In the wake of a glimpse of global harmony thanks to Pokemon Go, there's no question that the creature-catching franchise is about as popular video games in existence. Pikachu is every bit as recognizable as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The persistent frenzy around trading card values ensures almost daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be difficult to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a few million units. Even, unofficial Pokémon games go viral every year.
Yet in spite of that ubiquity and fame, some Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These represent titles that didn't get their proper due, or were overshadowed under the excitement of the core series. They're Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated consoles or services, or were early forays onto different formats. They're often also Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they had received follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering just one more reminder for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Still, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Actually,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, shall we?
Pokémon Ranch: The Chill Forerunner
An excessive number of Pokémon games emphasize the battling element of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the ordinary realities that would come with owning a pet. Sure, there are minor mechanics like these in recent entries—players may pet, and feed your monsters in bases. But I am dying for a Pokémon game more in the style of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokémon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is best seen 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 bad if not truly ugly game. I'm not here to argue against these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a ranch where your personal Miis—imagine this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the appeal was observing what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a beautiful franchise built on the daily joys of coexisting with a small creature. But since The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its fullest potential. One might cry 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is just as much a puzzler as it is a life sim.
Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of comfort gaming. It was prior to the rise of idle games, and the video playthrough popularization of watching games you aren't playing. Many never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your critters as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, there's a live stream dedicated to running the game continuously. The individual who operates the channel states that, after almost twenty years of playing the game, he still has not encountered all that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: no one understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Board Game Lost
Did you know that Pokemon once had an official board game with action figures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the physical experience in a more accessible format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest forays into the world of free-to-play phone games. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha game where players could spend for advantage—and there was incentive to do so, given the slow progression for new pieces.
These poor design choices obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb tactical game with Duel today. "I can’t express how much I adored and miss this game," a YouTube comment states, seven years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, game design, and features in general," a user wrote. "I am convinced if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Regrettably, Duel's initial launch was marred by server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people little reason to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, I'm still not certain things would play out differently. The unusual board structure made for a great tactical experience for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating eyesore.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Gem
Man, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a concept so absurd, it was bordering on shitpost. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a team of useless monsters who simply cannot do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with breeding the best possible version of the infamous fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'karp raised to enter competitions to see who can flop the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, requires the player to wait before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that Select Button loved and understood the community love around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident 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. Beyond the great writing, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the core series would do, like offering a diverse range of the same type of monster. I know it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have 30 different colorings and patterns for a compendium 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 unpredictable results that forever alter how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will almost certainly be in the running when Game of the Year season rolls around.
Given dozens of mainline entries and derivative titles, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you totally love but contend that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly notwithstanding argu
