Pokémon Ranger: Shadows Of Almia (DS) - Reviews

(4.6)

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27.8.2018

I absolutely love the original 'Pokémon Ranger' game. As a fan of the Pokémon brand since I was seven years old, I've always found myself heavily attracted to the spin-off titles. Each one provides a different experience to core games and helps keep the brand fresh and exciting. 'Pokémon Snap' (1999), for example, involved taking pictures of wild Pokémon and actually made photography interesting. 'Pokémon Stadium' introduced 3D battling; 'Colosseum' (2003) and 'Gale of Darkness' (2005) had the first 3D Pokémon adventures; and as for 'Pokémon Go'...well, need I say more? And then you had 'Pokémon Ranger' (2006). Never in my mind had there been a spin-off title quite like this. With its memorable characters,engaging story, and unique yet addictive capturing mechanic, it brought a new meaning to the phrase "gotta catch 'em all". Plus, its overall message of working in harmony with Pokémon to protect people and the environment was a welcomed change from the series' usual violence.So, naturally, when the sequel came out a year later, I was very eager to buy it. How did it perform? Well, it wasn't as good as the first game. It was much, MUCH better! Not only did it fix many of the problems with the original, but it took everything that had worked and expanded upon it. The result was one of the best Pokémon games in recent memory. Why do I consider this my favourite in the trilogy? Let's start with the story.Set some time after the events of the first game, you play as a young up-and-coming Pokémon Ranger in the Almia region. After going through Ranger School and being assigned to a base, it's not long before you uncover an evil conspiracy. A group of criminals known as Team Dim Sun are using machines called Gigaremos to hypnotically control wild Pokémon. Worse still, these machines make it impossible for Rangers to befriend said Pokémon with their Stylers. The only way to save them is by destroying the Gigaremos. As time goes by, and your Ranger Rank improves, Team Dim Sun advances their technology; soon their machines are lighter, portable and much more deadly. It's also revealed they're part of a larger operation than anyone realised. Now you have to purify the Gigaremos' source before every Pokémon in Almia is robbed of its free will.One thing the developers put a lot more emphasis on was the journey and growth of your character. It's not like the first game where you immediately become a Ranger after capturing a single Pokémon - that part's only an entrance exam. Here you go through all the stages of training and development and are gradually rewarded as you rank up. First, you start off as a student in Ranger School, learning the basics and going through many valuable experiences; making friends, meeting an Area Ranger and spending a day at their base. Then, once you've graduated, you're assigned to that base, where you help protect people and Pokémon in the local area. Eventually, you're promoted to Top Ranger, go to work for the Union, and so on. The ranking system from the first game is still present (1-10), but it's almost irrelevant; seeing the progress your character makes from a student-in-training to Top Ranger gives you a much better sense of achievement. Reflecting this are some of the other in-game events, like receiving more advanced Stylers or becoming a teacher at the school for a day. Essentially, the further you advance the more this story feels like a hero's journey.Another major improvement was the less formulaic gameplay. In the first game, you mostly followed the same pattern of events: you were assigned a mission, sent to an area with different Pokémon, completed it by capturing a powerful enemy, returned to the base, got a promotion, and then went off on your next one. Each mission was made to feel as varied as possible, but the layouts could get repetitive at times - devaluing any real sense of accomplishment. For 'Shadows of Almia', a more realistic edge was added to the game's narrative. For one thing, not everything centres around completing missions. Sometimes there are side quests to complete or areas you just need to investigate. And not all of them conclude with you capturing a powerful Pokémon. Also, you don't rank up after every single mission - just some significant ones. This not only feels more believable, but it gives you a sense that you really have to earn your rank instead of it just being handed to you. The game also gives you more freedom than its predecessor. In the original, there were many hidden areas to be found, but you rarely, if ever, had the chance to explore them. Even if you could, most were inaccessible due to restrictions like not being able to take Pokémon out of their natural habitats. 