In the wake of a taste of global harmony courtesy of Pokémon Go, it's undeniable that the creature-catching franchise stands as one of the most popular gaming titles in existence. Pikachu is every bit as famous as Mickey Mouse, perhaps even more. The persistent excitement around trading card values guarantees near-daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a couple million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
However despite that pervasiveness and fame, some Pokémon games that remain overlooked. These represent titles that didn't get their proper due, or were overshadowed by the excitement of the core series. They're Pokémon games stuck on doomed consoles or online offerings, or were early forays onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they had received follow-ups or modern remakes. Considering these factors, we won't be offering just one more reminder for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're digging deep.
Still, these might be these Pokémon games. So, before adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?
Pokémon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the battling element of the series, and far too few of them highlight the ordinary realities that would come with living with a companion. Admittedly, there are small features like these in recent entries—you can play with your monsters in camps. But I am longing 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 digital-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a repository to store monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch said Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to dispute these claims, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a farm where your Mii avatars—get this—just relax with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the appeal was watching what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into cockfighting. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a wonderful franchise built on the daily joys of living your life with a small creature. But since 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 complete potential. One might cry 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is as much a puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch came out well before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of comfort gaming. It was before the rise of idle games, and the Let's Play popularization of viewing games you aren't playing. Many never understood that Ranch's concept to watch your critters as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In truth, Ranch's attention to detail was so extraordinary, a live stream dedicated to running the game continuously. The streamer who operates the channel states that, after almost twenty years of experiencing the game, he still has not seen everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Board 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 form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of free-to-play phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha game where players could pay to win—and there was incentive to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.
These poor design choices masked a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent strategy game with Duel today. "Words cannot describe how much I loved and miss this game," a YouTube comment reads, years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, approachability, design, and content 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 initial launch was plagued with server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's scummy 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 end better. The unique game board made for a great strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board is also a intimidating eyesore.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Gem
Wow, 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 absurd, it was verging on shitpost. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out 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 tasked with raising the best possible version of the notorious fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter contests to see who can jump the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, requires the player to pause before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that Select Button loved and understood the fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's brutal random occurrences, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also tried out other things one might wish the core series would do, like offering a diverse range of the same species of monster. I know it's not feasible 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 complex or profound game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Witty events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will likely be in the running when Game of the Year season arrives.
With dozens of core games and spin-offs, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but contend that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people look back on games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball with affection despite argu
