Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia
Encyclopedia
is an action/role-playing video game developed by Creatures Inc.
for the Nintendo DS
video game console
. It is the sequel to the Pokémon Ranger
video game, also for the DS.
It was announced in the January 2008 issue of CoroCoro and was released in Japan on March 20, 2008. It was announced at E3 2008 that the game would be released in the United States under the title Shadows of Almia on November 10, 2008. It was announced on September 25 that the game would be released in Europe under the title Shadows of Almia on November 21, 2008.
The game features 270 Pokémon, including new Pokémon which were not featured in the original Pokémon Ranger
, from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
. The game utilizes the Nintendo WiFi Connection to download new missions.
, this choice does not affect their partner Pokémon.
Much of gameplay is similar to the original game. Players must capture/befriend wild Pokémon to aid them by circling them with their Nintendo DS
stylus (known as a Capture Styler in the game).
There is a major change from the original capture method. Instead of having to complete certain number of loops without lifting the stylus, the player must fill up a Pokémon’s Friendship Gauge by drawing loops around the Pokémon, but can lift the stylus to avoid attacks. However, the power in Friendship Gauge will decrease over time if the player stops drawing loops for too long. The amount of power in the gauge filled by each loop increases as the player levels up the styler.
Shadows of Almia also introduces Quests, which are mini-missions not essential to the plot that involve the player completing requests from Almia citizens, earning new partner Pokémon and power-ups (such as resistance to attacks or longer capture lines) for their styler as rewards.
Unlike the original, Shadows of Almia allows the player to choose their partner Pokémon. In the previous game, the partner was decided based on the players chosen gender (Minun for male, Plusle for female). Players start with either Pachirisu, Munchlax, or Starly, and the other 14 partners (as well as the two partners that were not chosen at the beginning) are obtainable either through sub-quests or in-game events, and once captured, can be switched to be the player's partner at any time. There are 17 possible partners, one for each Pokémon type.
Shadows of Almia also includes 4 different types of stylers: the School, Capture, Fine and Vatonage stylers. The School styler is a simplified version of the capture styler, while the Fine Styler has a charge feature (which can be upgraded) which activates when the styler is held down, increasing the amount of feelings conveyed to the Pokémon and enabling quicker captures. The Vatonage styler is a unique Fine Styler that can capture Team Dim Sun's Pokémon instead of merely releasing them.
encountered in other games. The Fiore region is an exception, however. It is mentioned frequently in Almia. Almia has a widely varied landscape, everything from the hot Haruba Desert to the chilly Hia Valley.
Missions advance the story, which is centred around the antagonists Team Dim Sun (Team Yami Yami in the Japanese version) and their unknown intentions involving Pokémon mind-control machines called Gigaremos powered by dark crystals. Quests usually consist of the player travelling around the Almia region, performing varying tasks requested by citizens in exchange for rewards.
The game starts at the Ranger School, with the player enrolling as a student after expertly capturing a Pikachu. The player quickly makes friends with two of classmates, Rhythmi who dreams of being an Operator, and Keith, a rival, who dreams of becoming a Top Ranger. After the player and Keith nearly discover what Mr. Kincaid, a teacher, is doing in the basement, Mr. Kincaid seals it off from all students. Both the player and Keith show strong potential as Rangers, and graduate with full honors after defeating two Tangrowth at their graduation ceremony. The player stays in Almia, while Keith and Rhythmi go to Fiore as part of their training. The player's family moves into a nearby town known as Chicole Village, and the player goes to live with them.
The next day, the player becomes an Area Ranger in the local village of Vientown. After recovering a Partner Pokémon at the beach, the player begins his/her first major mission by patrolling a nearby cave. The Pokémon inside the cave are unusually aggressive and resistant to capture by the ranger's styler. At the back of the cave, the player finds a strange machine (later called a Gigaremo) that appears to be controlling the Pokémon. The rangers promptly destroy the device, freeing the Pokémon, and begin researching its abilities. Subsequently, the rangers discover that the Gigaremos are being set up by Team Dim Sun, suggesting wider criminal activities. The player travels to the Ranger Union, the headquarters of all ranger operations in Almia, to warn the rangers about the Gigaremo. On the way, the player sees Altru Inc., a powerful oil company that is building a massive tower in the center of the Almia region.