'Shadows of Almia' removed this restriction, allowing you to take them anywhere. Plus, most of the time, you were actually encouraged to patrol the region freely between missions. All in all, the story perfectly compliments your character's growth and puts you in control of your own accomplishments.However, every great story needs great characters. And fortunately for us, Almia has a large abundance of them. While the characters from the first game were memorable at best, most didn't have much depth to them beyond their roles in the game. For the sequel, however, they seemed determined to give every one of them a backstory. Whether it was a regularly recurring ally or a citizen you meet only once, everybody has a distinct personality and a story to tell.Interestingly enough, some of the more significant characters are the ones you first meet in Ranger School. While training there, you make close friends with two students named Keith and Rhythmi; who dream of becoming a Top Ranger and Operator, respectively. One day, you make a pledge saying that you'll all achieve your dreams and work together someday. And what happens? When you become a Top Ranger, Keith gets promoted alongside you and Rhythmi becomes one of the Union's top Operators. It's a satisfying moment because it ties in with the game's recurring theme of accomplishment; you haven't just succeeded as a Ranger, you've also fulfilled a promise you made to your friends. Other characters from the school reappear too, like Ponte, Issac and Mr Kincaid. Additionally, Professor Hastings, Murph, and the Go-Rock Quads return from the first game to give players a sense of nostalgia - along with several references to the Fiore region itself. Overall, 'Shadows of Almia' succeeds in creating a fleshed-out world, inhabited by only three-dimensional characters.Now let's discuss some of 'Pokémon Ranger's definitive features. The first being its missions. Like the original game, the missions in Almia have various challenges; capturing Pokémon, clearing targets, defeating grunts, etc. However, some have additional tasks which add to their intensity. One, for example, requires you to be stealthy and reach a certain area without being detected. Another gives you just four minutes to capture a strong Pokémon and stop a cargo ship from taking on water. If you don't do it; the ship will sink, and everyone will drown. In others words, this is the first Pokémon game where your avatar can potentially die! Last, but certainly not least, is some of the decisions you make. Throughout the game, you're presented with several Yes/No options which can impact the story depending on what you choose. The biggest of these comes towards the end when you're forced to choose between rescuing a fellow Ranger or keeping an item that will save all of Almia. But like I said, it's not all about missions. A new feature they introduced was Quests. These are smaller tasks which can be completed for citizens in your own time. They range from clearing targets to capturing Pokemon, to reading a recipe on a fridge - seriously I'm not making that last one up - but they all have valuable rewards at the end. The most common being an upgrade to your Styler. To put it simply, the missions are as vast and exciting as Almia itself. And the Quests are the perfect extensions of them.Another aspect greatly expanded upon was the Pokémon. And I don't mean they just added in the new ones from Sinnoh. Here, you can do a lot more with them than you ever could in Fiore. For instance, in the first game, you could ride a Doduo, surf on a Lapras or be carried by a Dragonite, but only in the Capture Arenas or Ranger Bases. Now you can do these at any time once you've achieved the necessary rank. Other new features include Pokémon surfing on lava, Pokémon that can teleport and Pokémon that are exclusive to underwater. The biggest improvement, though, was the Partner Pokémon. Remember how in the first game you could only ever get Plusle or Minun as your partner? Their Discharge ability was unique and upgradable, but it could be a disadvantage if you were up against lightning-resistant Pokémon. Here, however, you're given a choice as to which partner you want; similar to the core games, but with a different variety of types. You can choose between a normal type (Munchlax), a flying type (Starly) or an electric type (Pacharisu). The best part is, it almost doesn't matter which