Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia

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Pokémon Ranger Batonnage redirects here. For the manga series, see Pokémon Ranger Batonnage - the Comic.
Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
ポケモンレンジャー バトナージ
File:PokemonRanger2 Package.jpg
Boxart of Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
Basic info
Platform: Nintendo DS
Category: Action RPG
Players: 1
Connectivity: DS Wireless, Wi-Fi
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Creatures, Inc.
Publisher: Nintendo
Part of: Generation IV side series
Ratings
CERO: A
ESRB: E
ACB: N/A
OFLC: G
PEGI: 3+
GRAC: N/A
GSRR: N/A
Release dates
Japan: March 20, 2008[1]
North America: November 10, 2008[2]
Australia: November 13, 2008[3]
Europe: November 21, 2008[4]
South Korea: N/A
Hong Kong: N/A
Taiwan: N/A
Websites
Japanese: Official site
English: Official site
Japanese boxart
File:Pokemon ranger batonnage.jpg
Pokémon Ranger Vatonage boxart
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Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia (Japanese: ポケモンレンジャー バトナージ Pokémon Ranger Vatonage) is an action-adventure game for the Nintendo DS and the sequel to Pokémon Ranger. It was released in Japan on March 20, 2008, and it was released in America on November 10, 2008.

The game is set in a new region called Almia where the base of operations is a Ranger School that the main characters have just graduated from. The selection of partner Pokémon has risen from solely Plusle and Minun to a choice between 17 different species. Additionally, there are several side quests and a card collection system used to power up the Capture Styler.

Special missions can be downloaded from the Nintendo Wi-Fi service by using the Ranger Net.

Basic information

  • It takes place in the region of Almia. In the story, the player character starts out as a student in a Pokémon Ranger School. After a few tasks, he or she then graduates.
  • The player can choose to play as a male or a female protagonist. Players can choose the name of their protagonist, the defaults of which are Kellyn (male) and Kate (female).
  • The game features Generation IV Pokémon.
  • The player will have a selectable Pokémon partner. After doing certain quests, the player can choose if he or she wants the Pokémon to come with them. Selectable partners include Munchlax, Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, Kricketot, Mime Jr., Cranidos, Shieldon, Croagunk, Machop, Pachirisu, Starly, Hippopotas, Snover, Misdreavus, Sneasel, and Gible. They can be changed by talking to them in the player's family farm south of the player's house. It should be noted that each Pokémon is of one of the 17 types of Pokémon, and that each Pokémon has a different length of a Partner Energy bar. The partner's energy may also be filled faster when it is in a happy mood, signaled by black or multicolored music notes rising above it.
  • The villainous team is named Team Dim Sun (Japanese: ヤミヤミ団 Team Yamiyami).
  • Team Dim Sun uses computers called Miniremo Units to hypnotize Pokémon and put them under their control.
  • The game has sixty optional, non-story-progressing missions called Quests where the player helps citizens of Almia.
  • A player may only take on one quest at a time.
  • When a player completes each quest, they get a power boost to their Capture styler.
  • Quests are divided into two types - Pokémon befriending and Quests that players receive a power boost for their Capture styler.
  • After capturing the first 266 Pokémon in the Browser, the player can go up against Regigigas. The player must currently have in their party Regirock, Regice and Registeel. Regigigas is found in a quicksand pit, hidden in the Hippowdon Temple.
  • A system of collectible cards can power up the Capture Styler.
  • The player is able to ride on Pokémon in some environments, including lava, rivers and icy waters.
  • There are four Pokémon that a player can ride on to progress to other locations - Empoleon, Floatzel, Doduo, and Staraptor.
  • There were three Pokémon unlocked in this game by Special Missions in Ranger Net, in the vein of the Manaphy Egg mission in the prequel. These missions are no longer available. The Pokémon available were a Manaphy egg, a Riolu with Aura Sphere and Darkrai with Dark Void.
  • In addition to the aforementioned special missions, there is another group of missions called extra missions. The rare Pokémon encountered during these missions are Dialga, Palkia and Shaymin (Land Forme). Unlike in the special missions, the Pokémon captured in extra missions are not allowed to be transferred to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and Platinum.
  • The game can utilize the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for unlocking both special and extra missions, but only for a limited period of time. They won't work for different regions, only the specific game version when the event is held.
  • Special Missions can be repeated but sending the Pokémon can only be done once. This is an improvement over the original, as replaying the Manaphy mission only played a cutscene in which Lunick, Solana, and the Professor's assistant discuss Manaphy.
  • A Capture Arena is available after the game for players to hone their skills.

Plot

The game begins with the player learning how to use a capture stylus by first capturing a Pikachu. After having caught the Pokémon you are told that you passed with flying colors and led to the classroom of your new school. You are then introduced to Kevin and Rhythmi. While Kevin brags he is slightly better than the player Ms. April asks Rhythmi to show the new ranger student around the school. After exploring all the possible rooms in the building you get to go outside and go over to the Training Grounds building where Rhythmi asks Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Claire to show the player the basics of capturing a Pokémon and how to clear a target by getting help from the Pokémon with the correctly required ability.

Right as you finish your lessons you find that Janice needs help getting the Bidoof rounded up and calmed down again. Keith comes out acting arrogant and still behaving as if he is better and does not state the player's name, simply asking what it was again. Keith turns it into a competition and to see who can get the most captured. After only getting four of them, the roundup is done and Keith will get one more than the player saying their name. Rhythmi criticizes him for having known it but not saying it. Janice apologizes to the leader of the Bidoof for stepping on their tail and promises to give them better food than usual for the day.

