In the wake of a glimpse of world peace thanks to Pokemon Go, there's no question that the creature-catching franchise is about as mainstream video games around. Pikachu is every bit as recognizable as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The continued frenzy surrounding trading card values guarantees near-daily Pokémon headlines. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a few million units. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
However despite that pervasiveness and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These represent titles that didn't get their proper due, or were overshadowed under the hype of the mainline series. They're Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated consoles or online offerings, 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. 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.
Nevertheless, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to rearranging your glasses and writing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with discerning palates, shall we?
Pokemon Ranch: The Cozy Forerunner
Too many Pokémon games emphasize the battling aspect of the series, and far too few of them focus on the ordinary aspects that would come with living with a pet. Admittedly, modern titles include minor mechanics like these in modern games—players may pet, and feed your monsters in bases. But I am dying for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokémon Ranch (2008) for the Wii isn't it. The downloadable-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a storage system to store monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch said Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. I'm not here to dispute these claims, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a slice-of-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 significant part of the appeal was observing what your monsters might do when not forced into battle. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a wonderful 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. One might cry 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is just as much a puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch came out well before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of cozy games. It was prior to the proliferation of idle games, and the Let's Play normalization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Many never understood that Ranch's concept to watch your creatures as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so remarkable, there's a live stream focused on broadcasting the game continuously. The streamer who runs the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he still has not seen all that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Board Game Lost
Did you know that Pokémon once had an licensed board game with action figures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to adapt the tabletop 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 hallmarks of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was incentive to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.
All of these questionable mechanics obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent tactical game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe 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 better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, approachability, game design, and features in general," another commenter wrote. "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 connectivity problems. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy business model, gave people little reason to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unusual game board made for a great strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Experiment
Man, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a premise so silly, it was verging on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team of ineffective monsters who simply cannot do anything, I'm shocked 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 notorious 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 mobile games, requires the player to wait before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is evident 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 just as likely to raise its stats as it was to get eaten 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 diverse range of the same type of monster. I know it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have dozens of variations for a roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or deep game, but the kernels of genius were there. Witty events with unpredictable results that forever alter how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will almost certainly be in the running when Game of the Year season arrives.
Given numerous mainline entries and spin-offs, chances are that I didn't mention that one Pokémon game you totally love but argue that too few people played. I know that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly notwithstanding argu
