Pokemon. Just by mentioning this name on a jacket, Nintendo is sure to see its bank account swell by a few million dollars. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons that continually pushes developers to leave aside the technical aspect, yet damn determining in the 2st century. As you will have understood, it is not from Pokémon Ranger: Night on Almia that an aesthetic burst will come, this sequel resuming, as often with Pokémon, the engine of the previous component. Already a bit tight for the DS a year and a half ago, the graphics pale in comparison to the catalog of the machine, despite a wide and well-used colorimetric spectrum. Nevertheless, there is nothing unacceptable in that, especially since with the aerial view imposed by a XNUMXD RPG, a host of dowdy details could have made us lose readability. Unsurprisingly, this small repeated side is also found in the scenario, which will lead us to oppose a terrible secret organization, Team Dim Sun (my bourgeois DSi does not display French texts, we will have to be content with this name American), which aims to enslave Pokémon and bring the world under its rump. One more.
At night, all Pokémon are gray
Luckily, Pokémon Ranger: Night on Almia doesn't just mindlessly repeat what's been done before. The frustrating “combats” of the first opus have been revised and corrected to make the adventure more digestible. Remember that this spin-off series puts us in the shoes of a Ranger, and that therefore, it is not a question of pitting Pokémon against each other, but of capturing them using a glowing lasso created by the Capstick, the tool that makes a person whether or not they are a Ranger. Concretely, the novelties translate into a more permissive system, in the sense that if the capture line were to be cut by an attack, the game does not require us to return to square one in the fight. Indeed, now the friendship gauge that we fill as we draw circles around a Pokémon to capture it leaves us a certain margin to take it back several times. If it empties logically after a few seconds of inactivity, it should be noted that we can, in the event of a critical situation, rely on the help of the various monsters that we have in our possession, from the simple captive to the Partner chosen in the first hours of the adventure, or to those hard found during a quest. Unfortunately, even if this real progress allows the game to be more affordable, Pokémon Ranger: Night on Almia is not yet able to address an audience other than a fairly extremist branch of the franchise. Indeed, the flat scenario is hardly conducive to immersion, while the much too linear system of missions interspersed with side quests locks the progression into a routine which it is difficult to take a passion for. And when game design gets involved, you quickly understand that the software is not for just anyone. During the exploration phases, many pitfalls will be placed on our way, and it is only with the help of our friends the previously captured Pokémon that we can overcome them. Cutting a log, exploding a rock, extinguishing a fire, crossing the seabed, all this is done thanks to the friendship that binds the Ranger to these critters. But knowing that the use of their Field Ability is unique before returning them to the wild, it will be necessary to be patient when retyping an area to find a Pokémon with the appropriate ability. Particularly damaging, this constraint unfortunately makes the progression even softer than it is by its scenario, which makes Pokémon Ranger: Night on Almia an episode that is still very dispensable.
