In the wake of a taste of global harmony courtesy of Pokemon Go, there's no question that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most mainstream video games around. Pikachu is every bit as recognizable as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The ongoing pandemonium around card prices ensures near-daily Pokémon headlines. You'd be difficult to find a Pokémon game that didn't sell at least a couple million units. Even, unofficial Pokémon games go viral annually.
Yet in spite of that pervasiveness and fame, there are still Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These represent games that didn't get their proper due, or were buried under the hype of the core series. They're Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated consoles or online offerings, or were early forays onto different formats. They're often also Pokémon games that probably would have flourished if they ever got sequels or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering yet another recommendation for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Nevertheless, 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 those possessing discerning palates, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the combat element of the series, and far too few of them highlight the everyday realities that would come with owning a pet. Sure, there are minor mechanics like these in recent entries—players may pet, and feed your monsters in camps. However, I'm longing for a Pokémon game more in the style of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokémon Ranch (2008) for the Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is best seen as the precursor to Pokemon Home; that is, as a storage system to store monsters from different games. Critical reception from its release said Ranch was a bad if not truly ugly game. I'm not here to argue against these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the closest we've come to a everyday life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game is set on a ranch where your personal Miis—imagine this—simply hang out with your pals. The activities 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 battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a beautiful franchise built on the daily joys of living your life with a small creature. However, because The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its complete potential. One might cry 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is just as much a puzzle game as it is a life sim.
Ranch was released long before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of comfort gaming. It was prior to the proliferation of passive games, and the video playthrough normalization of viewing games you aren't playing. Most people never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your critters as much as you interact with them wasn't to hide a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, there's a Twitch stream focused on running the game 24/7. The streamer who runs the channel maintains that, after almost twenty years of playing the game, he even now has not encountered all that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Board Game Lost
Did you know that Pokemon once had an official board game with action figures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to adapt the physical experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of free-to-play mobile gaming. Duel had the trappings of a gacha game where players could spend for advantage—and there was motivation to do so, given the slow progression for new figures.
All of these poor design choices masked a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent strategy game with Duel anymore. "I can’t express how much I adored and miss this game," one YouTube comment reads, seven years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Honestly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, game design, and content in general," another commenter wrote. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket together."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was marred by server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy monetization model, gave people few incentives to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, I'm still not certain things would play out differently. The unusual game board made for a fantastic tactical experience for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating visual mess.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Gem
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a premise so silly, it was verging on internet meme. And when 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 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 contests to see who can jump the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, requires the player to wait before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that the developers loved and understood the fan culture around Magikarp.
This was most apparent than in Jump's brutal random occurrences, where your Magikarp was as likely to raise its stats as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also tried out 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 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 especially complex or profound game, but the kernels of genius were there. Witty events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will likely be in the running when Game of the Year season rolls around.
With numerous mainline entries and spin-offs, it's probable that I didn't mention that one Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball with affection despite argu
