Following a vision of global harmony courtesy of Pokemon Go, there's no question that the creature-catching franchise stands as one of the most popular video games around. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as famous as Mickey Mouse, if not more so. The persistent pandemonium surrounding trading card values ensures near-daily Pokemon news stories. It would be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a few million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
Yet in spite of that ubiquity and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These are titles that didn't get their fair shake, or were overshadowed under the excitement of the core series. They're Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated consoles or online offerings, 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, this list will not be just one more recommendation for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Still, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and typing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?
Pokémon Ranch: The Relaxed Forerunner
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the combat aspect of the series, and far too few of them highlight the everyday realities that would come with owning a companion. Sure, modern titles include minor mechanics like these in modern games—you can play with your monsters in camps. But I am dying for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon 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 different games. Reviews from its release said Ranch was a poor if not outright hideous game. I'm not here to argue against these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game is set on a farm where your personal Miis—imagine this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The activities with Pokémon were simple, and a lot of the appeal was observing what your monsters might do when not 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 small creature. But since The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its complete potential. One might cry 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the upcoming Switch exclusive is just as much a puzzler as it is a life sim.
Ranch came out well before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was before the rise of idle games, and the video playthrough popularization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Most people never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your critters as much as you interact with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, a live stream dedicated to running the game continuously. The streamer who operates the channel states that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he still has not seen all that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Tabletop Game Gone
Are you aware that Pokémon once had an licensed tabletop game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 effort to adapt the physical experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of freemium mobile gaming. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha game where players could pay to win—and there was motivation to do so, given the slow progression for new figures.
All of these questionable mechanics masked a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent strategy game with Duel today. "Words cannot describe how much I adored and miss this game," one YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, design, and features in general," another commenter wrote. "I truly believe if it came out now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket together."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was plagued with connectivity problems. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy 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 end better. The unique board structure made for a great strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating eyesore.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Gem
Man, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a premise so absurd, it was bordering on internet meme. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a full belt of useless monsters who simply cannot do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that poke fun at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with breeding the ultimate version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter competitions to see who can jump the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, forces the player to wait 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 improve as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also tried out other things one might wish the mainline games would do, like offering a wide variety of the same type of monster. It's understood 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 we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially complex or profound game, but the kernels of genius were there. Witty events with unpredictable results that permanently influence how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will likely be in the running when Game of the Year season rolls around.
Given numerous core games and spin-offs, it's probable that I omitted that one Pokémon game you totally love but contend that too few people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly notwithstanding argu