Soon afterward, the player is informed of a fire in the Vien Forest, north of Vientown. After going into the forest, the player will have to capture a Blastoise and use its Rain Dance ability to douse the fire. Afterwards, the player is congratulated on how well the player has done, and can progress onto the city on the other end of the Vien Forest-Pueltown.
A few days later, the player is sent on a mission to retrieve his missing team leader, Barlow. Barlow was last seen in Boyleland investigating a volcanic cave. The player will have to go to Pueltown and take a boat to Boyleland. Deep inside the cave, the player finds members of Team Dim Sun deploying new Miniremo devices to control all of the Pokémon on the island. The player dodges the guards and learns that Barlow has been captured and is being placed on a ship along with the Pokémon. The player sneaks on board, locates Barlow, and the two launch an assault on the ship's bridge. Although Barlow's styler is destroyed in the ensuing attack, the player forces Team Dim Sun, including its leader, Mr. Kincaid, to abandon the ship, saving all of Boyleland's Pokémon. The ship crashes into the yard of the Ranger School, never to sail again.
Recognizing the threat posed by Team Dim Sun, the Ranger Union promptly promotes the player to the rank of Top Ranger. At the Union, the player discovers that Keith has also been promoted to Top Ranger, and that Rhythmi has achieved her dream of becoming a Top Operator, where she serves as the player's guide. During the player's first mission as a Top Ranger, he helps another Top Ranger, named Sven, to investigate a Dim Sun mining operation in the Chroma Ruins, east of the Ranger Union. They discover that Dim Sun is searching for dark crystals for powering the Gigaremo devices. After defeating a Spiritomb, they also discover a massive hole, apparently left from removing the legendary "Shadow Crystal" whose current location is unknown. While studying the dark crystal retrieved from a captured Gigaremo, several Union workers accidentally discover that the crystals can be neutralized by a set of red, blue, and yellow shards. The player and Keith go on to separately collect the sources of these shards; the blue gem from Almia Castle, the red gem from Boyle Volcano, and the yellow gem from Hippowdon Temple. Although the player takes both the blue and red gems, Keith is captured by Dim Sun, which uses him to blackmail the player into surrendering the yellow gem. Meanwhile, Sven raids Dim Sun's undersea base, stealing plans for an "Incredible Machine". The plans reveal that Altru Inc.'s tower is actually a massive Gigaremo powered by the Shadow Crystal and that Altru has been behind Dim Sun's activities. Realizing that the tower will become operational within hours (i.e. during the tower's "opening ceremony"), the Ranger Union orders all of its rangers to attack the tower. Equipped with a specialized styler designed to overcome the Gigaremo's influence, the player succeeds in deactivating the tower's force fields and rescues the yellow gem, allowing the other rangers to launch an airborne assault on the Shadow Crystal at the tower's top. However, the tower reaches operational capacity before the rangers can reach the Shadow Crystal. Altru Inc.'s president, Blake Hall, takes the chance to destroy the ranger's only hope of disabling the tower (the three colored gems) by charging the crystal to its maximum power level and summoning his strongest Pokémon, Darkrai. Darkrai instead goes insane from the intense power overload, attacks Blake, and darkens the area, preventing the rangers from approaching the Shadow Crystal. By empowering his/her styler with the gems, the player stops Darkrai's rage, allowing the other rangers to disable the tower by converting the Shadow Crystal into a "Luminous Crystal" which undoes the mental torture inflicted on Almia's Pokémon. In the end, peace returns to Almia and its inhabitants, and the characters enjoy a concert originally planned for Altru Inc. (ironically played by the Go-Rock Quads from the original Pokémon Ranger) while the player returns home to his family. The game ends showing Darkrai circling the Luminous Crystal, signifying the return of peace.
