In the wake of a taste of world peace courtesy of Pokemon Go, it's undeniable that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most ubiquitous video games around. Pikachu is just as recognizable as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The persistent excitement surrounding card prices ensures almost daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a few million units. Even, unofficial Pokémon games go viral every year.
Yet in spite of that pervasiveness and fame, some Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These represent games that didn't get their proper due, or were overshadowed under the excitement of the mainline series. These are Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated platforms or services, or were early forays onto different formats. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that probably would have flourished if they had received sequels or modern remakes. With these criteria in mind, we won't be offering yet another reminder for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're digging deep.
Nevertheless, these might be these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and writing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with discerning palates, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the combat aspect of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the everyday realities that would come with living with a pet. Sure, modern titles include small features like these in recent entries—you can pet, and feed your monsters in bases. However, I'm dying for a Pokémon game more in the style of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a repository to hold monsters from various titles. Reviews from its launch noted Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to argue against these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've ever gotten to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game is set on a ranch where your personal Miis—get this—just relax with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the draw was watching what your monsters might do when not forced into cockfighting. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a wonderful franchise built on the simple pleasures of coexisting with a small creature. 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 fullest potential. I'd say 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is as much a puzzle game as it is a life simulation.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of cozy games. It was before the rise of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Many never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your critters as much as you interact with them didn't mask a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so extraordinary, a Twitch stream focused on broadcasting the game 24/7. The streamer who runs the channel states that, after almost twenty years of playing the game, he even now has not seen all that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Lost
Are you aware that Pokemon once had an official tabletop game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to adapt the physical experience in a more accessible format. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of freemium phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was motivation to do so, given the lengthy grind for new figures.
All of these questionable mechanics 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, seven years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, approachability, game design, and features in general," a user wrote. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."
Regrettably, Duel's early release was plagued with server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people few incentives to return. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, it's unclear things would play out differently. The unusual game board made for a great strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Whimsical 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 approving a game with a premise so silly, it was verging on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team of ineffective monsters who simply cannot do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with breeding the best possible version of the notorious fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter competitions to see who can jump the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, requires the player to wait before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that the developers appreciated and got the fan culture around Magikarp.
This was most apparent than in Jump's brutal random events, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve 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 mainline games would do, like offering a diverse range of the same type of monster. It's understood 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 one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly complex or profound game, but the kernels of genius 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 conversation when 2026 GOTY season rolls around.
Given numerous core games and spin-offs, chances are that I didn't mention that one Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu
