Following a glimpse of world peace thanks to Pokémon Go, it's beyond doubt that the monster collecting franchise stands as one of the most popular gaming titles in existence. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as identifiable as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The continued pandemonium surrounding card prices ensures near-daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a few million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.
Yet in spite of that ubiquity and fame, there are still Pokémon games that are totally underappreciated. These represent games that didn't get their proper due, or were overshadowed by the excitement of the mainline 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 probably would have flourished if they had received follow-ups 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 digging deep.
Still, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to rearranging your glasses and writing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with discerning palates, shall we?
Pokémon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor
Too many Pokémon games emphasize the combat element of the series, and far too few of them focus on the ordinary realities that would come with owning a companion. Sure, there are small features like these in modern games—you can pet, and feed 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 Nintendo Wii isn't it. The downloadable-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a storage system to store monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its release noted 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 nearest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a farm where your personal Miis—get this—simply hang out with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part of the draw 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 wonderful franchise built on the simple pleasures of living your life with a small creature. However, because The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its complete potential. I'd say 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the upcoming Switch exclusive is just as much a puzzler as it is a life sim.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley kicked off the enduring trend of comfort gaming. It was prior to the rise of passive games, and the video playthrough normalization of watching games you aren't playing. Many never realized that Ranch's concept to watch your creatures as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so remarkable, a Twitch stream dedicated to running the game continuously. The individual who operates the channel states that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he still has not seen all that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Board Game Gone
Did you know that Pokémon once had an official board game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 effort to adapt the physical experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of freemium phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha game where players could spend for advantage—and there was motivation to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.
All of these poor design choices obfuscated a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an superb tactical game with Duel anymore. "I can’t express how much I adored and miss this game," a YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Honestly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, design, and features in general," a user declared. "I am convinced if it came out now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket together."
Regrettably, Duel's initial launch was plagued with server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's predatory monetization model, gave people little reason to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would play out differently. The unusual game board made for a fantastic tactical experience for the few folks who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Gem
Man, 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 bordering on internet meme. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a team of useless monsters who simply cannot do anything, I'm shocked we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with breeding the ultimate version of the infamous fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter competitions to see who can flop 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 clear throughout the experience that the developers appreciated and got 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 eaten by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the great writing, Magikarp Jump also tried out other things I wish the core series would do, like offering a diverse range of the same species of monster. I know it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have 30 different colorings and patterns 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 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 almost certainly be in the running when Game of the Year season arrives.
With numerous mainline entries and spin-offs, it's probable that I didn't mention that particular Pokémon game you totally love but argue that too few people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu
