Pokémon Ranger is one of those weird little DS spinoffs that actually works. Instead of throwing Pokéballs, you’re drawing loops around wild Pokémon with the stylus to "capture" them—which sounds simple until some feisty Pikachu starts zipping around the screen like it had three coffees. The more you loop, the calmer they get, but man, some of these critters put up a fight.

Your Ranger team isn’t about gym battles—you’re solving problems, like clearing blocked paths or putting out fires, using your Pokémon’s abilities. It’s got that classic Pokémon charm, but with a rhythm that feels totally different. And yeah, the touch controls can get frantic, but in a way that makes pulling off a clean capture actually satisfying.

If you’ve burned through the mainline games and want something that still feels like Pokémon but plays completely fresh, this one’s a solid pick.