It has been 22 years since the original Pokémon Snap released on the Nintendo 64. The announcement of New Pokémon Snap came as nothing short of a surprise, delighting fans of the original that never got to play a sequel. The photography game encapsulates the diversity of possibilities for games within the Pokémon franchise. The mainline Pokémon titles and their remakes always seem to dominate the fanbase’s attention, but there have been many unique and interesting spin-off games over the years.
From strategy games to puzzlers and virtual arcade games, The Pokémon Company has tried to break into many different genres with its beloved monsters. Some Pokémon spin-offs like Mystery Dungeon manage to get follow-up games, turning into a legitimate series in its own right. Many others flounder after one or two entries, and are seemingly forgotten by game developers, even though there might be potential for innovative sequels.
Some Pokémon spin-offs were genuinely innovative for their time, and others simply didn’t quite hit the mark. With the global popularity of Pokémon, almost any game carrying the brand will have some sort of audience. However, some spin-offs never really got the treatment they deserve. Here are four Pokémon games that deserve to see a revival like Pokémon Snap.
Pokémon Games that Need a Revival – Hey You, Pikachu!
Hey You, Pikachu! was the only game to release in North America that used the Nintendo 64’s Voice Recognition Unit. The VRU was an N64 peripheral that plugged into the fourth controller slot and had a microphone that clipped onto the controller. A sort of precursor to games like Nintendogs, Hey You, Pikachu! required the player to speak with a Pikachu in order to train it commands and subsequently do various tasks. Although the Nintendo Switch doesn’t have a built in microphone, a modern version of Hey You, Pikachu! could potentially work very well on Android and iOS. Many Pokémon fans would jump at the opportunity to have a Pokémon friend in their pocket that could be trained and used in mini-games.
Pokémon Games that Need a Revival – Pokémon Conquest
Pokémon Conquest was an unlikely crossover with the tactical RPG series Nobunaga’s Ambition. In an attempt to unify the Ransei Region, players would enter isometric, turn-based battle with multiple Pokémon at their disposal. The game only received one title for the Nintendo DS in 2012, but the concept of a tactical RPG Pokémon game deserves another look. The Pokémon series’ Type system would offer a unique aspect to battles involving multiple creatures, differing terrain, and special abilities. The connection to Nobunaga’s Ambition wouldn’t even be necessary for a new game, since Nintendo could just supply players with some narrative justification for trainers using entire teams at once and build unique arenas.
Pokémon Games that Need a Revival – Pokémon Dash
Released as a launch title for the Nintendo DS, Pokémon Dash utilized the stylus for a top-down racing game. Players swiped the stylus in the direction they wanted their Pokémon to run, and checkpoints were completed in a set order.
The game would need to go through some changes since the 3DS has since been discontinued, but a racing game set in the Pokémon universe could be very interesting if the battle system is involved. This could be a racing game like Mario Kart, but instead of power-ups or items, a trainer has a handful of Pokémon at their disposal to boost their kart performance or knock opponents out of the way. A game like this could be right at home on the Nintendo Switch.
Pokémon Games that Need a Revival – Pokémon Pinball
Unlike the other games on this list, Pokémon Pinball actually got a sequel. The original came out for the Game Boy Color in 1999, and the second game, Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire, came to the Game Boy Advance in 2003. The pinball started out as a Poké Ball, and advanced through Great, Ultra, and Master Ball as the player’s score accumulated. There were also a plethora of mini-games, such as a brick breaker style game with Digletts and Dugtrios. It’s surprising the series hasn’t been made into a mobile game, since smart phone screens are the correct orientation for a pinball machine, but a Switch version could offer split-screen play as well.
While the mainline Pokémon games remain largely the same, the IP itself has plenty of room for creativity. The beloved monsters can be made to fit into just about any genre, and there are some great games that were tried once, and then seemingly abandoned. With any luck, The Pokémon Company will bring back some of the old spin-offs that deserve another chance, just like Pokémon Snap.
