Following a taste of world peace thanks to Pokémon Go, it's undeniable that the monster collecting franchise stands as one of the most mainstream gaming titles in existence. Pikachu is just as identifiable as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The ongoing excitement around trading card values ensures near-daily Pokemon news stories. It would be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a couple million copies. Remarkably, unofficial Pokémon games go viral every year.
However despite that ubiquity and popularity, some Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These represent titles that failed to receive their fair shake, or were buried by the excitement of the core series. These are Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated platforms or online offerings, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that probably would have blossomed if they ever got follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering yet another recommendation for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
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 people with refined tastes, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Cozy Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games emphasize the battling aspect of the series, and far too few of them focus on the ordinary aspects that would come with owning a pet. Sure, there are small features like these in recent entries—you can pet, and feed your monsters in camps. However, I'm 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 digital-only title is best seen as the precursor to Pokémon Home; that is, as a repository to hold monsters from different games. Reviews from its release said Ranch was a bad if not outright hideous game. It's not my goal to argue against these claims, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a everyday life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game takes place on a farm where your Mii avatars—get this—simply hang out with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the appeal was observing what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into cockfighting. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a beautiful franchise built on the simple pleasures of living your life with a tiny companion. However, because The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its complete potential. One might cry 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the upcoming Switch exclusive is just as much a puzzle game as it is a life sim.
Ranch came out well before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was before the proliferation of passive games, and the video playthrough normalization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Most people never understood that Ranch's proposal to watch your creatures as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so extraordinary, there's a live stream dedicated to running the game continuously. The individual who runs the channel states that, after almost twenty years of experiencing the game, he still has not encountered everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Lost
Did you know that Pokémon once had an licensed tabletop game with action figures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the tabletop experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest forays into the world of free-to-play mobile gaming. Duel had the trappings 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 poor design choices obfuscated a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an excellent tactical game with Duel today. "I can’t express how much I adored and miss this game," a YouTube comment reads, seven years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, game design, and features in general," a user declared. "I am convinced if it came out now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was plagued with server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's scummy business model, gave people few incentives to come back. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unique game board made for a fantastic strategic challenge for the few folks 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 loosen up a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a premise so silly, it was verging on shitpost. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a full belt of useless monsters who literally can't do anything, I'm shocked 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 infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'karp raised to enter contests to see who can jump the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, requires the player to pause before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that Select Button loved and understood the fan culture around Magikarp.
This was most apparent than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was just as likely to improve as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things one might wish the mainline games would do, like offering a wide variety of the same type of monster. It's understood it's not feasible 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 especially complex or profound game, but the kernels of genius 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 almost certainly be in the conversation when 2026 GOTY season rolls around.
With numerous mainline entries and spin-offs, chances are that I didn't mention that one Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu
