In the wake of a taste of global harmony courtesy of Pokemon Go, it's undeniable that the monster collecting franchise is about as ubiquitous video games around. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as famous as Mickey Mouse, perhaps even more. The continued frenzy surrounding trading card values ensures near-daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be difficult to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a couple million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.
Yet despite that ubiquity and fame, some Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These represent titles that failed to receive their fair shake, or were buried 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 flourished if they ever got follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering yet another reminder for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
Still, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with discerning palates, shall we?
Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games emphasize the battling element of the series, and far too few of them focus on the everyday realities that would come with living with a pet. Sure, modern titles include minor mechanics like these in modern games—you can play with your monsters in camps. However, I'm longing for a Pokémon game more in the style of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii is not that game. The digital-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a repository to hold monsters from different games. Critical reception from its release said Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to dispute these claims, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game is set on a ranch where your personal Miis—imagine this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part of the appeal was watching what your monsters might do when not forced into cockfighting. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a beautiful franchise built on the daily joys of coexisting with a small creature. However, because The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its fullest potential. I'd say 'save 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 sim.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of cozy games. It was before the rise of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of watching games you aren't playing. Most people never understood that Ranch's concept to watch your critters as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a lack of substance. In truth, Ranch's meticulous design was so remarkable, a live stream dedicated to running the game continuously. The streamer who operates the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he even now has not seen everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Tabletop Game Gone
Are you aware that Pokemon once had an official board game with miniatures? 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 pay to win—and there was incentive to do so, given the slow progression for new pieces.
These poor design choices masked a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb tactical game with Duel today. "Words cannot describe how much I adored 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 engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was plagued with connectivity problems. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory monetization 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 end better. The unique board structure made for a great strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that playing field is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Gem
Man, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a concept so silly, it was bordering on shitpost. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team of useless monsters who literally can't do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked 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 competitions to see who can jump the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, forces the player to wait before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that the developers loved and understood 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. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things one might wish the core series would do, like offering a wide variety of the same type of monster. It's understood it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have dozens of variations for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly sophisticated or profound game, but the kernels of genius were there. Sharply written events with outrageous outcomes that permanently influence how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will likely be in the conversation when Game of the Year season rolls around.
Given dozens of mainline entries and derivative titles, chances are that I didn't mention that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but contend that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball with affection despite argu
