Parents' Guide to

Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs

By Christopher Healy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Simple controls and deep story highlight this action game.

Game Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi 2010
Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

  • Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs Game: Screenshot #1
  • Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs Game: Screenshot #2
  • Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs Game: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 7+

Based on 1 parent review

Holly R.
Holly R. Parent of baby-year-old
November 6, 2018
age 7+

I liked it

It's a good game with an environment friendly message and before they discontinued the Nintendo Wi-Fi on the original DS, you could download extra content and get free rare Pokemon to send to the Gen 4 games. I would have given it a better rating but the only reason to have it originally was for the free rare Pokemon that are now no longer available and the game doesn't offer enough to make it worth it to most people unless they really LOVE Pokemon.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 1 parent review

What’s It About?

In POKEMON RANGER: GUARDIAN SIGNS, you play a member of an elite defense force that protects the world by using the powers of the Pokemon creatures they've befriended. You are called upon to reveal the mystery behind a group of villains called "pinchers," who show up and start kidnapping and brainwashing Pokemon. On your way to find the pinchers, you'll traverse a series of islands, befriending all manner of Pokemon and using their varied powers to get past a multitude of obstacles. Wild Pokemon are friended by circling them rapidly with your stylus; creature powers can be used by drawing specific patterns on the touchscreen.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (5 ):

Kids who are new to the Pokemon universe -- or those intimidated by the scores of stats and attributes that you usually need to keep track of in those games -- will find Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs to be an excellent entry point into the series. Its simplified, action-based format for battles can be easily learned by almost anyone. It's possible that hardcore Pokemon fans will find this new format too simple, but hopefully they'll look at it as a refreshing change of pace -- as it is a truly different style of gameplay. Whether rookie or veteran, players should definitely be drawn in by the deep and compelling story. And the collection aspect -- always a key point with Pokemon fans -- is still there, with over 300 species of creatures to find and interact with.

Online interaction: Kids can download and play new missions that will become available over time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the theme of friendship that is so much apart of this game. How does it make Pokemon Ranger different from past Pokemon games in which the protagonists were more actively aggressive toward the creatures they were capturing?

Game Details

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