Following a glimpse of world peace thanks to Pokémon Go, it's beyond doubt that the creature-catching franchise stands as one of the most popular video games around. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as identifiable as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The continued frenzy surrounding trading card values ensures near-daily Pokémon news stories. It would be hard-pressed to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a few million units. Even, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
However in spite of that ubiquity and fame, some Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These are titles that didn't get their proper due, or were overshadowed by the excitement of the core series. These are Pokémon games released on doomed consoles or services, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have flourished if they ever got follow-ups or modern remakes. With these criteria in mind, this list will not be yet another recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Still, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to adjusting your spectacles and typing 'Actually,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Cozy Forerunner
Too many Pokémon games emphasize the battling element of the series, and far too few of them highlight the ordinary aspects that would come with owning a pet. Sure, there are minor mechanics like these in recent entries—you can pet, and feed your monsters in bases. 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 isn't it. The downloadable-only title is most accurately viewed as the precursor to Pokémon Home; that is, as a repository to store monsters from various titles. Reviews from its launch said Ranch was a bad if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to dispute these claims, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a farm where your Mii avatars—imagine this—simply hang out 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 cockfighting. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a beautiful franchise built on the simple pleasures of coexisting with a small creature. But since The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely 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 puzzle game as it is a life simulation.
Ranch came out well before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was prior to the proliferation of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Many never understood that Ranch's concept to observe your critters as much as you interact with them didn't mask a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so extraordinary, a live stream focused on running the game continuously. The streamer who operates the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he even now has not seen all that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Board Game Gone
Did you know that Pokemon once had an licensed board game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the tabletop experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of free-to-play mobile gaming. Duel had the trappings of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was motivation to do so, given the slow progression for new figures.
These questionable mechanics obfuscated a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an excellent tactical game with Duel anymore. "I can’t express how much I loved and miss this game," a YouTube comment reads, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, design, and content in general," another commenter declared. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was plagued with connectivity problems. Bugs, alongside Duel's scummy monetization model, gave people few incentives to come back. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, I'm still not certain things would end better. The unique game board made for a fantastic strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board is also a intimidating visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Gem
Man, 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 giving its blessing a game with a premise so silly, it was bordering on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team 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 charged with breeding the best possible version of the notorious fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter competitions to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, requires the player to wait before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that the developers loved and understood the community love 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 experimented with 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 practical 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 unpredictable results that forever alter how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will likely be in the conversation when Game of the Year season arrives.
With numerous mainline entries and derivative titles, it's probable that I omitted that one Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball with affection despite argu
