Pokemon ranger series feels like a younger cousin to mystery dungeon. Both games had a very solid first game, a sequel that improved in every way, then an disappointing third game on the 3ds. Specifically not only is the game nearly twice as long, with a ton more pokemon, quests and areas, they really bumped up the quality of the story. The biggest change however is how they changed the battle system to not be a static number of loops you have to draw around a pokemon, but a progress meter than deteriorates. This makes the game simultaneously harder and more forgiving since they can have bosses really dish out some attacks while allowing for some leniency. I understand why with the silly controls but it does make me a little sad this series never got the love or attention MD did/does.