Developer:

HAL Laboratories Inc

Publisher:

Nintendo

After Spenser (one of the Ranger Leaders) receives letters about how much the player wants to become a Ranger, he invites the player to Fall City to join. The life of a Pokémon Ranger consists primarily of protecting nature and helping people by using wild Pokémon they have captured. By using the wild Pokémon’s powers, Rangers can solve any number of problems. Just as the player starts to feel comfortable as a Ranger, the Go-Rock Squad shows up and steals the Professor’s new Capture Styler.

Characters: As either Lunick (boy) or Solana (girl), players set out to stop the Go-Rock Squad and recover Professor Hasting’s stolen Super Styler (the newly developed version of the Capture Styler). The main character is accompanied by a single partner Pokémon that will always be there, and various wild Pokémon that the player captures as needed.

How to progress through the game: As a Pokémon Ranger, players capture wild Pokémon by circling them with their stylus numerous times (the bigger Pokémon take more to capture). Players then borrow their power and abilities to clear obstacles and puzzles they encounter along the way. Once they use a captured Pokémon’s power, it will leave. Players will always have their partner Pokémon with them – it will never leave. There are various “Groups” of Pokémon the player can capture. Some of the Pokémon groups are Grass, Fire, Electric and many more. Each Pokémon group has a unique Poke Assist to help players. There are various “Group Match-up” advantages/disadvantages that make the capture of Pokémon strategic.

Special powers/weapons/moves/features: In the game, the player uses what is called a Capture Styler to capture wild Pokémon. Once they are captured, wild Pokémon will then follow the player around until their powers are used (either in a Poke Assist or a Field Move). A Poke Assist is when the player uses an already-captured Pokémon to help capture another Pokémon. A Field Move is when the player uses a captured Pokémon’s power to clear an obstacle in the way. As the player progresses, the Capture Styler becomes more powerful, giving them more Energy (Hit Points) and allowing them to keep more captured wild Pokémon with them at a time.

Features:

• Players play as a Pokémon Ranger who works to help people, Pokémon and nature.
• The game introduces a new way to catch Pokémon using the stylus called “Capturing.”
• This game can be played using only the touch screen and stylus, allowing for a unique experience found only on the Nintendo DS. The player captures Pokémon by drawing circles around them with the stylus. By doing this, they are communicating with the Pokémon and sending it their feelings.
• Capturing a Pokémon allows players to use its ability and solve various problems they will face along the way (such as clearing obstacles blocking the path). They also can use their ability to help capture other Pokémon.