Following a taste of world peace thanks to Pokemon Go, it's beyond doubt that the monster collecting series stands as one of the most mainstream video games around. The iconic Pikachu is just as famous as Mickey Mouse, perhaps even more. The ongoing excitement surrounding trading card values guarantees near-daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be difficult to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a few million units. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
However despite that ubiquity and fame, some Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These represent titles that didn't get their fair shake, or were buried under the hype of the mainline 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, we won't be offering just one more recommendation for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
Still, these might be these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and typing 'Actually,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with discerning palates, shall we?
Pokemon Ranch: The Chill Forerunner
An excessive number of Pokémon games emphasize the combat element of the series, and far too few of them highlight the everyday aspects that would come with living with a companion. Admittedly, there are small features like these in modern games—players may play with your monsters in camps. 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 downloadable-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a repository to hold monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch said Ranch was a bad if not outright hideous game. It's not my goal to dispute these claims, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a everyday life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game takes place on a ranch where your Mii avatars—imagine this—just relax with your pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part of the draw was watching what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into battle. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start 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, I'm guessing we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its fullest potential. One might cry '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 sim.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of comfort gaming. It was before the proliferation of passive games, and the Let's Play popularization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Many never understood that Ranch's concept to observe your critters as much as you play with them didn't mask a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so extraordinary, there's a Twitch stream dedicated to broadcasting the game continuously. The streamer who runs the channel states that, after nearly two decades of playing 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 Board Game Lost
Did you know that Pokémon once had an licensed board game with action figures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the tabletop experience in a more approachable form. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first forays into the world of freemium mobile gaming. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was motivation to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.
All of these poor design choices masked a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent strategy game with Duel anymore. "I can’t express how much I loved and miss this game," a YouTube comment reads, seven years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Truly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, approachability, design, and content in general," another commenter declared. "I am convinced if it came out now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Regrettably, Duel's early release was marred by server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy monetization model, gave people few incentives to return. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, I'm still not certain things would end better. The unique game board made for a fantastic tactical experience for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board is also a intimidating visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Experiment
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a premise so silly, it was verging on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a team of ineffective monsters who literally can't do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with raising the ultimate version of the infamous fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter competitions to see who can jump the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, forces the player to pause before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that Select Button appreciated and got the community love around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was as likely to raise its stats as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the core series would do, like offering a wide variety of the same species of monster. It's understood it's not feasible for any Pokémon game to have 30 different colorings and patterns for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or profound game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Sharply written events with unpredictable results that permanently influence how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will likely 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 contend that too few people played. I know that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball with affection despite argu
