3 Pokemon Games That Were Denied the Love They Deserved
Following a taste of global harmony thanks to Pokémon Go, it's beyond doubt that the creature-catching franchise stands as one of the most mainstream video games in existence. Pikachu is just as famous as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The continued pandemonium around card prices ensures near-daily Pokémon news stories. It would be difficult to find a pocket monster game that didn't sell at least a couple million copies. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.
However in spite of that pervasiveness and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that are totally underappreciated. These are titles that failed to receive their fair shake, or were buried by the hype of the core series. They're Pokémon games stuck on doomed platforms or online offerings, or were early forays onto new mediums. They're often also Pokémon games that might have flourished if they ever got sequels or modern remakes. With these criteria in mind, this list will not be yet another reminder for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Still, you may already know about these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to rearranging your glasses and writing 'Well,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, shall we?
Pokémon Ranch: The Relaxed Forerunner
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the combat element of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the ordinary aspects that would come with living with a companion. Admittedly, there are minor mechanics like these in recent entries—players may pet, and feed your monsters in camps. However, I'm longing for a Pokémon game more in the style of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is most accurately viewed as the precursor to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch 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 nearest we've come to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game is set on a farm where your personal Miis—imagine this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were basic, and a significant part of the draw was observing what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a beautiful 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, it's likely we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game developed to its fullest potential. One might cry 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is as much a puzzle game as it is a life sim.
Ranch was released well before Stardew Valley sparked the enduring trend of comfort gaming. It was before the rise of idle games, and the video playthrough popularization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Most people never understood that Ranch's proposal to observe your creatures as much as you play with them didn't mask a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so extraordinary, a live 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.
Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Board Game Gone
Did you know that Pokemon once had an licensed board game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the physical experience in a more accessible format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures 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 pieces.
All of these questionable mechanics obfuscated a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an superb 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 pulled. "Honestly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, accessibility, game design, and content in general," another commenter wrote. "I am convinced if it came out now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket together."
Regrettably, Duel's initial launch was marred by server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people little reason to return. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, I'm still not certain things would end better. The unusual game board made for a great tactical experience for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating visual mess.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Whimsical Experiment
Man, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a concept so silly, it was bordering on internet meme. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team of useless 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. 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. I'm not a fan 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 the developers appreciated and got the fan culture 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 eaten by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the great writing, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the core series 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 30 different variations for a roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but one can dream.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly sophisticated or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance 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 running when Game of the Year season rolls around.
Given dozens of mainline entries and derivative titles, chances are that I didn't mention that particular Pokémon game you totally love but contend that too few people played. I know that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly despite argu
