In the wake of a vision of world peace courtesy of Pokemon Go, it's undeniable that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most mainstream video games in existence. Pikachu is every bit as identifiable as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The persistent pandemonium surrounding card prices ensures almost daily Pokémon headlines. You'd be difficult to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a few million copies. Even, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.
Yet in spite of that pervasiveness and fame, there are still Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These represent titles that didn't get their fair shake, or were buried by the hype of the mainline series. They're Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated consoles or online offerings, or were early forays onto different formats. 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 just one more recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
Still, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, shall we?
Pokémon Ranch: The Chill Forerunner
Too many Pokémon games focus on the battling element of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the everyday realities that would come with owning a companion. Sure, modern titles include small features like these in recent entries—players may pet, and feed your monsters in camps. However, I'm dying for a Pokémon game more in the style of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to store monsters from different games. Critical reception from its launch said Ranch was a bad if not outright hideous game. I'm not here to argue against these claims, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game takes place on a farm where your personal Miis—get this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the appeal was observing what your monsters might do when not forced into cockfighting. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a wonderful franchise built on the simple pleasures of coexisting with a tiny companion. But since The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its complete potential. I'd say 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the upcoming Switch exclusive is as much a puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of comfort gaming. It was prior to the proliferation of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of viewing games you aren't playing. Most people never understood that Ranch's proposal to observe your critters as much as you play with them didn't mask a shallow core. In truth, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, there's a live stream focused on running the game continuously. The individual who runs the channel states that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he still has not seen everything that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: nobody understood you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Tactical Board Game Lost
Are you aware that Pokemon once had an official tabletop game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the physical experience in a more accessible format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of free-to-play mobile gaming. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha game where players could spend for advantage—and there was incentive to do so, given the slow progression for new figures.
These questionable mechanics masked a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an superb tactical game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I loved and miss this game," one YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of depth, accessibility, game design, and features in general," another commenter wrote. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket together."
Regrettably, Duel's early release was marred by server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people few incentives to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, I'm still not certain things would play out differently. The unusual game board made for a great strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd Experiment
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a concept so silly, it was bordering on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a team of useless monsters who literally can't do anything, I'm shocked we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with breeding the ultimate version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter contests to see who can flop the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone 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 fan culture around Magikarp.
This was most apparent than in Jump's merciless random events, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the clever dialogue, 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. 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 complex or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Sharply written events with unpredictable results that forever alter how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will likely be in the running when 2026 GOTY season rolls around.
With dozens of 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 with affection despite argu
