaic. Some missions have you investigate hazardous areas, some have you rescuing hostages, and others have you complete tasks within a certain time limit, or there are dire consequences. Additionally, 'Guardian Signs' added some new features, like underwater chases and air battles, which take full advantage of the 3DS software (e.g. holding your 3DS sideways).Quests also return from Almia. These are smaller tasks to be completed for citizens in your own time. They're not as easy to find as in Almia, but now you can accept more than one at a time - which is a huge convenience. Topping it all off are the styler modifications. Whenever you complete a mission or quest, Ranger Points are awarded. These can then be exchanged for upgrades to your Styler, such as Power, Line-Length, and Defence. Best of all, it's your choice how you upgrade - whereas before, they were always predetermined.So 'Guardian Signs' does have solid content for a Ranger game. Unfortunately, the biggest area it fails in is the one 'Shadows of Almia' perfected the most. And that's the story and character development.What made the second game engrossing was that it felt like a coming-of-age story. You didn't immediately start out as a Ranger, you had to go through all the stages of becoming one: from a student in Ranger School to an Area Ranger to one of only four Top Rangers in Almia. Additionally, every landmark you achieved was rewarded in some way: a higher rank, a new partner Pokémon, and better Stylers with functions like the Power Charge ability. Because of this, everything in the game felt like it had to be earned. And when you finally got to the end, there was a real sense of accomplishment seeing how far you'd come from Ranger School.In 'Guardian Signs', a lot of character-building gets skipped over. And the reward system feels somewhat lacklustre. For example, I noticed that despite being a rookie, you seem to have many Top Ranger privileges. These include capturing seven Friend Pokémon from the beginning of the game and assigning missions to yourself. Originally, these were privileges you had to earn, and you always took orders from a senior Ranger, before reaching a certain rank. In 'Guardian Signs', not only do they do away with the rank system, but you seem to outclass Oblivia's only Area Ranger, by possessing a more advanced Styler - which is fitted with an AI and speaks to you like Jarvis (Iron Man). By removing authority figures, and the rewards they offer, it feels like you have less to prove to anyone, and nothing to show for your efforts. Again, with better context, this could've been fixed. Maybe these privileges are part of the graduates' programme. Maybe being alone in an unfamiliar region motivates you to step up your game. As it is, there's little propelling you forward.The last major comparison I can make is between Almia and Oblivia's characters. With the former there's no contest: it didn't matter if they were students, senior Rangers or citizens you only meet once, every NPC felt like they had their own backstory and personality. 'Guardian Signs' has some good characters, too. But most are held back due to one thing or another. Some of the best ones include your partner, Ben/Summer. Like you, they're courageous and determined. And they play a much more prominent role than any of your previous Ranger counterparts. In fact, from the second half onwards, they accompany you for the rest of the game; providing moral support and being a great all-around companion. A couple of the villains are written well, too. They may seem generic at first, given their ridiculous names (e.g. Red Eyes and Blue Eyes), but they each have distinctive personalities and surprisingly believable redemption arcs. As for the rest of the characters, the best word to describe them is gimmicky. Aside from the returning ones like Professor Hastings, Murph and the Go-Rock Quads, most are easily forgettable, unless they have generic quirks. For instance, there's the apprentice who's extremely fearful, the young girl who's a genius inventor, the little man who's a magician and so on. I won't say they're all 1-Dimensional, as some do have incredible backstories. But it's easy to remember them more for their quirks than their traits.Of course, this wouldn't be a Pokémon game without Pokémon, now, would it? There weren't a whole lot of new additions, given this was released in the same generation as Almia. However, the game makes up for it with what they can do. Like before, there are Pokémon exclusive to the land, the sea, and now in the sky. Most have Field Moves that can be used to clear obstacles, and some even require multiple Pokémon instead of just one with a high enough level. Some Pokémon are hard to find and completing the Browser is just as rewarding as it's always been. Plus, the legendaries you encounter are worthy challenges for your capture skills.And then there's your partner Pokémon. Disappointingly, you only get one in this game (Ukulele Pichu), as opposed to Almia, where you could obtain 17. Also, it's ability is similar to your Plusle/Minun's from the first game. It stuns/weakens Pokémon and gets stronger the further you proceed. The only difference is Pichu's ability has no type disadvantage, and it only appears randomly to assist you in captures.On that note, let's talk about capturing. Still the most exciting and addictive feature of these games, it works the same as it always has. You walk up to a Pokemon, draw loops around them, and avoid their attacks until you fully convey your friendship to them. That Pokémon can then help you clear targets or assist in more captures. One thing I like is they retained most of Almia's capturing mechanics, i.e. Pokémon having health bars rather than loop counts, and you earning more Exp/Ranger points through a capture's performance. They also added a new feature called agitated Pokémon; whereby if a Pokémon gets angry, it drastically weakens your friendship energy, and you can't flee from the capture attempt. In this case, you have to calm the Pokémon down by hitting it with Assist Moves until their health bar stops being red.Speaking of Assist Moves, they've changed drastically in this game. Previously, there were two types of Assist Move. Either your friend Pokémon upgraded your capture line to produce fire, grass, earth, etc., as you drew loops. Or they caused other actions like earthquakes or levitation. In 'Guardian Signs', all the moves are physical ones. But there's more strategy to using them. When you select a Pokémon, you have to drag them onto the touch screen and position them in a way so their move will make contact. If positioned incorrectly it could miss entirely, and you'll have to wait a while before trying again. Also, if your Pokémon is attacked at any point