Following a taste of world peace courtesy of Pokémon Go, it's undeniable that the creature-catching series stands as one of the most popular video games around. The iconic Pikachu is just as recognizable as Mickey Mouse, if not more so. The persistent excitement surrounding card prices ensures almost daily Pokemon news stories. It would be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a few million copies. Even, unofficial Pokémon games achieve popularity annually.
However in spite of that pervasiveness and popularity, some Pokémon games that are totally underappreciated. These represent games that didn't get their proper due, or were buried by the hype of the mainline series. They're Pokémon games released on ill-fated platforms or online offerings, or were early forays onto different formats. They're often also Pokémon games that probably would have flourished if they had received sequels or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, this list will not be yet another recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
Nevertheless, these might be these Pokémon games. So, before adjusting your spectacles and typing 'Actually,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with discerning palates, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Chill Precursor
Too many Pokémon games focus on the battling element of the series, and far too few of them highlight the ordinary realities that would come with living with 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 style of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokémon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii is not that game. The downloadable-only title is most accurately viewed as the precursor to Pokemon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from different games. Reviews from its launch noted Ranch was a bad if not truly ugly game. I'm not here to argue against these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a everyday life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a ranch where your Mii avatars—imagine this—simply hang out with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were simple, and a lot of the draw was watching what your monsters might do when not forced into battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a wonderful franchise built on the simple pleasures of living your life with a tiny companion. But since The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its complete potential. One might cry 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is as much a puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was prior to the proliferation of passive games, and the video playthrough normalization of viewing games you aren't playing. Most people never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your creatures 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 running the game continuously. The streamer who runs the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he even now has not seen everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Tactical Tabletop Game Gone
Did you know that Pokémon once had an official board game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the physical experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of free-to-play phone games. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha title where players could pay to win—and there was incentive to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.
These poor design choices masked a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an excellent strategy game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I adored and miss this game," one YouTube comment reads, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, approachability, game design, and features in general," another commenter declared. "I am convinced if it came out now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket together."
Unfortunately, Duel's initial launch was marred by connectivity problems. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy business model, gave people little reason to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, it's unclear things would play out differently. The unique game board made for a great tactical experience for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting eyesore.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Experiment
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a premise so absurd, 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, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that poke fun at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with breeding the ultimate version of the notorious fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'karp 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 improve their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that the developers loved and understood the fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's merciless 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 experimented with other things one might wish the core series 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 colorings and patterns 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 seeds of brilliance were there. Witty 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 almost certainly be in the conversation when Game of the Year season arrives.
Given dozens of mainline entries and spin-offs, chances are that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you totally love but argue that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people look back on games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly despite argu