one you choose. As you proceed through the game, you're given the opportunity to obtain more Partner Pokémon - either through completing Quests or triggering in-game events. This is a huge benefit to have since you can trade out your current partner for one that will give you a better advantage in specific areas. The only downside is while it is possible to obtain one partner for every available type (including dragon), many don't become available until after you've completed the main story - by which point there's very little chance to make use of them.And then you have 'Pokémon Ranger's biggest selling point: capturing. I've explained before how this simple, yet addictive, gaming mechanic makes obtaining Pokémon both thrilling and satisfactory. However, while drawing hundreds of loops was enjoyable in the first game, the technique was far from flawless. The biggest issue was that you couldn't lift your stylus mid-capture - not even to avoid Pokémon attacks. If you did, the attempt would fail, and, you'd literally have to start all over again. This wasn't so bad for weaker Pokémon, like Pichu. But considering some needed as many as 30 consecutive loops (as indicated by the blue numbers above them), it could be incredibly frustrating if you made even the tiniest slip-up. Fortunately, the sequel fixed this immensely. For 'Shadows of Almia', instead of the blue numbers, each Pokémon was given their own health bar, which would gradually fill up as the player drew loops. This 'friendship energy' was retained even if the stylus was removed, but to keep it a challenge, the player had to resume drawing loops, or else it would deplete again. The result ended up being much better, and they later included this mechanic in 'Guardian Signs'. Several other changes were made as well: Pokémon were caught automatically, rather than the player needing to lift their stylus; many of the Assist Moves were changed to give returning players a fresh challenge, and additional Exp Points could be earned through bonuses like taking No Damage or Rapid Captures - not just drawing extra loops. One of the most useful additions, however, was the Power Charge. After obtaining a Fine Styler, this function allows you to power up your capture line and makes capturing Pokémon two/four times easier. Personally, I think it's a very handy too - although it does make Assist Moves somewhat redundant.The last aspect worth mentioning is some of the post-game content. First, there's the Capture Challenge. Initially, the original game had three; the Marine Challenge, the Grassland Challenge and the Capture Arena. 'Shadows of Almia' only retains the latter, but it serves much of the same purpose. The player can hone their capture skills here, and there's actually an end goal rather than just trying to beat your best score. There's also the challenge of completing your browser. This is just as achievable as it was in the first game, and there's even a worthier final boss: Regigigas. Seriously, this guy does damage to you with literally every step he takes. Make sure you go prepared. Finally, there's the Ranger Net. Which, I'm sorry to say, is the only feature made worse between games. Why? Because unlike the original, where you had three readily-available missions, and a fourth that could be unlocked, 'Shadows of Almia' has none. Why? Because they were distributed through Nintendo Wi-Fi events. And since those events have long since passed - with the Wi-Fi server even being switched off now - there's no possible way to obtain the necessary data. The most we have today are playthroughs on YouTube.In conclusion, 'Shadows of Almia' surpasses its predecessor in almost every possible sense. There are a few nit-picks here are there, but the improvements made vastly overshadow them. With a story that's fit for a hero, characters that feel real, and every other element either fixed or expanded, it's one of the most engaging and addictive titles in the trilogy - and possibly the whole Pokémon franchise. If you're a fan of the first game, then you'll definitely enjoy this one too. However, if you want something that's more like the core games - with actual Pokémon battles and everything - then it's best to stick to titles like 'Pokémon Go' or 'Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee'. If you still want to get into the Ranger franchise though, I'd recommend playing the original game first - just so you can appreciate the sequel even more.That's all I have to say for 'Shadows of Almia'. I'll be reviewing 'Guardian Signs' sometime in the future, so be sure to look out for it. Until then, stay tuned.

