Following a glimpse of global harmony courtesy of Pokémon Go, there's no question that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most ubiquitous video games in existence. The iconic Pikachu is just as recognizable as Mickey Mouse, if not more so. The continued excitement around trading card values ensures almost daily Pokémon headlines. It would be difficult to find a Pokémon game that didn't sell at least a few million units. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
Yet despite that ubiquity and fame, some Pokémon games that remain overlooked. These are titles that failed to receive their proper due, or were buried by the excitement of the mainline series. These are Pokémon games stuck on doomed platforms or services, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that probably would have flourished if they ever got follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering yet another reminder for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
Nevertheless, you may already know about these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Actually,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Forerunner
Too many Pokémon games focus on the battling aspect of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the ordinary aspects that would come with living with a companion. Sure, modern titles include small features like these in modern games—players may pet, and feed your monsters in bases. 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 downloadable-only title is best seen as the precursor to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to store monsters from different games. Critical reception from its release said Ranch was a poor if not outright hideous game. It's not my goal to dispute these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game is set on a farm where your Mii avatars—imagine this—just relax with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the draw was watching 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 daily joys of coexisting with a tiny companion. However, because The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its complete potential. I'd say 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the upcoming Switch exclusive is as much a puzzle game as it is a life simulation.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was before the proliferation of idle games, and the Let's Play popularization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Many never realized that Ranch's concept to observe your creatures as much as you play with them didn't mask a lack of substance. In truth, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, there's a live stream focused on running the game continuously. The streamer who runs the channel states that, after almost twenty years of playing the game, he even now has not encountered everything that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Board Game Lost
Did you know that Pokémon once had an official board game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the tabletop experience in a more approachable form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of freemium 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.
All of these questionable mechanics masked a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb strategy game with Duel today. "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 superior to TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, approachability, design, and features in general," another commenter declared. "I am convinced if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."
Regrettably, Duel's initial launch was marred by connectivity problems. Technical problems, alongside Duel's predatory monetization model, gave people little reason to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, I'm still not certain things would play out differently. The unique board structure made for a fantastic strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Gem
Man, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a concept so silly, it was verging on internet meme. Considering 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 poke fun at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with raising the best possible version of the infamous fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter competitions to see who can flop the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, requires the player to pause before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that Select Button appreciated and got the fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's brutal random occurrences, where your Magikarp was just 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 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 roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly complex or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Sharply written events with unpredictable results 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 Game of the Year season rolls around.
Given numerous mainline entries and spin-offs, chances are that I omitted that one Pokémon game you absolutely adore but contend that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people remember games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu
