In the wake of a vision of global harmony thanks to Pokemon Go, it's undeniable that the monster collecting series is about as ubiquitous gaming titles in existence. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as famous as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The persistent excitement surrounding card prices ensures almost daily Pokémon headlines. It would be hard-pressed to find a Pokémon game that didn't sell at least a few million units. Remarkably, unofficial Pokémon games go viral annually.
Yet despite that pervasiveness and popularity, some Pokémon games that are totally underappreciated. These represent games that didn't get their proper due, or were overshadowed by the hype of the core series. They're Pokémon games stuck on doomed platforms or services, or were early forays onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have flourished if they ever got follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. Considering these factors, this list will not be just one more recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're digging deep.
Nevertheless, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and writing 'Actually,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, agreed?
Pokémon Ranch: The Cozy Forerunner
Too many Pokémon games focus on the combat element of the series, and far too few of them highlight the ordinary realities that would come with owning a companion. Admittedly, there are minor mechanics like these in recent entries—players may play with your monsters in camps. But I am dying for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii isn't it. The downloadable-only title is best seen as the precursor to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to store monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch said Ranch was a bad if not truly ugly game. I'm not here to dispute these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game is set on a farm where your personal Miis—imagine this—just relax with your Pokémon pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the draw 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 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. I'd say 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is as much a puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of comfort gaming. It was before the proliferation of idle games, and the Let's Play normalization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Most people never understood that Ranch's proposal to observe your creatures as much as you interact with them didn't mask a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, there's a Twitch stream dedicated to broadcasting the game continuously. The streamer who operates the channel states that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he even now has not encountered everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Gone
Did you know that Pokemon once had an official board game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 attempt to adapt the physical experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of freemium phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was motivation to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.
These questionable mechanics obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb strategy game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I loved and miss this game," one YouTube comment states, seven years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, game design, and features in general," a user declared. "I truly believe if it came out now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was marred by server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people little reason to come back. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unusual game board made for a great strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board 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 fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a concept so absurd, it was bordering on internet meme. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team of ineffective monsters who simply cannot do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with breeding the ultimate version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter competitions to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, forces the player to wait 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 brutal random occurrences, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the clever dialogue, 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 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 one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or profound 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. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will likely be in the running when Game of the Year season rolls around.
With numerous mainline entries and derivative titles, chances are that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball with affection notwithstanding argu
