The Pokémon franchise is one of the most successful properties in the whole world. In addition to the long-lasting game series, TV show, and an excessive amount of merchandise, there’s been a number of amazing Pokémon spinoffs that could easily become series of their own if they weren’t forgotten by The Pokémon Company.
The original Pokémon spinoff is one of the most nostalgic. Pokémon Stadium released in 2000 and was the first time fans were able to see their favorite monsters in 3D, along with a slew of timeless minigames. Recently, Nintendo released Pokken Tournament and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX on the Switch to some great critical reception, and a New Pokémon Snap is in the works as well, which is an exciting move for fans of the series.
That barely scratches the surface, though, of the plethora of amazing Pokémon side-games. One of the most unique and in-depth titles in Pokémon history is Pokémon Conquest, a mash-up of Pokémon and Nobunaga's Ambition — resulting in one of the best tactical RPGs on the Nintendo DS. The Pokémon Trading Card Game for the Game Boy is still revered as one of the best spin-offs fans want to see a return of, and Pokémon Pinball has been missing from Nintendo’s lineup since 2003.
The Best Pokemon Spin-offs
Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness were the first story-based Pokémon games for consoles. Although they didn’t follow the traditional formula of catching wild Pokémon and collecting gym badges, the games themselves had compelling stories with their own unique way of combining battling and healing the hearts of Shadow Pokémon. The desert world of Orre was incredibly unique, and a darker Pokémon story along with slightly harder gameplay made the titles stand out from the main series. Both titles played more like traditional JRPGs, and could easily live alongside the Pokémon main games as a more adult-oriented series.
According to Pokémon’s corporate website, The Pokémon Company has sold over 30.4 billion Pokémon Trading Cards since its first print in Japan in 1996. The Pokémon Company released Pokémon TCG Online in 2011 for PC and mobile, but there hasn’t been a real entry similar to the Game Boy’s Pokémon Trading Card Game since 2000. The original Game Boy game had players follow a similar path as the main titles, where a young boy is challenging eight of the best leaders in the world to card game battles. With the continued success of the trading cards, it’s a surprise to see a sequel hasn’t been developed, nor has Pokémon TCG Online been ported to a Nintendo console.
Pokémon Goes to Feudal Japan
Released in 2012, Pokémon Conquest is perhaps the most fleshed-out Pokémon spinoff in history. A game combining the aesthetics of Pokémon with a strategy tactics system similar to Fire Emblem set in Feudal Japan seems like a fan-fiction, but in reality, it has some of the deepest systems in any Pokémon title to date. The game forces players to think about positional strategies, and tasks them with the goal of conquering all 17 kingdoms in a fantasy Japan. Pokémon Conquest does an excellent job of mixing difficulty with accessibility and has a huge amount of post-game content. By far one of the most unique games with the Pokémon name attached to it, it's the spinoff that most deserves a sequel.
Not every Pokémon spinoff is a raving success. Hey You, Pikachu! was held back due to technical limitations, and some people are still figuring out what Pokémon Channel is even about. Regardless, there’s plenty of potential in Pokémon’s forgotten spinoffs to generate sales and add some quality titles to the Nintendo Switch catalog.