Following a vision of world peace thanks to Pokemon Go, it's undeniable that the creature-catching series stands as one of the most popular video games in existence. Pikachu is just as recognizable as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The ongoing excitement surrounding trading card values guarantees almost daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a couple million units. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
Yet despite that ubiquity and fame, there are still Pokémon games that remain overlooked. These are games that failed to receive their proper due, or were buried by the hype of the core series. These are Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated platforms or services, or were early forays onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have flourished if they had received follow-ups or modern remakes. Considering these factors, this list will not be yet another reminder for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're digging deep.
Nevertheless, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?
Pokémon Ranch: The Cozy Forerunner
An excessive number of Pokémon games emphasize the combat aspect of the series, and not nearly enough of them highlight the everyday realities that would come with owning a pet. Admittedly, there are minor mechanics like these in recent entries—you can play with your monsters in camps. But I am longing for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch noted Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to dispute these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game is set on a ranch where your Mii avatars—imagine this—just relax with your Pokémon pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the draw 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 simple pleasures of living your life with a tiny companion. But since The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its complete potential. I'd say 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the upcoming Switch exclusive is just as much a puzzle game as it is a life sim.
Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was prior to the proliferation of passive games, and the video playthrough normalization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Most people never realized that Ranch's concept to watch your critters as much as you play 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 broadcasting the game 24/7. The individual who runs the channel maintains that, after almost twenty years of experiencing the game, he still has not seen all that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Gone
Did you know that Pokemon once had an official board game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the physical experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first forays into the world of freemium phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was incentive to do so, given the lengthy grind for new figures.
All of these questionable mechanics obfuscated a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an superb tactical game with Duel today. "Words cannot describe how much I adored and miss this game," a YouTube comment states, seven years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Truly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of depth, approachability, design, and features in general," another commenter wrote. "I am convinced if it came out now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was plagued with server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy monetization model, gave people little reason to return. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, I'm still not certain things would play out differently. The unique board structure made for a great strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Experiment
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 giving its blessing a game with a concept so silly, it was verging on internet meme. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a full belt of useless monsters who literally can't do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with raising the ultimate version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. 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 pause before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is evident 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 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 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 30 different variations for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or deep game, but the kernels of genius were there. Sharply written events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will almost certainly be in the conversation when Game of the Year season rolls around.
Given numerous core games and derivative titles, chances are that I didn't mention that one Pokémon game you totally love but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly notwithstanding argu
