Three Pokémon Titles That Were Denied the Appreciation They Warranted
Following a glimpse of world peace thanks to Pokemon Go, there's no question that the monster collecting franchise stands as one of the most popular video games in existence. The iconic Pikachu is just as recognizable as Mickey Mouse, if not more so. The ongoing frenzy surrounding card prices guarantees almost daily Pokemon headlines. You'd be hard-pressed to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a few million copies. Even, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
However in spite of that pervasiveness and fame, some Pokémon games that are totally underappreciated. These are games that failed to receive their proper due, or were buried under the hype of the core series. These are Pokémon games stuck on doomed consoles or online offerings, or were early forays onto different formats. They're often also Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they had received follow-ups or contemporary re-releases. With these criteria in mind, this list will not be yet another recommendation for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're digging deep.
Still, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and typing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?
Pokémon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor
An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the battling aspect of the series, and far too few of them focus on the everyday aspects that would come with living with a companion. Sure, modern titles include small features 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 downloadable-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a repository to hold monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its release said Ranch was a bad if not truly ugly game. I'm not here to argue against these notions, but it behooves me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've ever gotten to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game is set on a farm where your personal Miis—get this—simply hang out with your pals. The activities with Pokémon were basic, and a lot 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 living your life with a tiny companion. But since The Pokémon Company can charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game developed 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 puzzle game as it is a life simulation.
Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of comfort gaming. It was prior to the proliferation of passive games, and the Let's Play normalization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Many never understood that Ranch's proposal to observe your critters as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so remarkable, a live stream focused on running the game continuously. The individual who runs the channel maintains that, after almost twenty years of playing the game, he still has not seen everything that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Board Game Gone
Did you know that Pokémon once had an licensed tabletop game with action figures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the tabletop experience in a more approachable form. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's earliest ventures into the world of freemium mobile gaming. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha title where players could spend for advantage—and there was incentive to do so, given the lengthy grind for new figures.
These poor design choices obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent tactical game with Duel today. "Words cannot describe how much I loved and miss this game," one YouTube comment states, years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of complexity, approachability, design, and content in general," another commenter wrote. "I am convinced if it launched now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket together."
Unfortunately, Duel's early release was marred by connectivity problems. Bugs, alongside Duel's scummy business 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 play out differently. The unusual board structure made for a fantastic strategic challenge for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a daunting eyesore.
Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Gem
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some fun? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a uncommon case of The Pokémon Company approving a game with a premise so absurd, it was verging on shitpost. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers go out with a team of useless 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 breeding the best possible 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 phone games, forces the player to pause before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that Select Button loved and understood the fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's merciless random events, where your Magikarp was just as likely to raise its stats as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things one might 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 variations for a roster of over a thousand creatures, as Magikarp Jump does... but we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly complex or profound game, but the kernels of genius were there. Witty events with outrageous outcomes that permanently influence how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will likely be in the running when 2026 GOTY season rolls around.
With numerous core games and spin-offs, chances are that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you totally love but contend that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly notwithstanding argu