21.5.2009

Well, exactly as the title suggests, it's pretty similar to the last Ranger game but it has a few more perks. The quests available are really good side tracks when you don't want to do mission after mission (and are a great way to buil up your styler's power as each quest clear boosts your defences), you end up with a farm of partner pokemon you can swap about with which is handy when going to different locations, the story line is more proggressive than previous and you can use more than one loop-chain to catch pokemon which is REALLY handy considering I spent a good 15 mins trying to catch the previous game's steelix :S.The game play is a tad slow to start but it's a great way to get back into the hang of things or learn the tricks of the trade if you havn't played the last one.

29.12.2008

I just finished this game about a minute ago. And my goodness was it fantastic! Gameplay is greatly improved. The main aspect that was improved is the capture method. Although pretty much the same as the old game, to capture a pokemon you don't have to continuely loop it, you can take a break from looping. The 'friendship feelings' will stay with the pokemon for a while, allowing you a short break while the pokemon attacks. This meant that really, poke assists were a bit useless, but that was fine by me.The addition of being able to swim under water, ride on floatzel, mantine, empoleon, torkoal etc was also pretty cool. I mean, there is nothing more awesome the surfing on lava!You can catch Staraptor and fly on them,

25.11.2008

My 7 yr old is a big fan of both Pokemon Pearl and Diamond games as well as the previous Ranger Games. I admit to enjoying them too!This is definitely an improvement on the previous Ranger games - bigger, better, wider range of Pokemon all means more play time and plenty to occupy any pokemon loving gamers.Some will say that this game is nothing new and just a rehash of previous Ranger games. While they have a point - it has the same game play style and same aims, there is plenty of reasons to purchase this game if you already own the previous ranger ones. The new arenas, wider range of pokemons not previously seen in the Ranger games (nice to see some of my personal favourites from Pearl make a reappearance),

21.1.2011

First off, let me just say I wasn't expecting much. I had enjoyed the first Pokemon Ranger; but from what I had read I didn't think this to be much good. The delivery was fast, arriving two days after order.When first starting the game it's quite slow-going, but I perservered, and let me just say I'm glad I did!The storyline was something new, and the overall gameplay had some new ideas. I liked the fact that you could have more than one partner pokemon, and that if the capture line breaks, the friendship conveyed doesn't go down straight away. I still haven't finished it, but it was very good, and I have great expectations for the ending. I recommend this to any Pokemon fan.

30.4.2013

The Ranger series of games is actually really different from the main RPG style of play than the regular series (and Mystery Dungeon). It has more of a puzzle solving feel to it. Pokemon are not caught with a ball, but by drawing rings around them ( although its not as simple as it sounds). You can only keep 3 Pokemon but each has a power to use to solve a particular problem I.e restore health, destroy obstacles etc. graphics are great and are consistent with the rest of the series. If you're expecting turn based action, don't buy but if you're a Pokemon fan and want to try something different, pease go ahead...

18.9.2011

So I bought this game a while ago. But it came in one day which surprised me because most things come late when I order them. Anyway the game is good. You play as a Pokemon ranger who is just an early teenager. A ranger captures pokemon by drawing circles round the pokemon to befriend them. So in the game you finish ranger school and become a pokemon ranger. You get to pick a starter pokemon which are Starly, Pachirisu and Munchlax. The whole game is good it is repetitive but it's one of those games that are never the same. Because every capture is really enjoyable.

2.8.2017

A great game, the first Pokémon game I ever played (when I was about 12) and thus one of my all-time favourites. It is also starring my favourite Pokémon of all time, Pachirisu who is able to be selected as your partner Pokémon! This game follows your character through ranger school and into the job of being a ranger; it's highly addictive and fun. If anyone is looking for a simple, fun game to get their children into Pokémon I highly recommend this one.

19.11.2013

7 year old lives all things Pokemon. I don't understand the game, haven't a clue! But he loves it and was good value. I have found that adventure games like this which have a lot of text/directions have actually advanced his reading, as he has been determined to work out what characters are saying/ doing....so something positive about gaming!

7.1.2013

bought same thing from seller on eBay as a Christmas gift for my son. imagine hisdisappointment when it turned out to be fake. so i purchased this one through Amazon :) do not really know much about the game? not a pokemon fan myself lol but son loved it....great price, speedy delivery

19.8.2014

A good game to play if you like Pokemon and not so easy to complete, typical type puzzle game to so just just catching pokemon and battling you have a lot more traveling and new ways to travel to enjoyed it so much i played it twice lol great game.

16.1.2010

Our 9 year old son really loves this game and has not played any other since receiving this on Christmas day.We however are not so keen as apparently you cannot quit this game as and when we want him to - it only lets you save at certain points.

25.6.2010

Bought this for my 6 year old son - but it was soon taken over by his 8 year old sister. They love it but say it's a bit slow to get started - lots of reading in the Ranger School section.

30.4.2014

I got it on time, it was so brand new, like nothing was touch, not even the points thing for Nintendo.So thank you very much XD. and sorry for reviewing so late. thanks again

27.1.2019

My favourite of the 3 Pokemon Ranger games, lost my original copy a couple years ago so purchased this one, game was in good condition and just as good as I remembered.

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