Following a vision of global harmony courtesy of Pokémon Go, it's beyond doubt that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most ubiquitous gaming titles around. The iconic Pikachu is just as famous as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The continued excitement surrounding trading card values ensures almost daily Pokemon headlines. It would be difficult to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a few million copies. Remarkably, unofficial Pokémon games go viral every year.
However in spite of that ubiquity and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that are totally underappreciated. These represent titles that failed to receive their proper due, or were buried by the excitement of the core series. These are Pokémon games released on doomed consoles or online offerings, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that probably would have flourished if they had received follow-ups or modern remakes. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering just one more reminder for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
Nevertheless, you may already know about these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to rearranging your glasses and writing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, shall we?
Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Forerunner
An excessive number of Pokémon games emphasize the battling aspect of the series, and not nearly enough of them highlight the everyday realities that would come with owning a companion. Sure, there are small features 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 Pokémon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii is not that game. The digital-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch said Ranch was a poor if not outright hideous game. It's not my goal to dispute these claims, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the closest we've come to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game is set on a ranch where your personal Miis—imagine this—simply hang out with your pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part of the appeal was watching what your monsters might do when not forced into battle. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a wonderful 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, I'm guessing we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its fullest potential. One might cry 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the upcoming Switch exclusive is as much a puzzle game as it is a life simulation.
Ranch was released long before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of cozy games. It was prior to the proliferation of idle games, and the video playthrough normalization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Many never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your critters as much as you interact with them didn't mask a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so extraordinary, there's a live stream dedicated to broadcasting the game 24/7. The streamer who runs the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he still has not seen everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody understood you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Lost
Are you aware that Pokémon once had an official tabletop game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the tabletop experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of free-to-play phone games. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha game 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 sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb strategy game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I loved and miss this game," a YouTube comment reads, years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Honestly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of depth, accessibility, game design, and features in general," a user declared. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."
Regrettably, Duel's early release was plagued with connectivity problems. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people few incentives to return. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, I'm still not certain things would end better. The unusual board structure made for a great strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a daunting eyesore.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Whimsical Experiment
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 shitpost. 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 tasked with breeding the best possible version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter contests to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, forces the player to wait before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that the developers appreciated and got the community love around Magikarp.
This was most apparent 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. Beyond the great writing, Magikarp Jump also experimented with 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 practical for any Pokémon game to have 30 different variations for a roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly complex or profound game, but the seeds of brilliance 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 likely be in the conversation when 2026 GOTY season arrives.
With numerous mainline entries and derivative titles, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you totally love but contend that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly despite argu
