In the wake of a vision of global harmony courtesy of Pokemon Go, it's undeniable that the creature-catching series is about as popular gaming titles around. Pikachu is just as famous as Mickey Mouse, perhaps even more. The ongoing frenzy surrounding card prices ensures near-daily Pokémon headlines. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a couple million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.
Yet in spite of that pervasiveness and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that remain overlooked. These are titles that didn't get their proper due, or were buried under the hype of the mainline series. They're Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated platforms or services, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that probably would have blossomed if they ever got 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 digging deep.
Still, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before adjusting your spectacles and typing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, shall we?
Pokemon Ranch: The Cozy Precursor
Too many Pokémon games emphasize the battling element of the series, and not nearly enough of them highlight the everyday aspects that would come with owning a pet. Sure, modern titles include small features like these in recent entries—you can play with your monsters in camps. However, I'm dying for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokémon Ranch (2008) for the Wii is not that game. The digital-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from different games. Critical reception from its release said Ranch was a bad if not outright hideous game. I'm not here to argue against these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've ever gotten to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game is set on a ranch where your personal Miis—get this—just relax with your Pokémon pals. The activities with Pokémon were simple, and a lot of the draw was watching what your monsters might do when not forced into battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a wonderful franchise built on the daily joys of living your life with a tiny companion. But since The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription 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 I also know that the upcoming Switch exclusive is as much a puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley kicked off 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. Many never understood that Ranch's proposal to observe your critters as much as you play with them didn't mask a lack of substance. In truth, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, a Twitch stream dedicated to running the game continuously. The streamer who operates the channel states that, after almost twenty years of playing the game, he still has not encountered all that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: nobody knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Gone
Are you aware that Pokemon once had an licensed tabletop game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the tabletop experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's first forays into the world of free-to-play mobile gaming. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha game where players could spend for advantage—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 today. "Words cannot describe how much I loved and miss this game," a YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, approachability, design, and features in general," another commenter declared. "I truly believe if it came out now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket together."
Regrettably, Duel's early release was marred by connectivity problems. Technical problems, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people little reason to return. If, by some miracle, 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.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Gem
Man, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance 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 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 charged with raising the ultimate version of the notorious fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter competitions to see who can flop 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 appreciated and got the fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident 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. Beyond the great writing, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the mainline games would do, like offering a diverse range of the same type of monster. It's understood it's not feasible for any Pokémon game to have 30 different colorings and patterns for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated 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 almost certainly be in the running when 2026 GOTY season arrives.
With dozens of core games and derivative titles, chances are 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 Pokémon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball with affection notwithstanding argu