After that the player goes to their respective dorm room depending on the gender of their character. They soon leave the room with Kevin/Rhythmi and meet the one they didn't walk out with saying that the one that the player walked out with kept them waiting. They give the player an initiation test to be accepted. The person the player sat beside has to go with them to gather the stylers that were hidden around in the rooms. After gathering all four of them, the player and Keith are asked to go leave them downstairs in front of the lab door down there.

Keith keeps getting more and more scared saying he heard something. Right before the player can leave the stylers at the door however, a group of Gastly attack the player and Keith with the player having to capture all four of them by their self. Right as the battle is over, Kincaid comes out yelling at them and asking what they are doing down there. The next day Mr. Kincaid interrupts class saying the stylers from the Staff Room are all gone and accuses Keith of taking them.

After looking around a little investigating, the player and Rhythmi go outside and down the stairs and find the real culprit is someone who went into the school the night before wanting to be a Ranger and having a styler but instead had wound up grabbing them all out of greed. Ms. April invites him to go to school so he can be one but seeing he has a greedy nature simply asks the man to go home and think of what he wishes to do with his life before doing anything else.

The next day you have a 1-day internship and accept your first mission. After going to the next town over and delivering the very important parcel to the rangers, it turns out to simply be lunch and they admit it was simply a prank they do every year. Suddenly the guy from the beach comes and says Pokémon won't let his girlfriend go. After going and seeing the Pokémon, it appears they are going around her in a circle and not leaving her alone.

At this point the player accepts their first mission and gets to capture either Starly, Pachirisu, or Munchlax. Depending on which one is caught they will follow the player almost all the way back to school where they then slowly leave sad to not be able to go with them. The next time it will be graduating day but during the graduating ceremony. A sound is heard from the basement and two rather unusual acting Tangrowth will come out and attack. The player and Keith capture them. The ceremony then continues.

Going over to Vientown the player gets their first mission from Barlow which is to check out the Marine Cave. Upon exploring it, Crawford notes the Pokémon are acting strange and that there is a strange sound being heard. Going further in, a strange device is seen. Soaking it destroys it. Big Bertha comes along and helps haul it back to the ranger base. The next day, the player helps put out a forest fire with the help of Blastoise. Searching around a sketchy guy is found. He is brought back to the base and tied up. He refuses to speak. The next day, the player goes to Pueltown to see what the "mailboxes" actually are.

Seeing the same thing happen here that happened in the Marine Cave. Luana notes it is the same strange machines. After destroying them all. The player and Luana head to the dock and discover the machines are called Gigaremo and that Team Dim Sun was placing them around as "experiments". They flee saying they had gathered all the info they needed along with the last Gigaremo.

Reception

Shadows of Almia received mixed reviews in the press. It was described as being "more accessible and enjoyable than its predecessor" by Official Nintendo Maganzine UK[5] and as "a no-nonsense fun game" by N-Europe Magazine.[6] However, it was criticized for its similarities to the original Pokémon Ranger, with IGN commenting that "for the Pokémon fans that already got their fix two years ago, this isn't necessary"[7] and GamePro stating that "there's nothing compelling or new enough."[8] The game received an average score of 67% on Metacritic, 2% lower than the first Pokémon Ranger.

Trivia

  • Fiore is mentioned many times in the game, as are characters from the previous games.
    • The main character's family moved from the Fiore region.
    • Keith and Rhythmi were originally stationed in Fiore after graduation.
    • Marcus, an Operator in the Ranger Union, says he's in charge of Rangers in Fiore.
    • Professor Hastings returns, as does Murph, though he isn't a Ranger anymore.
    • There are references to Spenser and Elita on the Pledge Stone; they both wrote their goals on it.
    • The Go-Rock Quads return as a famous band; they also mention that their name isn't "Go-Rock Squad".
  • The Ranger Browser no longer gives flavor text. It now only gives the Pokémon's attack data.
  • When describing the quest "Murph's Ranger Contest", Murph uses the word "Eeveelution", which had never previously been used in the games, despite longtime usage as fan terminology.
  • When looking through Brighton's Diary, Murph says Brighton... Brighton... Isn't that some kind of candy?. This is likely a reference to the popular English candy called Rock, which is mainly found in the city of Brighton along the South Coast of the United Kingdom, and is sometimes referred to as Brighton Rock or Brighton Rock-Candy.
  • Failing to stop the sinking of the Cargo Ship is the first occasion the player character in a Pokémon game can die.

In other languages

Language Title
The Netherlands Flag.png Dutch Pokémon Ranger: Schaduw van Almia
France Flag.png French Pokémon Ranger: Nuit sur Almia
Germany Flag.png German Pokémon Ranger: Finsternis über Almia
Italy Flag.png Italian Pokémon Ranger: Ombre su Almia
Spain Flag.png Spanish Pokémon Ranger: Sombras de Almia

External links

References



Side series Pokémon games
Stadium series: Stadium (Japanese)StadiumStadium 2
Storage software: Box RSMy Pokémon RanchBank (Poké Transporter) • HOME
Orre games: ColosseumXD: Gale of Darkness
Other games: Battle RevolutionPokéwalkerDream WorldDream Radar
Pokémon game templates


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