Following a vision of global harmony thanks to Pokemon Go, there's no question that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most ubiquitous video games around. The iconic Pikachu is just as famous as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The persistent excitement surrounding trading card values ensures almost daily Pokémon news stories. It would be difficult to find a Pokémon game that didn't sell at least a few million copies. Even, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
Yet in spite of that pervasiveness and fame, some Pokémon games that are totally underappreciated. These represent games that didn't get their proper due, or were overshadowed under the excitement of the core series. They're Pokémon games released on ill-fated platforms or services, or were early forays onto different formats. They're often also Pokémon games that probably would have blossomed if they had received follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering yet another reminder for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Still, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to rearranging your glasses and typing 'Actually,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Cozy Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games emphasize the combat element of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the ordinary realities that would come with living with a companion. Sure, there are small features like these in recent entries—you can pet, and feed your monsters in bases. But I am dying 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 antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a repository to store monsters from different games. Critical reception from its release said Ranch was a bad if not outright hideous game. It's not my goal to dispute these notions, but it behooves 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 is set on a ranch where your Mii avatars—imagine this—just relax with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part of the appeal was watching what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a beautiful 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, 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 puzzler as it is a life simulation.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of comfort gaming. It was prior to the proliferation of idle games, and the Let's Play normalization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Most people never understood that Ranch's concept to watch your creatures as much as you interact with them didn't mask a lack of substance. In truth, Ranch's attention to detail was so remarkable, a live stream focused on broadcasting the game continuously. The streamer who operates the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he even now has not seen all that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: no one understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Lost
Did you know that Pokémon once had an official board game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the physical experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of freemium 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.
These poor design choices obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent strategy game with Duel today. "I can’t express how much I loved and miss this game," one YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Honestly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, design, and features in general," a user wrote. "I truly believe if it came out now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Regrettably, Duel's early release was marred by server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's scummy monetization model, gave people little reason to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unusual game board made for a fantastic strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting eyesore.
Pokemon: 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 giving its blessing a game with a concept so silly, it was verging on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a full belt of useless monsters who simply cannot do anything, I'm shocked we don't have more Pokémon games that poke fun at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with breeding the best possible 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, forces 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 community love around Magikarp.
This was most apparent than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the mainline games would do, like offering a wide variety of the same type of monster. I know it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have 30 different variations 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 kernels of genius 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 almost certainly be in the conversation when Game of the Year season rolls around.
With dozens of mainline entries and derivative titles, chances are that I didn't mention that particular Pokémon game you totally love but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu
