Do you have what it takes to become a leading Pokémon Ranger and take on the Pokémon Nappers? In this, the third instalment of the Pokémon Ranger series, we have a bunch of new gameplay elements to get to know. Let’s get stuck in…

The Pokémon Ranger games have always been a joy to play. Taking the essence of the main Pokémon role-playing games, but putting the characters into a different environment where you capture Pokémon using the ingenious Nintendo DS touch screen and stylus, the Pokémon Ranger series has been revolutionary. In this third game of the series, Pokémon Ranger Guardian Signs, all the elements that have made Ranger so much fun are intact, but the game’s creators – HAL Laboratory, Creatures Inc and Nintendo – have added in some new bits and pieces to make it even more fun to play!

If you have played a Pokémon Ranger game before, you will no doubt have already mastered the art of using the Capture Styler – you have to draw circles around the Pokémon you are after to capture them. The stronger they are, the more circles are needed to bring them in, and of course they can always smash through your line and spoil your hard work! This game adds a new dimension to the Capture Styler – drawing Ranger Signs! If you need a certain Pokémon to help you out of a tricky situation, you draw their sign on the ground. A Poké beast will come bounding to your rescue – all you’ve got to do is remember what each Ranger Sign looks like, or you might end up with the wrong monster!

As you progress through the new adventure you will come across characters from the previous Ranger games. Professor Hastings, the Ranger Union’s Chief of Technology, and Murph from the Ringtown Ranger base are just two that we have bumped into.  Murph has much more to do this time around too… he’s commanding a ship and has a message from Hastings.

Some of the obstacles you come across on your missions will now require more than one Pokémon Field Move to sort out. You call up the monsters with the new Ranger Sign system, then you get to watch them appear in front of you and work together to fix the problem. This isn’t the only collaborative element in Guardian Signs, though: you can play special missions with up to four players, working together for the greater good! If you don’t have enough mates then you can still enjoy these missions, with computer players making up the numbers!

As ever, the new Ranger game is all about completing missions to earn Ranger Points. With a few of these in your pocket, you can spend them to level up your partner Pokémon. They can be enhanced in the areas of Assist Level, Healing and Power. Doing this increases their defence and strength so they are better able to cope with attacks, and their Poké Assist can last longer. The maximum level of each rating is five – and partners from the past can be brought into the future with Ranger Signs!

To gain lots of extra experience points once you have bagged the bosses, you can play a rematch against each of them on Boss Island. There’s a girl scientist called Panema who will heal your Pokémon after each battle. If you encounter a character with a speech bubble above their head as you wander around, they will have a quest for your Pokémon Ranger skills! These can be anything from a simple delivery job to capturing a Pokémon for them or helping out some other monster. There are 52 quests in total with names like Herbie’s Grass Research, Electric Energy for Panema, and The Mysterious Rock of Milonda Island. Wow, we just can’t wait to get started!

The Perfect Pichu Partner…

From the start of the game, the Pokémon you are partnered with is a special ukulele-playing Pichu! This Pokémon is of course incredibly cute, but he also has his uses in your missions. There are various ways Pichu can help out…

We first discover this musical Pichu at home with all his friends on Drop Island. You wash up on this island after crashing into the West Sea. You will have to return here later in the game to fix poor Pichu’s ukulele that has broken. Ah, they’re so cute!

With that ukulele in his paws, of course the Poké Assist from this Pokémon is musical! Little yellow notes of music float out from Pichu as he plays – if any of these hit another Pokémon, they will do a little bit of damage. But just as you think it’s all over, Pichu sends out a massive electrical shock wave!

The one thing Ukulele Pichu can’t do is travel back in time with you on special missions. He has to stay behind in the present. When you arrive, you will be given a new partner Pokémon for that mission. Your faithful Pichu will be waiting for you when you return to the present day triumphant!

Call Up a Boss Pokémon…

So, what are these Ranger Signs all about, eh? Well, you make these rune symbols on the touch screen with your stylus, and this summons that Pokémon to help you in your mission. You can even super-charge the Pokémon by holding down the stylus, similar to the way you can charge up the Capture Styler. Oh, and don’t worry… if you forget the sign you can guess it, but there’s a handy menu showing all the ones you have collected!

Raikou
You’ll find Raikou at the Wireless Base on Rainbow Island. With it captured, you can summon the Pokémon up and ride on its back to jump over large gaps in the terrain. Its roar is also very useful for scaring lots of Pokémon out of hiding so you can grab them!

Entei
Found in the Asahi Ruins on Milonda Island, Entei also has a loud roar that will send all the hiding Pokémon scattering. The big advantage of having this Legendary Pokémon on your side though is that it can crash through rocks blocking the way.

Suicune
On Sobiana Island, head to the Kanal Ruins and you will find Suicune. With this Pokémon added to your roster, you can jump onto its back and then leap into the water to get to previously inaccessible places. It also does a great roar!

Latios/Latias
Found by activating beacons around Oblivia, you will get either Latios or Latias depending on whether you chose to play as the boy or girl Ranger. With one of these captured, you can summon them and take a flight through the skies of Oblivia!

Ho-Oh
Picked up at the West Pillar in the West Sea, this phoenix Pokémon is needed for a specific storyline later in the game when the Air Fortress is crashing into the sea. Make sure you don’t start that one without this Ranger Sign in your pocket!

We go Up, up, up… We go Down, down, down…

In this new Pokémon Ranger, you won’t only be traipsing around on foot, oh no! You will also get to fly on the back of a Staraptor, capturing Pokémon as you glide along. Then you will get to dive down into the water to explore the depths!

Learning to fly…
You can choose to fly instantly to a new location or, if you prefer, make some fun out of it! While sitting on the back of a Staraptor, you get to control the action, chasing after the dastardly Pokémon Nappers and avoiding being hit by large green energy balls. Later on in the game you will get to fly with Latios and Latias!

Swimming lessons…
Ah, the beautiful Coral Sea, the Kanal Ruins and the Seafloor Cave – these are the locations you get to explore underwater in the new game. Of course you will only find Water-type Pokémon down here, and there’s a new gameplay element to enjoy too: underwater chases where you will have to rotate your DS around to play!

Wi-Fi Event: Investigate the Mysterious Eruption
You get a message that large volcanic eruptions in Oblivia have been upsetting the tourists; upon investigation you discover a Heatran! This big beast is spurting out lava and fireballs and must be stopped!

Wi-Fi Event: Deoxys and the Mysterious Temple
You will get to travel into the past and visit the Extra Temple in this mission, and you will need a friend with you to help out as there are multiple switches to trigger at once! You will need to capture five Ninetales.

Mission: Graveler’s Rock Trap
You will need to capture a raging Tyranitar to complete the Fire Temple missions. You only have to capture eight Pokémon here to reach Tyranitar, but this Rock/Dark boss Pokémon is a tough one to beat!

While Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs was released on 6 March over in Japan, we still don’t know exactly when we will be enjoying an official English version of the game, but our best guess is September.