Three Pokémon Games That Failed to Receive the Adoration They Deserved
Following a vision of global harmony courtesy of Pokémon Go, it's undeniable that the monster collecting series is about as mainstream gaming titles around. The iconic Pikachu is just as identifiable as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The persistent pandemonium around card prices ensures almost daily Pokémon news stories. It would be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a couple million units. Even, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.
Yet in spite of that pervasiveness and fame, there are still Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These are titles that failed to receive their fair shake, or were buried under the hype of the core series. These are Pokémon games released on doomed consoles or online offerings, or were early forays onto different formats. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that probably would have flourished if they had received sequels or contemporary re-releases. Considering these factors, we won't be offering yet another recommendation for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're pulling an Excadrill.
Nevertheless, you may already know about these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to adjusting your spectacles and writing 'Well,' let us just agree that these are Pokémon games for people with refined tastes, shall we?
Pokémon Ranch: The Relaxed Forerunner
Too many Pokémon games focus on the combat element of the series, and not nearly enough of them focus on the ordinary realities that would come with owning a pet. Sure, there are small features like these in recent entries—you can pet, and feed your monsters in camps. However, I'm longing for a Pokémon game more in the vein of Nintendogs or The Sims.
My Pokémon Ranch (2008) for the Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from various titles. Reviews from its launch 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 come to a slice-of-life Pokémon game.
True to its title, the game takes place on a ranch where your personal Miis—get this—simply hang out with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were simple, and a lot of the appeal was observing what your monsters might do when not forced into cockfighting. Ideally, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a beautiful franchise built on the simple pleasures of coexisting with a small creature. But since The Pokémon Company can collect a fee for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its complete potential. One might cry 'help 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 sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was prior to the rise of idle games, and the Let's Play normalization of watching games you aren't actively controlling. Most people never understood that Ranch's concept to observe your critters as much as you interact with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In actuality, Ranch's attention to detail was so extraordinary, there's a Twitch stream dedicated to running the game continuously. 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: nobody knew what to do with you in 2008.
Pokemon Duel: The Strategic Board Game Lost
Did you know that Pokemon once had an licensed tabletop game with action figures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to adapt the tabletop experience in a more accessible format. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's earliest forays into the world of free-to-play phone games. 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.
All of these questionable mechanics obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an superb strategy game with Duel anymore. "I can’t express how much I loved and miss this game," one YouTube comment reads, seven years after Duel's servers were shut down. "Truly I think this game was superior to TCG Pocket in terms of depth, accessibility, design, and content in general," a user declared. "I truly believe if it launched 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 monetization model, gave people little reason to come back. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, I'm still not certain 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
Wow, why don't more Pokémon games loosen up a little and have some enjoyment? Magikarp Jump (2017) was a rare instance of The Pokémon Company giving its blessing a game with a premise so silly, it was verging on internet meme. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a full belt of ineffective monsters who simply cannot do anything, I'm shocked we don't have more Pokémon games that laugh at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with breeding the best possible version of the notorious fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'karp raised to enter competitions to see who can flop the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, forces the player to pause before they can improve their Magikarp further. But it is evident throughout the experience that the developers appreciated and got the community love around Magikarp.
This was most apparent than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was as likely to raise its stats as it was to get eaten by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also tried out other things one might wish the core series would do, like offering a wide variety of the same type 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 we can hope.
Magikarp Jump was not a particularly complex or deep game, but the kernels of genius were there. Sharply written events with outrageous outcomes that forever alter how you can raise a pet also describe the excellent Mewgenics. It's worth noting: Mewgenics will almost certainly be in the conversation when Game of the Year season rolls around.
With dozens of mainline entries and derivative titles, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you absolutely adore but contend that too few people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball with affection despite argu
