Following a glimpse of world peace courtesy of Pokemon Go, it's beyond doubt that the creature-catching series is about as mainstream gaming titles around. The iconic Pikachu is just as famous as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The persistent frenzy around card prices guarantees almost daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be difficult to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a couple million units. Remarkably, unofficial Pokémon games go viral annually.
However despite that ubiquity and fame, there are still Pokémon games that remain overlooked. These are titles that didn't get their fair shake, or were overshadowed by the excitement of the mainline series. They're Pokémon games released on doomed consoles or services, or were pioneering attempts onto different formats. They're often also Pokémon games that might have flourished if they had received follow-ups or modern remakes. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering yet another recommendation for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokemon 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,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for those possessing discerning palates, shall we?
Pokémon Ranch: The Chill Forerunner
Too many Pokémon games emphasize the battling aspect of the series, and far too few of them focus on the ordinary realities that would come with owning a companion. Admittedly, there are small features like these in modern games—players may pet, and feed your monsters in camps. However, I'm longing for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Wii is not that game. The downloadable-only title is most accurately viewed as the precursor to Pokemon Home; that is, as a repository to store monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch noted Ranch was a poor if not outright hideous game. I'm not here to dispute these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the closest we've ever gotten to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game is set on a farm where your personal Miis—imagine this—just relax with your 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 battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a wonderful franchise built on the daily joys of living your life with a tiny companion. However, because The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will never see 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 puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of comfort gaming. It was before the proliferation of idle games, and the Let's Play popularization of watching games you aren't playing. Most people never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your creatures as much as you play with them didn't mask a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so extraordinary, a Twitch stream dedicated to broadcasting the game 24/7. The streamer who operates the channel states that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he even now has not encountered everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Board Game Lost
Did you know that Pokemon once had an official tabletop game with action figures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the physical experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of free-to-play phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha title where players could pay to win—and there was incentive to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.
All of these poor design choices masked a tragic reality: 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, seven years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, approachability, design, and content in general," a user declared. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Regrettably, Duel's early release was plagued with server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's predatory monetization model, gave people few incentives to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unique game board made for a great strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating eyesore.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Experiment
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a concept so absurd, it was bordering on shitpost. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth 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.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with raising the best possible version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter contests to see who can jump the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, requires the player to pause before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that the developers loved and understood the community love around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was just as likely to improve as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the great writing, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the mainline games would do, like offering a diverse range 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 sophisticated or profound game, but the kernels of genius were there. Witty events with outrageous outcomes that permanently influence 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 rolls around.
With numerous mainline entries and derivative titles, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that too few people played. I know that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball with affection despite argu
