3 Pokemon Titles That Failed to Receive the Love They Warranted

Following a taste of global harmony courtesy of Pokemon Go, there's no question that the creature-catching series is about as mainstream gaming titles around. The iconic Pikachu is every bit as famous as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The continued frenzy surrounding card prices guarantees almost daily Pokémon news stories. You'd be difficult to find a Pokémon game that failed to move at least a few million units. Remarkably, fan-made Pokémon games go viral annually.

However despite that pervasiveness and popularity, some Pokémon games that remain underappreciated. These are games that failed to receive their fair shake, or were overshadowed by the excitement of the core series. These are Pokémon games released on ill-fated platforms or services, or were pioneering attempts onto new mediums. Frequently, they are Pokémon games that might have flourished if they ever got sequels or modern remakes. Considering these factors, we won't be offering just one more recommendation for Pokemon Conquest or the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. We're digging deep.

Nevertheless, these might be these Pokémon games. Therefore, prior to rearranging your glasses and writing 'Actually,' we can all acknowledge that these are Pokémon games for those possessing refined tastes, shall we?

Pokémon Ranch: The Relaxed Precursor

Too many Pokémon games focus on the battling element of the series, and not nearly enough of them highlight the ordinary realities that would come with owning a pet. Admittedly, there are small features like these in modern games—players may play with 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 Nintendo Wii isn't it. The digital-only title is best seen as the antecedent to Pokemon Home; that is, as a repository to hold monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch said Ranch was a poor if not truly ugly game. It's not my goal to argue against these notions, but it compels me to say Ranch might be the nearest we've come to a everyday life Pokémon game.

As the name suggests, the game takes place on a ranch where your Mii avatars—imagine this—just relax with your Pokémon pals. The interactions with Pokémon were simple, and a lot of the draw was observing what your monsters might do when not forced into battle. In a just world, 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 charge a subscription for Pokémon Home now, it's likely we will never see a Pokémon Ranch game realized to its fullest potential. One might cry 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but it's also known that the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive is just as much a puzzler as it is a life sim.

Ranch was released long before Stardew Valley kicked off the lasting craze of comfort gaming. It was prior to the proliferation of passive games, and the video playthrough popularization of viewing games you aren't playing. Most people never understood that Ranch's proposal to watch your critters as much as you play with them wasn't to hide a shallow core. In truth, Ranch's meticulous design was so remarkable, there's a live stream focused on broadcasting the game continuously. The streamer who runs the channel states that, after almost twenty years of playing the game, he even now has not encountered all that is in it. Justice for Pokémon Ranch: no one knew what to do with you in 2008.

Pokemon Duel: The Tactical Board Game Gone

Are you aware that Pokémon once had an official tabletop game with action figures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 effort to adapt the tabletop experience in a more approachable format. Duel was also, sadly, one of Pokémon's earliest forays into the world of free-to-play phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha game where players could pay to win—and there was motivation to do so, given the lengthy grind for new pieces.

These poor design choices obfuscated a sad truth: Pokémon Duel was an excellent strategy game with Duel anymore. "Words cannot describe how much I loved and miss this game," one YouTube comment states, seven years after Duel's servers were pulled. "Truly I think this game was better than TCG Pocket in terms of depth, approachability, design, and features in general," a user declared. "I truly believe if it launched now people would be engaging with it more than GO and Pocket together."

Regrettably, Duel's early release was plagued with server issues. Bugs, alongside Duel's predatory monetization model, gave people few incentives to return. Should a revival occur, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would end better. The unique board structure made for a great tactical experience for the few folks who played Duel, but that playing field is also a daunting eyesore.

Pokemon: Magikarp Jump: The Silly Experiment

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 silly, it was verging on internet meme. Considering we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team of ineffective 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 tasked with raising the ultimate version of the notorious fish. I'm not talking about a Magikarp that can win battles. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter contests to see who can flop the highest. One drawback is how Magikarp Jump, like many phone games, requires 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.

This was most apparent than in Jump's merciless random occurrences, where your Magikarp was just as likely to raise its stats as it was to get snatched by a Pidgeotto. Beyond the clever dialogue, Magikarp Jump also experimented with other things I wish the core series would do, like offering a diverse range of the same species of monster. It's understood it's not practical for any Pokémon game to have dozens of 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 sophisticated or deep game, but the kernels of genius were there. Witty events with unpredictable results that permanently influence 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 2026 GOTY season rolls around.

With numerous mainline entries and derivative titles, chances are that I omitted that one Pokémon game you absolutely adore but argue that too few people played. I know that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokemon Pinball fondly despite argu