Following a glimpse of world peace thanks to Pokemon Go, it's beyond doubt that the creature-catching series stands as one of the most mainstream gaming titles around. Pikachu is just as famous as Mickey Mouse, if not more so. The persistent pandemonium surrounding card prices ensures near-daily Pokemon news stories. 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 every year.
Yet despite that ubiquity and popularity, some Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These represent titles that didn't get their fair shake, or were buried under the excitement of the core series. These are Pokémon games released on doomed consoles or services, or were early forays onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have flourished if they had received follow-ups or modern remakes. Considering these factors, this list will not be just one more recommendation for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're digging deep.
Nevertheless, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and writing 'Actually,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?
Pokemon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor
Too many Pokémon games focus on the battling element of the series, and far too few of them focus on the ordinary aspects that would come with owning a companion. Sure, modern titles include small features like these in modern games—you can pet, and feed your monsters in camps. However, I'm dying for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Nintendo Wii is not that game. The digital-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a repository to hold monsters from various titles. Reviews from its release noted Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to dispute these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've ever gotten to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
As the name suggests, the game takes place on a ranch where your personal Miis—get this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The activities 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 start of a wonderful franchise built on the daily joys of coexisting with a small creature. But since The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its fullest potential. One might cry 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the upcoming Switch exclusive is just as much a puzzler as it is a life sim.
Ranch was released long before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of comfort gaming. It was prior to the proliferation of idle games, and the video playthrough popularization 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 meticulous design was so remarkable, there's a live stream focused on broadcasting the game continuously. The streamer who runs the channel states that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he still has not seen all that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody understood you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Tabletop Game Lost
Did you know that Pokemon once had an licensed board game with action figures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the physical experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest forays 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 slow progression for new figures.
These questionable mechanics masked a sad truth: 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 shut down. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, approachability, design, and features in general," another commenter declared. "I am convinced if it came out now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."
Regrettably, Duel's initial launch was marred by connectivity problems. Bugs, alongside Duel's scummy business model, gave people little reason to come back. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, it's unclear things would play out differently. The unique game board made for a fantastic tactical experience for the few folks who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Experiment
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games relax a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a premise so absurd, it was bordering on internet meme. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a full belt of useless monsters who simply cannot do anything, it's surprising 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 notorious fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter contests to see who can flop the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, forces the player to pause before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that Select Button loved and understood the community love around Magikarp.
This was most apparent than in Jump's brutal random events, where your Magikarp was as likely to raise its stats 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 type of monster. It's understood it's not feasible for any Pokémon game to have dozens of variations for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or profound game, but the kernels of genius were there. Witty 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.
With numerous core games and derivative titles, it's probable that I didn't mention that one Pokémon game you totally love but argue that not nearly enough people played. I know that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu
