3 Pokemon Games That Were Denied the Love They Deserved

In the wake of a taste of world peace courtesy of Pokémon Go, it's beyond doubt that the monster collecting franchise is about as mainstream gaming titles around. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as recognizable as Mickey Mouse, perhaps even more. The ongoing frenzy surrounding trading card values ensures near-daily Pokemon news stories. It would be difficult to find a Pokémon game that didn't sell at least a couple million units. Even, fan-made Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.

However in spite of that pervasiveness and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These represent titles that failed to receive their proper due, or were overshadowed by the excitement of the mainline series. These are Pokémon games released on doomed platforms or services, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they had received sequels or contemporary re-releases. Considering these factors, this list will not be yet another recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.

Still, you may already know about these Pokémon games. So, before rearranging your glasses and writing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, agreed?

Pokemon Ranch: The Chill Precursor

An excessive number of Pokémon games focus on the combat aspect of the series, and not nearly enough of them highlight the ordinary aspects that would come with living with a companion. Admittedly, modern titles include small features like these in modern games—players may play with your monsters in camps. But I am longing for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.

My Pokemon Ranch (2008) for the Wii is not that game. The digital-only title is most accurately viewed as the precursor to Pokemon Home; that is, as a repository to store monsters from various titles. Reviews from its release noted Ranch was a bad if not outright hideous game. It's not my goal to argue against these notions, but it compels 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 takes place on a farm 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 not forced into battle. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the beginning of a wonderful franchise built on the daily joys of coexisting with a tiny companion. But since The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, I'm guessing we will not get a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its fullest potential. I'd say 'save us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the upcoming Switch exclusive is as much a puzzle game as it is a life sim.

Ranch came out long before Stardew Valley kicked off the enduring trend of cozy games. It was prior to the proliferation of idle games, and the Let's Play normalization of viewing games you aren't playing. Most people never realized that Ranch's concept to watch your critters as much as you interact with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In truth, Ranch's attention to detail was so extraordinary, a Twitch stream focused on running the game 24/7. The streamer who runs the channel states that, after almost twenty years of playing the game, he still has not seen everything that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.

Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Tabletop Game Gone

Did you know that Pokémon once had an official tabletop game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 effort to digitize the tabletop experience in a more accessible format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest forays into the world of freemium phone games. Duel had the hallmarks of a gacha title where players could pay to win—and there was incentive to do so, given the slow progression for new pieces.

These questionable mechanics masked a tragic reality: Pokémon Duel was an superb tactical game with Duel today. "I can’t express how much I loved 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 complexity, approachability, design, and content in general," a user wrote. "I truly believe if it came out now people would be playing it more than GO and Pocket together."

Regrettably, Duel's initial launch was marred by connectivity problems. Technical problems, alongside Duel's predatory business model, gave people few incentives to return. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would play out differently. The unique game board made for a great strategic challenge for the handful of players who played Duel, but that playing field is also a intimidating visual mess.

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 rare instance of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a concept so absurd, it was verging 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 poke fun at themselves.

Within Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with breeding the ultimate version of the infamous fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'karp raised to enter contests to see who can jump the highest. I'm not a fan is how Magikarp Jump, like many mobile games, forces the player to wait before they can train their Magikarp further. But it is clear throughout the experience that the developers appreciated and got the community love around Magikarp.

Nowhere was this more evident than in Jump's brutal random occurrences, where your Magikarp was just as likely to raise its stats as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Apart from the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also tried out other things one might wish the core series would do, like offering a diverse range 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 one can dream.

Magikarp Jump was not a especially sophisticated or deep game, but the seeds of brilliance were there. Sharply written events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can train a companion also describe the excellent Mewgenics. And I'm just saying: Mewgenics will likely be in the running when 2026 GOTY season rolls around.

With numerous mainline entries and derivative titles, chances are that I didn't mention that one Pokémon game you totally love but argue that too few people played. It's acknowledged that some people look back on games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly notwithstanding argu