Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs (2010). Play online

Summary

Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs puts you in the role of a Ranger safeguarding Pokémon, people, and nature on the DS. You draw circles with the Capture Styler around wild Pokémon; an attacking break drains its energy, while a harmless pass just snaps the line. Successful captures give experience and let you upgrade the Styler’s power and capacity, even charging it for stronger grabs later. Mission completion drives this catch‑and‑protect loop.

The big new feature is Ranger Signs—drawn symbols that summon legendary beasts such as Entei, Raikou or Suicune for brief support. These “Guardian Signs” work outside battle and add strategic depth. Wi‑Fi missions include a Deoxys download that can be transferred to other DS Pokémon titles.

Up to four players can team up for dedicated co‑op missions, giving a fresh multiplayer twist to the series.

Reviewers liked the crisp environments and fitting music but noted the game’s simplicity, landing a 68/100 Metacritic score. It sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide, making Guardian Signs the series’ best seller.

Storyline

The adventure begins in the island region of Oblivia, where the player and a fellow Ranger—Summer for a male player or Ben for a female player—fly on Staraptors to chase the Pokémon Pinchers. The Pinchers are after a legendary Latios, or Latias if the player is female. After the player distracts the thieves, the legendary Pokémon escapes. Red Eyes, the squad leader, appears and fires a plasma weapon, prompting the partner to taunt him. The player shields the partner, falls into the sea, loses their styler, and watches their companion get kidnapped.

Washing ashore on Dolce Island, the player encounters a Pichu clutching a broken ukulele. After repairing the instrument, the creature—known as Ukulele Pichu—becomes the new partner Pokémon. With the styler recovered later, the player officially joins the Pokémon Ranger ranks.

From then on, the Ranger takes on a series of missions across Oblivia, meeting allies, rivals, and many Pokémon. The primary foes remain the Pokémon Pinchers, who continue to control Pokémon for their own ends. Together with new Pokémon partners, the player works to stop the Pinchers and restore peace to the region.