. Gamespot
gave the title a 7.5 out of 10 rating. Stating that "Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia improves upon its predecessor just enough to make it a fun, solid addition to the spin-off series.". Eurogamer
gave Shadows of Almia a 6 out of 10 rating. Stating that "With a long wait until the next proper Pokémon game, many fans may feel that's enough, but they shouldn't expect anything more than a mild distraction." 1UP
gave the title a C+ rating. Stating that "While it's nowhere near as addictive as the regular color-coded Pokémon games, Almia's still a decent diversion -- I just wish the story offered something a little deeper. ". IGN
gave the title a rating of 6.7 out of 10. Stating that "Unless you're addicted to scribbling circles like that creepy boy from The Ring, or you're some sort of hippie that only likes playing humane non-battling Pokemon games, you could probably pass on this and be just fine.". As of July 9, 2008, the game has sold 576,467 copies in Japan, according to Famitsu
. It is also the 13th best-selling game of Japan in 2008. It was the sixth best-selling game of December 2008 in the United States.
Creatures Inc.
is a subsidiary of the Japanese game development company Nintendo. It was founded by Tsunekazu Ishihara in November 1995, as a successor to Shigesato Itoi's company Ape Inc. Its current president is Hirokazu Tanaka. The company has its headquarters on the second floor of the in Chiyoda, Tokyo, in...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
. It is the sequel to the Pokémon Ranger
Pokémon Ranger
is an action/role-playing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS video game console. The game was released at various dates, varying between continents. The game was first released in Japan on March 22, 2006 and was later released in North America and...
video game, also for the DS.
It was announced in the January 2008 issue of CoroCoro and was released in Japan on March 20, 2008. It was announced at E3 2008 that the game would be released in the United States under the title Shadows of Almia on November 10, 2008. It was announced on September 25 that the game would be released in Europe under the title Shadows of Almia on November 21, 2008.
The game features 270 Pokémon, including new Pokémon which were not featured in the original Pokémon Ranger
Pokémon Ranger
is an action/role-playing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS video game console. The game was released at various dates, varying between continents. The game was first released in Japan on March 22, 2006 and was later released in North America and...
, from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. With the enhanced remake Pokémon Platinum, the games comprise the fifth installment and fourth generation of the Pokémon series of RPGs...
. The game utilizes the Nintendo WiFi Connection to download new missions.
Gameplay
The game takes place in the Almia region. The player begins as a Pokémon ranger-in-training at the Ranger School and quickly graduates to a rookie Ranger and must advance from there. The player may choose their character’s gender, but unlike in the original Pokémon RangerPokémon Ranger
is an action/role-playing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS video game console. The game was released at various dates, varying between continents. The game was first released in Japan on March 22, 2006 and was later released in North America and...
, this choice does not affect their partner Pokémon.
Much of gameplay is similar to the original game. Players must capture/befriend wild Pokémon to aid them by circling them with their Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
stylus (known as a Capture Styler in the game).
There is a major change from the original capture method. Instead of having to complete certain number of loops without lifting the stylus, the player must fill up a Pokémon’s Friendship Gauge by drawing loops around the Pokémon, but can lift the stylus to avoid attacks. However, the power in Friendship Gauge will decrease over time if the player stops drawing loops for too long. The amount of power in the gauge filled by each loop increases as the player levels up the styler.
Shadows of Almia also introduces Quests, which are mini-missions not essential to the plot that involve the player completing requests from Almia citizens, earning new partner Pokémon and power-ups (such as resistance to attacks or longer capture lines) for their styler as rewards.
Unlike the original, Shadows of Almia allows the player to choose their partner Pokémon. In the previous game, the partner was decided based on the players chosen gender (Minun for male, Plusle for female). Players start with either Pachirisu, Munchlax, or Starly, and the other 14 partners (as well as the two partners that were not chosen at the beginning) are obtainable either through sub-quests or in-game events, and once captured, can be switched to be the player's partner at any time. There are 17 possible partners, one for each Pokémon type.
