Missing Ranger

The addition of research tasks into Pokémon Go two months ago leads to an interesting aside: its achievement medal, gained by completing field research tasks, is titled Pokémon Ranger, which is more than likely also a nod to the game series of the same title. That said, I do have my own connections with the game series, and I must say I somewhat miss playing the games of the series.

There are three games in the series: the first game, which has the same title as the game series; the second game, which has the subtitle of "Shadows of Almia"; and the third, which has the subtitle of "Guardian Signs". Each of these contains different subsets of Pokémon from the first four generations, as well as being set in regions that are considered distant from those of the main series. This differentiation makes them unique in that regard, and this is helped by their deep stories and plots.

The games are all action-oriented, involving the use of the Capture Styler to virtually ensnare Pokémon and allow the Ranger to bond with the Pokémon temporarily. Once the Ranger is finished with whatever the Ranger needs to do with the Pokémon, the Pokémon is released. Of course, a Ranger does own a Pokémon of the Ranger's own and can do nifty things with it to assist capture. I like the mechanisms of the latter two games the most, as I think they're largely improved compared to the first game. There's something to be said about not battling with a Pokémon of one's own, but reciprocating a capture to do other things is fun too.

What I'm sad about is that there are only three games in the series and it wasn't expanded to cover Pokémon of later generations or those that haven't been included. And since the 3DS is practically about to be deprecated, it's a shame a dedicated version can't appear there. Yet the Switch does have a touch screen, so there might be a possibility of a revival there, however remote. My progress in the Ranger games are perhaps the most thorough of anything I've ever done for any Pokémon game, including the main series games, so that's something I'm proud to have done. If the series ever gets revived, I'm sure I would play through it thoroughly as well.

I'm fascinated by the Pokémon Ranger series of games, not the least by what they bring to the table. The play mechanics are innovative and the storylines are enthralling, and these simply demand the games to be completed thoroughly. It's no wonder that I quite miss them, prompted by the achievement medal in Pokémon Go. It's a longing I'd be glad to alleviate by replaying the games or expectantly waiting for its revival.

One year ago: 3DS Pokémon Badges