For every mainline Pokémon game that's an immense success, there has to be a spin-off that is a flop. While not every Pokémon spin-off results in failure, some games make fans wonder, "Why does this exist?"
Other than the obvious example of Pokémon Go, there have been multiple spin-off games that are particularly entertaining. Most of them are for the Nintendo 64. For example, Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Puzzle League. Over the years, there have also been plenty of downright confusing games, according to fans and MetaCritic alike.
10 Pokémon Masters Introduces Players To A Ton Of Gym Leaders - 63
Pokémon Masters EX released in 2019 and is a free-to-play mobile game for Android and iOS devices. However, like most mobile games, it's not entirely free-to-play and features microtransactions in the form of gems. To its credit, players can set a spending limit notification to be informed when they reach a certain amount of money.
The basis of Pokémon Masters EX is to become the Champion of the Pokémon Masters League by participating in 3-on-3 battles on Pasio Island. While not a terrible game, the concept is a little confusing, but encountering famous gym leaders from mainline games makes up for it a bit.
9 Players Maintain A Camp In Pokémon Quest - 62
Pokémon Quest is another free-to-play game for Nintendo Switch and iOS and Android devices. The game was released in 2018 and had almost eight million downloads in the first week of its launch. Pokémon Quest closely resembles the visual style of Minecraft and contains Pokémon called "Pokéxel" from the Kanto region.
To take care of the Pokémon, players go on expeditions to maintain their base camp at Tumblecube Island and defeat wild Pokémon. Players can also make various food dishes and decorate their camps. In terms of purchasable content, there are DLC and Expansion packs with decoration items.
8 Pokémon Shuffle Is A Free-To-Play Puzzle Game - 56
Pokémon Shuffle is a puzzle game for Nintendo 3DS and iOS and Android devices; it's free but contains microtransactions. The game is similar to the spin-off Pokémon Battle Trozei in terms of matching Pokémon. It also resembles the newer spin-off, Pokémon Cafe Mix for Nintendo Switch. "Pokémon Shuffle is a bit weird, really. It's a free-to-play Pokémon-themed match-three puzzler in which you move Pokémon faces around to battle their wild brethren, and, in purely mechanical terms, it's dull but largely semi-competent," said Christian Donlan in a review for EuroGamer.
7 Players Must Help Professor Oak's TV Network In Pokémon Channel - 55
Pokémon Channel is a 2003 game released for the GameCube and developed by Ambrella. It is a sequel to the Nintendo 64 game Hey You, Pikachu!, which allows players to communicate with a Pikachu through a microphone and 256-word database. The game was published to promote the launch of the Nintendo e-Reader accessory for the GameBoy Advance.
Players must help Professor Oak promote his television network by watching channels with a Pikachu. Each channel has a different show, like Wobuffet's trivia, Smeargle's Art Study and Smoochum's exercise program. Despite the various channels, this game was an utter failure.
6 This Mystery Dungeon Game Didn't Get A Great Review - 54
Fans of the Pokémon games may be shocked to find out that not every Mystery Dungeon game was a hit. Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is the fifth installment in the Mystery Dungeon series. It was released for Nintendo DS and WiiU in 2009.
This entry is a little controversial for fans because some believe this isn't a terrible game. "The game looks like a GBA game, and is chock full of lazy, dated gameplay. ChunSoft is a talented developer, but it'd be nice if it didn't keep making 15-year-old game designs," said Jack DeVries in a review for IGN.
5 Pokémon Dream Radar Lets Players Catch Legendaries Via Motion Controls- 54
Pokémon Dream Radar was released simultaneously alongside Black and White 2 and resembles the mechanics of Pokémon Go. The game was released as an add-on application for the Nintendo DS, and it allows players to catch Pokémon and items with Dream Clouds through motion-controls. Players must also aid Professor Burnet in the capture of Dream Orbs, and can even catch the legendary trio of Tornadus, Thundurus and Landorus. Pokémon Dream Radar isn't an actual full-length game, so that may help explain its poor reviews.
4 Pokémon Battle Revolution Lacked Content Featured In Previous Games - 53
Pokémon Battle Revolution was released for the Wii in 2007 and became the first game to use Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Players are placed in Pokétopia theme park with the ability to battle in 11 different Colosseums. The game doesn't include a story mode like Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, and is also missing the mini-games present in Pokémon Stadium. The ability to transfer Pokémon from the DS and battle friends online was a little exciting for players, but the previous titles featured more content than Pokémon Battle Revolution.
3 My Pokémon Ranch Was A Useless Title - 47
My Pokémon Ranch is another failure in the Pokémon franchise developed by Ambrella. Players can interact with Pokémon as a Mii and transfer Pokémon from Diamond and Pearl and eventually Platinum. The game performed terribly because of its combined lack of purpose and gameplay. "The point isn't really made clear until you sit through about an hour and realize that there's no point at all. It's just a playground for your Pokemon and Mii characters to wander around and interact with limited animations," stated Craig Harris in a review for IGN.
2 Pokémon Dash Is A Children's Racing Game- 46
It's immediately obvious that Pokémon Dash isn't meant for players under seven years old. Players can control Pikachu with a stylus in this widely despised racing game for children. Some criticism stemmed from the fact that players can only control a Pikachu and no other Pokémon.
Surprisingly, Pokémon Dash is also one of the ugliest games in the current line-up of Nintendo DS games. "We'll cut it some slack for being a first-generation title for the system, but it's hard to ignore the SNES-like graphic engine driving much of the gameplay," criticized Craig Harris in a review for IGN.
1 Pokémon Rumble Rush Shut Down After Only A Year - 42
Finally, Rumble Rush is the weakest Pokémon game according to Metacritic. It isn't some outdated title released in promotion for an outdated accessory. Instead, this title was released for iOS and Android devices in 2019. It is the fifth installment in the Pokémon Rumble game series but it only lasted just over a year before its shut-down in July 2020. "Unlike the previous Pokémon Rumble games, there’s not much of a story to this game. You get sent out to explore some islands and beat the bosses of the island – that’s really all there is to it," said Joe Merrick in a review for Nintendo Life.