Following a glimpse of global harmony thanks to Pokémon Go, it's undeniable that the creature-catching series stands as one of the most mainstream video games in existence. The iconic Pikachu is just as famous as Disney's mascot, if not more so. The continued pandemonium surrounding card prices ensures almost daily Pokémon headlines. It would be difficult to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a few million copies. Even, fan-made Pokémon games go viral every year.
However despite that ubiquity and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These are titles that failed to receive their fair shake, or were buried under the hype of the mainline series. These are Pokémon games stuck on ill-fated platforms or services, or were early forays onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that probably would have flourished if they ever got follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. Considering these factors, we won't be offering just one more 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 adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for those possessing discerning palates, shall we?
Pokémon Ranch: The Chill Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the combat element of the series, and far too few of them focus on the everyday 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 camps. But I am dying for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokémon 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 storage system to store monsters from various titles. Reviews from its release noted Ranch was a bad if not truly ugly game. I'm not here to argue against these claims, 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 takes place on a farm where your personal Miis—imagine this—just relax with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a lot of the appeal was watching what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into cockfighting. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a beautiful franchise built on the daily joys of coexisting with a small creature. However, because The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its complete potential. One might cry 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is just as much a puzzle game as it is a life sim.
Ranch was released long before Stardew Valley kicked off the enduring trend of cozy games. It was before the rise of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Many never understood that Ranch's proposal to observe your critters as much as you interact with them didn't mask a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so remarkable, a live stream dedicated to broadcasting the game continuously. The streamer who runs the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of experiencing the game, he still has not seen everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: nobody knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Board Game Lost
Are you aware that Pokémon once had an licensed board game with miniatures? Pokémon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the tabletop experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's first forays into the world of freemium mobile gaming. 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 tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an excellent tactical game with Duel today. "I can’t express how much I adored and miss this game," one YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, accessibility, game design, and features in general," another commenter declared. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket combined."
Unfortunately, Duel's initial launch was marred by server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy business model, gave people few incentives to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would play out differently. The unusual board structure made for a great strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that board is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Whimsical Gem
Man, 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 silly, it was verging on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a full belt of useless monsters who literally can't do anything, I'm shocked we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is charged with raising the ultimate version of the notorious fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter competitions to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, requires the player to pause before they can improve 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 brutal random occurrences, where your Magikarp was as likely to improve as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the clever dialogue, 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. I know it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have dozens of variations for a compendium of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly sophisticated or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Witty events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will almost certainly be in the running when 2026 GOTY season rolls around.
Given dozens of mainline entries and spin-offs, chances are that I omitted that particular 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 with affection notwithstanding argu
