I didn't finish it but it's so boring both in gameplay and narrative, that I can't even bother forcing myself to keep going.

Basically you just draw circles around Pokémon in a little arena and if they touch the borders of your circle, they break free. You "capture" the Pokemon when you manage to draw a certain number of circles around it.

The writing is very bland and by-the-book for a kids' game, it's just there to be there and doesn't do anything to keep your attention.

The only thing I can really give Ranger is that the concept itself is interesting - Instead of Pokémon Trainers, in the Fiore region there are only Pokémon Rangers.
And instead of capturing Pokémon, you kind of herd them to help you put out fires, calm down frenzied Pokémon, clear a blocked path etc.
The game has an overarching theme of living with nature and protecting the environment, which I think is a charming and fresh take on Pokémon.
Other than that, I guess the spritework is fairly decent, but nothing amazing.

Unfortunately this fresh take is severely dampened by the overall game standing on dull gameplay loops, as well as the previously mentioned bland narrative.

Reviewed on Aug 09, 2023


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