Frantically drawing circles around Pokemon, in an attempt to befriend them via the power of Beyblade, that's what Pokemon Ranger is all about!

This game holds a dear place in my heart. The story has stakes, but it's pretty cheesy and goofy as well. All the protags and villains have stupid flashy poses, and it's beautiful. You basically get to uncover the legends of the Oblivia region, and in a way, enact those legends yourself. It's a fun story.

Music is really good and will get stuck in your head, guaranteed. Sprite art is phenomenal, every pixel of this game is a treat to look at.

It's really fun gathering a small army of Pokemon, and using their abilities on the overworld to make progress. All the areas you visit have their own unique gimmicks and setpieces, it's rarely a dull moment. The game's "guardian sign" gimmick is fairly fun too. Drawing nifty shapes on the touch screen in order to summon legendary Pokemon to your aid is just kinda neat.

Battles are fairly repetitive in nature, but they're also so fast-paced that they never tend to get old (for me at least). Ukulele Pichu is a cute addition to the battle system that helps you out randomly. It's useful in a pinch when a Pokemon is angry and you need some free damage to calm it back down, but I also feel like Ukulele Pichu makes an already fairly easy game easier, and it felt like I was falling back on the little guy for the harder fights of the game.

Overall, the game is a pretty charming adventure with frantic and addicting gameplay, and excellent presentation. Just follow my advice when I say this: take a break every now and again, your wrist will thank you.