Play Pokemon Ranger (v01) (J) Online

Pokemon Ranger released on the Nintendo DS in 2006, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. It arrived during a period where the DS's touchscreen was still a novel feature, and this game leaned into that hardware more than most, offering a different kind of Pokemon experience that felt distinct from the mainline RPGs.

You control a rookie Ranger whose main job is to befriend wild Pokemon by capturing them with the Capture Styler, which means drawing loops around them on the touchscreen. The core loop involves exploring different regions, completing missions for the Ranger Union, and using the abilities of your captured Pokemon to clear environmental obstacles like fallen logs or patches of thorns. The pacing is mission-based, and the difficulty spikes noticeably with certain fast or aggressive Pokemon that break your loops easily. It feels like a race against a creature's will, a test of your dexterity and patience with the stylus.