Following a glimpse of global harmony thanks to Pokemon Go, it's undeniable that the monster collecting series is about as ubiquitous video games around. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as famous as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The continued excitement surrounding trading card values guarantees almost daily Pokemon news stories. You'd be difficult to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a couple million units. Remarkably, unofficial Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
However despite that pervasiveness and fame, there are still Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These represent games that failed to receive their proper due, or were buried by the excitement of the mainline series. These are Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated consoles or online offerings, or were early forays onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they ever got follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, this list will not be just one more recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're digging deep.
Still, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, shall we?
Pokemon Ranch: The Cozy Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the battling element of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the ordinary aspects that would come with living with a pet. Sure, there are minor mechanics like these in modern games—you can pet, and feed your monsters in bases. However, I'm dying for a Pokémon game more in the style of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Wii is not that game. The downloadable-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a repository to store monsters from different games. 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 ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game is set on a ranch where your personal Miis—get this—simply hang out with your pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part of the draw was observing what your monsters might do when not forced into battle. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a wonderful franchise built on the simple pleasures 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 developed to its complete potential. I'd say 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is just as much a puzzle game as it is a life simulation.
Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of comfort gaming. It was prior to the proliferation of idle games, and the video playthrough normalization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Many never understood that Ranch's proposal to observe your critters as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so extraordinary, there's a Twitch stream focused on running the game 24/7. The streamer who operates the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he even now has not encountered all that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: no one understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic 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 physical experience in a more approachable form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first forays into the world of free-to-play mobile gaming. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was incentive to do so, given the lengthy grind for new figures.
These questionable mechanics masked 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," one YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of depth, accessibility, game design, and content in general," another commenter declared. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was plagued with server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people few incentives to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, I'm still not certain things would play out differently. The unusual game board made for a fantastic strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating visual mess.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Gem
Man, why don't more Pokémon games relax 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 verging on internet meme. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a full belt of ineffective 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 charged with raising the best possible version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter contests to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan 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 fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's merciless random events, where your Magikarp was as likely to raise its stats as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the great writing, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things one might wish the mainline games would do, like offering a diverse range of the same species of monster. It's understood it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have dozens of colorings and patterns for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly complex or profound game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Sharply written events with outrageous outcomes that permanently influence how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will likely be in the conversation when Game of the Year season arrives.
Given numerous mainline entries and spin-offs, it's probable that I didn't mention that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly despite argu