Shadows of Almia also includes 4 different types of stylers: the School, Capture, Fine and Vatonage stylers. The School styler is a simplified version of the capture styler, while the Fine Styler has a charge feature (which can be upgraded) which activates when the styler is held down, increasing the amount of feelings conveyed to the Pokémon and enabling quicker captures. The Vatonage styler is a unique Fine Styler that can capture Team Dim Sun's Pokémon instead of merely releasing them.
Setting
This game takes place in a new region - , far from all other regionsPokémon regions
There are several regions that have appeared in the various media of the Pokémon franchise. Each of the five generations of the main series releases focuses on a new region. Moreover, several regions have been introduced in spin-off games, and one in the Pokémon anime, though most of these are...
encountered in other games. The Fiore region is an exception, however. It is mentioned frequently in Almia. Almia has a widely varied landscape, everything from the hot Haruba Desert to the chilly Hia Valley.
Plot
The game follows the protagonist, a young Pokémon Ranger as he or she graduates from Ranger School and takes on the duties of a fully fledged Ranger. The male is called Kellyn (Hajime, in the Japanese version) and the female is called Kate (Hitomi in the Japanese version). Only Kellyn appears in the Pokémon anime.Missions advance the story, which is centred around the antagonists Team Dim Sun (Team Yami Yami in the Japanese version) and their unknown intentions involving Pokémon mind-control machines called Gigaremos powered by dark crystals. Quests usually consist of the player travelling around the Almia region, performing varying tasks requested by citizens in exchange for rewards.
The game starts at the Ranger School, with the player enrolling as a student after expertly capturing a Pikachu. The player quickly makes friends with two of classmates, Rhythmi who dreams of being an Operator, and Keith, a rival, who dreams of becoming a Top Ranger. After the player and Keith nearly discover what Mr. Kincaid, a teacher, is doing in the basement, Mr. Kincaid seals it off from all students. Both the player and Keith show strong potential as Rangers, and graduate with full honors after defeating two Tangrowth at their graduation ceremony. The player stays in Almia, while Keith and Rhythmi go to Fiore as part of their training. The player's family moves into a nearby town known as Chicole Village, and the player goes to live with them.
The next day, the player becomes an Area Ranger in the local village of Vientown. After recovering a Partner Pokémon at the beach, the player begins his/her first major mission by patrolling a nearby cave. The Pokémon inside the cave are unusually aggressive and resistant to capture by the ranger's styler. At the back of the cave, the player finds a strange machine (later called a Gigaremo) that appears to be controlling the Pokémon. The rangers promptly destroy the device, freeing the Pokémon, and begin researching its abilities. Subsequently, the rangers discover that the Gigaremos are being set up by Team Dim Sun, suggesting wider criminal activities. The player travels to the Ranger Union, the headquarters of all ranger operations in Almia, to warn the rangers about the Gigaremo. On the way, the player sees Altru Inc., a powerful oil company that is building a massive tower in the center of the Almia region.
Soon afterward, the player is informed of a fire in the Vien Forest, north of Vientown. After going into the forest, the player will have to capture a Blastoise and use its Rain Dance ability to douse the fire. Afterwards, the player is congratulated on how well the player has done, and can progress onto the city on the other end of the Vien Forest-Pueltown.
A few days later, the player is sent on a mission to retrieve his missing team leader, Barlow. Barlow was last seen in Boyleland investigating a volcanic cave. The player will have to go to Pueltown and take a boat to Boyleland. Deep inside the cave, the player finds members of Team Dim Sun deploying new Miniremo devices to control all of the Pokémon on the island. The player dodges the guards and learns that Barlow has been captured and is being placed on a ship along with the Pokémon. The player sneaks on board, locates Barlow, and the two launch an assault on the ship's bridge. Although Barlow's styler is destroyed in the ensuing attack, the player forces Team Dim Sun, including its leader, Mr. Kincaid, to abandon the ship, saving all of Boyleland's Pokémon. The ship crashes into the yard of the Ranger School, never to sail again.
