In the wake of a taste of world peace thanks to Pokémon Go, it's undeniable that the creature-catching series is about as mainstream video games around. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as famous as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The ongoing pandemonium surrounding card prices ensures near-daily Pokemon headlines. It would be difficult to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a couple million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral every year.
Yet in spite of that ubiquity and fame, there are still Pokémon games that remain overlooked. These are titles that didn't get their proper due, or were buried under the excitement of the core series. They're Pokémon games released on ill-fated platforms or online offerings, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have flourished if they had received follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. Considering these factors, this list will not be yet another reminder for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Still, these might be these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and typing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?
Pokémon Ranch: The Cozy Forerunner
An excessive number of Pokémon games emphasize the battling aspect of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the ordinary realities that would come with owning a companion. Sure, modern titles include minor mechanics like these in recent entries—you can play with your monsters in bases. However, I'm longing for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon 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 various titles. Critical reception from its launch said Ranch was a bad if not truly ugly game. I'm not here 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—get this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part 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 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, it's likely we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its complete potential. One might cry '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 sim.
Ranch was released long before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was prior to the rise of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Many never understood that Ranch's concept to watch your creatures as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so extraordinary, there's a Twitch stream focused on broadcasting the game 24/7. The individual who operates the channel states that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he still has not seen all that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Lost
Did you know that Pokemon once had an licensed tabletop game with action figures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 attempt to adapt the tabletop experience in a more approachable form. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of freemium mobile gaming. Duel had the trappings of a gacha title where players could pay to win—and there was motivation to do so, given the slow progression for new figures.
All of these questionable mechanics obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent tactical game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I loved and miss this game," a YouTube comment states, seven years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Honestly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, accessibility, design, and content in general," a user wrote. "I am convinced if it came out now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."
Regrettably, Duel's early release was plagued with connectivity problems. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people little reason to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company decided to revive this franchise, I'm still not certain things would end better. The unusual game board made for a great tactical experience for the handful of players who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Gem
Man, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a premise so silly, it was bordering on shitpost. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a full belt of ineffective monsters who literally can't do anything, I'm shocked we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
Within Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with breeding the ultimate 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 jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, requires the player to wait before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that the developers appreciated and got the fan culture around Magikarp.
This was most apparent than in Jump's merciless random events, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also tried out other things I wish the core series would do, like offering a wide variety of the same species of monster. I know it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have 30 different colorings and patterns for a roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a especially complex or deep 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. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will almost certainly be in the conversation when 2026 GOTY season arrives.
With numerous mainline entries and spin-offs, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokémon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball with affection notwithstanding argu
