Following a taste of global harmony thanks to Pokémon Go, it's beyond doubt that the creature-catching franchise stands as one of the most ubiquitous video games in existence. Pikachu is every bit as famous as Mickey Mouse, if not more so. The ongoing frenzy around card prices ensures near-daily Pokémon news stories. You'd be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a couple million units. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.
However despite that ubiquity and fame, some Pokémon games that remain overlooked. These are games that failed to receive their proper due, or were buried by the excitement 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 might have blossomed if they ever got sequels or contemporary re-releases. Considering these factors, this list will not be just one more reminder for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Still, these might be these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and writing 'Actually,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for those possessing discerning palates, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor
Too many Pokémon games focus on the battling element of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the everyday aspects that would come with owning a companion. Sure, modern titles include minor mechanics like these in modern games—players may play with your monsters in bases. However, I'm dying 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 downloadable-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a repository to store monsters from various titles. Reviews from its release noted Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to argue against these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game is set on a farm where your Mii avatars—get this—simply hang out with your pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part 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 daily joys of coexisting with a tiny companion. However, because The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its fullest potential. One might cry 'help 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 enduring trend of comfort gaming. It was before the proliferation of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of viewing games you aren't playing. Most people never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your critters as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so remarkable, a live stream focused on broadcasting the game 24/7. The streamer who runs the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he still has not seen everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: no one understood you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Gone
Are you aware that Pokemon once had an licensed board game with action figures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the physical experience in a more approachable form. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of free-to-play phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was motivation to do so, given the lengthy grind for new figures.
All of these questionable mechanics masked a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an superb strategy game with Duel today. "Words cannot describe how much I adored and miss this game," one YouTube comment reads, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Honestly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of depth, approachability, game design, and features in general," another commenter wrote. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was plagued with server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory monetization model, gave people little reason to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, it's unclear things would play out differently. The unique board structure made for a fantastic tactical experience for the handful of players who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating visual mess.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Whimsical Experiment
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a premise so absurd, it was verging on internet meme. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a full belt 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 charged with raising the ultimate version of the notorious 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 phone 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 community love around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was just as likely to raise its stats as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the core series would do, like offering a wide variety of the same species of monster. It's understood it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have dozens of variations for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly sophisticated or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Sharply written events with outrageous outcomes that permanently influence how you can train a companion 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 core games and spin-offs, chances are that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but contend that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball with affection notwithstanding argu