Recognizing the threat posed by Team Dim Sun, the Ranger Union promptly promotes the player to the rank of Top Ranger. At the Union, the player discovers that Keith has also been promoted to Top Ranger, and that Rhythmi has achieved her dream of becoming a Top Operator, where she serves as the player's guide. During the player's first mission as a Top Ranger, he helps another Top Ranger, named Sven, to investigate a Dim Sun mining operation in the Chroma Ruins, east of the Ranger Union. They discover that Dim Sun is searching for dark crystals for powering the Gigaremo devices. After defeating a Spiritomb, they also discover a massive hole, apparently left from removing the legendary "Shadow Crystal" whose current location is unknown. While studying the dark crystal retrieved from a captured Gigaremo, several Union workers accidentally discover that the crystals can be neutralized by a set of red, blue, and yellow shards. The player and Keith go on to separately collect the sources of these shards; the blue gem from Almia Castle, the red gem from Boyle Volcano, and the yellow gem from Hippowdon Temple. Although the player takes both the blue and red gems, Keith is captured by Dim Sun, which uses him to blackmail the player into surrendering the yellow gem. Meanwhile, Sven raids Dim Sun's undersea base, stealing plans for an "Incredible Machine". The plans reveal that Altru Inc.'s tower is actually a massive Gigaremo powered by the Shadow Crystal and that Altru has been behind Dim Sun's activities. Realizing that the tower will become operational within hours (i.e. during the tower's "opening ceremony"), the Ranger Union orders all of its rangers to attack the tower. Equipped with a specialized styler designed to overcome the Gigaremo's influence, the player succeeds in deactivating the tower's force fields and rescues the yellow gem, allowing the other rangers to launch an airborne assault on the Shadow Crystal at the tower's top. However, the tower reaches operational capacity before the rangers can reach the Shadow Crystal. Altru Inc.'s president, Blake Hall, takes the chance to destroy the ranger's only hope of disabling the tower (the three colored gems) by charging the crystal to its maximum power level and summoning his strongest Pokémon, Darkrai. Darkrai instead goes insane from the intense power overload, attacks Blake, and darkens the area, preventing the rangers from approaching the Shadow Crystal. By empowering his/her styler with the gems, the player stops Darkrai's rage, allowing the other rangers to disable the tower by converting the Shadow Crystal into a "Luminous Crystal" which undoes the mental torture inflicted on Almia's Pokémon. In the end, peace returns to Almia and its inhabitants, and the characters enjoy a concert originally planned for Altru Inc. (ironically played by the Go-Rock Quads from the original Pokémon Ranger) while the player returns home to his family. The game ends showing Darkrai circling the Luminous Crystal, signifying the return of peace.
Partner Pokémon
| Pokémon | Poké Assist Group |
|---|---|
| Chimchar | Fire |
| Turtwig | Grass |
| Piplup | Water |
| Munchlax | Normal |
| Pachirisu | Electric |
| Shieldon | Steel |
| Sneasel | Dark |
| Snover | Ice |
| Starly | Flying |
| Cranidos | Rock |
| Croagunk | Poison |
| Gible | Dragon |
| Hippopotas | Ground |
| Kricketot | Bug |
| Machop | Fighting |
| Mime Jr. | Psychic |
| Misdreavus | Ghost |
Reception
Shadows of Almia has received mostly mixed reviews, with a score of 68 on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Gamespot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the title a 7.5 out of 10 rating. Stating that "Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia improves upon its predecessor just enough to make it a fun, solid addition to the spin-off series.". Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
gave Shadows of Almia a 6 out of 10 rating. Stating that "With a long wait until the next proper Pokémon game, many fans may feel that's enough, but they shouldn't expect anything more than a mild distraction." 1UP
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
gave the title a C+ rating. Stating that "While it's nowhere near as addictive as the regular color-coded Pokémon games, Almia's still a decent diversion -- I just wish the story offered something a little deeper. ". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the title a rating of 6.7 out of 10. Stating that "Unless you're addicted to scribbling circles like that creepy boy from The Ring, or you're some sort of hippie that only likes playing humane non-battling Pokemon games, you could probably pass on this and be just fine.". As of July 9, 2008, the game has sold 576,467 copies in Japan, according to Famitsu
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
. It is also the 13th best-selling game of Japan in 2008. It was the sixth best-selling game of December 2008 in the United States.