during their assist, it will automatically be released. Knowing when and how to position Pokémon is tricky. But it adds a new challenge for returning players, on top of the attack patterns.By the way, just as a side note, Pokémon aren't released automatically after using their assist moves like before. Which is why you often have to release them yourself to avoid having too many you don't need.Finally, let's discuss this game's biggest selling point: Sign Summons. Throughout the story, you encounter all sorts of legendary Pokémon. Celebi, the Legendary Beasts, the Eon Duo and more. But unlike in previous games, they play a more significant role in your adventure. For one thing, they're mentioned in various legends throughout the region; intertwining with one another and culminating in the game's climax. Second, whenever you capture them, they leave behind an emblem - a single-line pattern which is registered on your Styler. That emblem can then be redrawn in an open area, which summons that legendary Pokémon to you. After which you can ride - yes, RIDE - those Pokemon and perform incredible feats, like leaping long distances (Raikou), smashing through boulders (Entei) walking on water (Suicune), and flying at high speeds (Latios/Latias). You can also obtain emblems for non-legendary Pokémon. But they're pretty much redundant, given you'll often have the Pokémon you need anyway.Now, I would end this review right here. But I'd be remiss if didn't address the elephant in the room. And that's the time travel side quest. In the early stages of the game, there's a Celebi that keeps appearing before you. Once you capture it, your new friend will occasionally transport you to the past. Unlocking a whole new epic adventure.In this period, there exists a series of temples housing different wild Pokémon and Steelheads - knights with psychic armour that control Pokemon's feelings. However, all is not well. The usually peaceful guards have been brainwashed by an evil entity, and are now using their armour to control Pokémon for wicked purposes. At the heart of it all is the captain of the Dark Temple, powerful Golden Armour, and the God of all Pokémon: Arceus. Now you to help your friends Tanvir, Kira and Ravio free the Steelheads and save the Pokémon.The reason I haven't mentioned this quest before now is it has very little influence on the main game. The only connections are the Golden Armour - which also appears in the main game's climax - and several monuments which disappear after capturing certain Pokémon in the past. Other than that, it's an entirely separate game. I'll do my best to summarise it quickly.Your goal is to reach the Temple of Light and appease Arceus' wrath by capturing it. To do so, you make your way through each of the temples; pressing switches, using warp gates, and capturing/avoiding Pokémon as you go. Once you've captured enough specific Pokémon, the gate to the Steelhead will open. And once you've captured that Steelhead's boss Pokémon, the temple will be cleared and you can move onto the next one. Sounds straightforward enough. But trust me, it's not easy. Upon entering each temple, you're given a set time limit to reach the end and capture the boss Pokémon. If you don't do it in time, your Styler will break, and you'll have to start over. There are crates containing power-ups, like extended time, extra health, and improvements to your speed, Styler and Pokemon. But these are few and far between, and there's even some risk in obtaining them. Speaking of your Styler, it doesn't work the same as in the main game due to side effects of time travel. You can still capture Pokémon, but features like the Power Charge, Summons, and styler modifications are non-operational. Plus, it's level gets completely reset - meaning you have to build it up again from scratch. Then there are the Pokémon. As Ukulele Pichu doesn't accompany you through time, you have to rely on the Pokémon you capture to be your partners. The good thing is they won't run off if attacked, but it does take longer for them to recover. Also, you can't run from any capture attempts here. So it's sometimes better to avoid Pokémon if you want to save time. Not that you shouldn't try to capture them. Whenever you do, you're rewarded with AP points, which can then be exchanged to make your partner's Power, Recovery Time or Assist Move stronger. Every once in a while a Pokémon will even drop a slate. And if you clear the temple, you'll obtain that Pokémon, or one of their pre-evolutions, as a partner.Overall, the time travel story does have an engaging plot. And it's arguably more rewarding than the main game's. However, there is one aspect that breaks the ice for me. The further you go, the more it becomes apparent this quest is garnered towards multiplayer. This wouldn't be an issue - given the first game had no multiplayer features - except that it causes problems for solo players. In many of the temples, certain areas can only be accessed through activating multiple switches simultaneously. If you don't have another player to help you press them, you miss out on shortcuts, power-ups, and other valuable assets that make clearing the temple easier. I won't say it's impossible to complete the time travel quest as a single player, but it does take hours of training and patience. I actually replayed this game while writing this review, and you know how long it took me before I beat Arceus? 97 hours! That's longer than my play-throughs of both the first and second games combined.In conclusion, it's easy to see why 'Guardian Signs' was the last 'Pokémon Ranger game. It has some interesting ideas, and it's still incredibly fun to play. But it's vague prologue, gimmicky characters and overall lack of development meant it couldn't surpass its predecessor's perfection. 'Shadows of Almia' had all the right tools; a fleshed-out world, 3-Dimensional characters, and a story which exemplifies a hero journey. Plus, everything was on a much grander scale and felt less linear. Because of this, despite all the third game's additional features, I will remember 'Shadows of Almia' more fondly. It's not that 'Guardian Signs' was bad, it just had too much to live up to. And by this point, the series' creative juices had run dry.If you've played the first two games and really enjoyed them, I would recommend 'Guardian Signs' to you. It will have you covered if you want more of the same. Just don't expect anything too ground-breaking beyond riding legendary Pokemon. If you've never played either game, however, I wouldn't recommend starting with this one. It does contain several references to the previous titles, and 'Shadows of Almia' is honestly a lot better.Anyway, that's all I've got for the Pokémon Ranger series. Until next time, stay tuned.