Following a taste of world peace courtesy of Pokemon Go, there's no question that the monster collecting franchise stands as one of the most ubiquitous video games in existence. The iconic Pikachu is just as recognizable as Mickey Mouse, if not more so. The continued excitement surrounding card prices guarantees almost daily Pokémon news stories. It would be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a couple million units. Even, unofficial Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
However despite that pervasiveness and fame, there are still Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These are titles that failed to receive their fair shake, or were overshadowed under the hype of the mainline series. These are Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated consoles or services, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have flourished if they had received sequels or modern remakes. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering just one more reminder for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Nevertheless, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to rearranging your glasses and writing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the combat aspect of the series, and not nearly enough of them highlight the ordinary aspects that would come with owning a pet. Admittedly, there are minor mechanics like these in recent entries—players may play with your monsters in camps. But I am 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 precursor to Pokemon Home; that is, as a storage system to store monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its release said Ranch was a poor if not outright hideous game. It's not my goal to dispute these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a ranch where your personal Miis—get this—just relax with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were simple, 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 start of a wonderful franchise built on the simple pleasures of living your life with a tiny companion. However, because The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing 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 was released long before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of cozy games. It was before the proliferation of idle games, and the Let's Play popularization of watching games you aren't playing. Most people never realized that Ranch's concept to observe your creatures as much as you interact with them didn't mask a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so extraordinary, a Twitch stream focused on broadcasting the game 24/7. The individual who runs the channel states that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he still has not seen everything that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: nobody understood you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Tactical Board Game Gone
Did you know that Pokemon once had an official board game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to adapt the tabletop experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's earliest forays into the world of freemium 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 slow progression for new figures.
All of these questionable mechanics obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb strategy game with Duel anymore. "I can’t express how much I loved and miss this game," a YouTube comment states, seven years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Honestly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of depth, accessibility, design, and content in general," a user declared. "I truly believe if it came out now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Regrettably, Duel's initial launch was plagued with connectivity problems. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory monetization model, gave people little reason 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 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.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Whimsical Gem
Wow, 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 concept 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 literally can't 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 infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter contests to see who can flop the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, forces the player to pause before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that the developers appreciated and got the fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's brutal random occurrences, where your Magikarp was just as likely to improve as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the great writing, Magikarp Jump also tried out other things one might wish the mainline games would do, like offering a diverse range of the same species of monster. It's understood it's not feasible for any Pokémon game to have dozens of variations for a roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Sharply written 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 almost certainly be in the running when Game of the Year season rolls around.
With dozens of mainline entries and derivative titles, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly despite argu
