Three Pokémon Titles That Failed to Receive the Adoration They Deserved
In the wake of a glimpse of global harmony courtesy of Pokémon Go, it's beyond doubt that the creature-catching franchise stands as one of the most ubiquitous gaming titles around. Pikachu is every bit as famous as Disney's mascot, perhaps even more. The ongoing excitement surrounding card prices ensures near-daily Pokémon news stories. It would be hard-pressed to find a pocket monster game that failed to move at least a few million units. Even, unofficial Pokémon games achieve popularity every year.
Yet despite that pervasiveness and popularity, there are still Pokémon games that are totally overlooked. These are titles that failed to receive their proper due, or were buried under the hype of the core series. These are Pokémon games released on doomed platforms or services, or were early forays onto different formats. They're often also Pokémon games that might have blossomed if they ever got follow-ups or modern remakes. Considering these factors, we won't be offering yet another reminder for Pokémon Conquest or the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. We're going beneath the surface.
Still, 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 people with discerning palates, agreed?
Pokémon Ranch: The Cozy Precursor
Too many Pokémon games emphasize the combat aspect of the series, and far too few of them focus on the ordinary realities that would come with living with a companion. Sure, there are small features like these in recent entries—players may pet, and feed your monsters in bases. 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 is not that game. The downloadable-only title is most accurately viewed as the antecedent to Pokémon Home; that is, as a storage system to hold monsters from various titles. Critical reception from its launch noted 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 is set on a farm where your personal Miis—get this—just relax with your Pokémon pals. The activities with Pokémon were simple, and a lot of the draw was watching what your monsters might do when they're not being forced into battle. In a just world, Pokémon Ranch would have been the start of a beautiful franchise built on the daily joys of living your life with a small creature. 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 complete potential. I'd say 'help us, Pokémon Pokopia!' but I also know that the upcoming Switch exclusive is just as much a puzzle game as it is a life sim.
Ranch came out well before Stardew Valley sparked the lasting craze of cozy games. It was prior to the rise of idle games, and the video playthrough normalization of viewing games you aren't actively controlling. Most people never realized that Ranch's proposal to watch your critters as much as you interact with them wasn't to hide a lack of substance. In actuality, Ranch's meticulous design was so remarkable, a Twitch stream dedicated to running the game continuously. The streamer who operates the channel maintains that, after nearly two decades of playing the game, he even now has not seen all that is in it. Recognition for Pokémon Ranch: nobody understood you in 2008.
Pokémon Duel: The Strategic Board Game Gone
Are you aware that Pokemon once had an official tabletop game with miniatures? Pokemon Duel was the 2016 attempt to digitize the physical experience in a more accessible form. Duel was also, unfortunately, one of Pokémon's first ventures into the world of freemium phone games. Duel had the trappings of a gacha title where players could pay to win—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 today. "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 complexity, 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 early release was marred by server issues. Technical problems, alongside Duel's scummy business model, gave people little reason to come back. If, by some miracle, The Pokémon Company chose to resurrect this franchise, it's unclear things would play out differently. The unusual game board made for a great tactical experience for the handful of players who played Duel, but that playing field is also a daunting visual mess.
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump: The Absurd 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 approving a game with a premise so absurd, it was verging on internet meme. And when we're dealing with a franchise where trainers venture forth with a team of useless monsters who literally can't do anything, it's surprising we don't have more Pokémon games that poke fun at themselves.
In Magikarp Jump, the player is tasked with breeding the ultimate version of the infamous fish. This isn't about a Magikarp that can kick your butt. These are 'Magikarp raised to enter contests to see who can flop the highest. One drawback 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 loved and understood the fan culture around Magikarp.
Nowhere was this more evident 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 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 feasible 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 profound game, but the kernels of genius were there. Witty events with unpredictable results 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 Game of the Year season rolls around.
Given dozens of core games and spin-offs, it's probable that I omitted that particular Pokémon game you totally love but argue that not nearly enough people played. It's acknowledged that some people remember games like Pokemon Ranger or Pokémon Pinball fondly notwithstanding argu
