Following a taste of world peace courtesy of Pokémon Go, there's no question that the creature-catching franchise is about as popular gaming titles in existence. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as recognizable as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The ongoing excitement surrounding trading card values guarantees almost daily Pokemon headlines. It would be difficult to find a Pokémon game that didn't sell at least a few million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.
However in spite of that pervasiveness and fame, some Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These represent games that failed to receive their fair shake, or were buried by the hype of the core series. These are Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated platforms or online offerings, or were early forays onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they had received follow-ups or modern remakes. Considering these factors, this list will not be yet another recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Nevertheless, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to rearranging your glasses and writing 'Actually,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, shall we?
Pokémon Ranch: The Chill Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the battling element of the series, and far too few of them focus on the everyday realities that would come with owning a pet. Admittedly, modern titles include minor mechanics like these in modern games—players may play with your monsters in camps. But I am longing for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokémon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii is not that game. The downloadable-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to store monsters from various titles. Reviews from its release noted Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to argue against these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game takes place on a farm where your personal Miis—get this—just relax with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the draw was watching what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a beautiful franchise built on the simple pleasures of coexisting with a tiny companion. However, because The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its fullest potential. One might cry 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is as much a puzzle game as it is a life sim.
Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of comfort gaming. It was before the rise of idle games, and the video playthrough popularization of watching games you aren't playing. Most people never understood that Ranch's proposal to watch your creatures as much as you interact with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so extraordinary, a Twitch stream dedicated to broadcasting the game 24/7. The streamer who operates the channel states that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he even now has not seen everything that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: nobody understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Board Game Gone
Are you aware that Pokémon once had an official tabletop game with action figures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the tabletop experience in a more accessible format. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's earliest forays into the world of freemium phone games. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha game where players could pay to win—and there was motivation to do so, given the slow progression for new figures.
All of these questionable mechanics masked a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb tactical game with Duel today. "I can’t express how much I loved and miss this game," a YouTube comment states, seven years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Honestly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, approachability, design, and features in general," another commenter declared. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Unfortunately, Duel's initial launch was marred by server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy monetization model, gave people few incentives to come back. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, I'm still not certain things would play out differently. The unusual game board made for a great tactical experience for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting eyesore.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Whimsical Gem
Man, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a concept so absurd, it was verging on shitpost. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a full belt of useless monsters who simply cannot do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that poke fun at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with raising the ultimate version of the notorious fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter competitions to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, requires the player to pause before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that the developers appreciated and got the community love around Magikarp.
This was most apparent than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was as likely to raise its stats as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the great writing, Magikarp Jump also tried out other things one might wish the core series would do, like offering a diverse range of the same type of monster. I know it's not feasible for any Pokémon game to have 30 different colorings and patterns for a roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially complex or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Witty events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will likely be in the conversation when Game of the Year season arrives.
With dozens of mainline entries and derivative titles, it's probable that I didn't mention that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but contend that too few people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu
