Not just Mystery Dungeon: here are 10 more Pokémon spin-offs

These days, fans of Pokémon of all ages, especially long-time ones, are delighted with the release of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX a spin-off dungeon crawler and remake of the original Red Team and Blue Team titles released respectively for GBA and Nindendo DS in 2006.

And have you tried the new Mystery Dungeon?

For the uninitiated Mystery Dungeon isn't the only Pokémon-themed spin-off series . As with any other successful Nintendo brand, there are numerous titles published on different platforms and of various kinds. They range from puzzles, fighting games, strategy games to the very famous Pokémon Go!

We have decided to brush up on some of the Pokémon spin-offs that we think are particularly interesting.

Detective Pikachu (not the movie)

No, if you're wondering, we're not talking about the recent movie . Detective Pikachu is an investigative title developed by Creatures Inc and released in 2018 on Nintendo 3DS. In 2016, exclusively in Japan, an eShop version was released that included only the first chapters. Anyone who bought it could subsequently upgrade to the full version at a reduced price.

The plot of the game does not differ too much from that of the film

The synopsis of the title is not too different from that of the film : a boy named Tim Goodman arrives in Ryme City where he meets a bizarre talking and coffee-loving detective Pikachu. The two decide to collaborate to investigate the disappearance of Tim's father.

In Detective Pikachu we explore the streets of Ryme City, an unprecedented location in the pokémon world. As Tim we will have to find clues , talk to people and pokémon (Pikachu will act as an intermediary) and solve puzzles .

Hey you, yes I say to you! How dare you see the movie without playing the 3DS title first!

The nine chapters of the game manage to give us a pleasant adventure with noir shades and a lot, a lot of humor. Unfortunately, the title went quiet having been released at the end of the life cycle of the console . And it's a shame considering that the film was a commercial success, the film on the highest grossing video games in history until the release of the recent Sonic . If you have the chance, get it back.

Pokémon Pinball

Pokémon Pinball for Game Boy Color was an unlikely crossover that combined the then fresh franchise of pocket monsters and the classic pinball. It worked great! In the title we have two tables: one inspired by Pokémon Red and the other by Pokémon Blue .

Did someone say Space Cadet?

The gameplay is that of a classic pinball. The goal is obviously to score as many points as possible and to do this you must first capture and then evolve the pokémon by bouncing the ball-pokéball in the designated areas.

The two capture and evolution modes are activated with the achievement of different objectives. For example, you enter the first by entering the ball in Bellsprout or Cloyster. Upon activating a mode the player has a limited time to capture (or evolve) the monster. It is therefore necessary to study the dynamics of the sphere well!

The sequel for Gameboy Advance. It has two tables dedicated to Ruby and Sapphire

An interesting curiosity: the game cartridge is slightly larger than the others as it contains a rumble pack that gives vibration feedback. There is a sequel for Game Boy Advance, Pokémon Pinball Ruby and Sapphire, with boards inspired by the related titles.

Pokémon Snap (when a trainer becomes a photographer)

Ready for a new adventure? Professor Oak himself called you to an island for a very important undertaking: that of catching Pokémon with a ... camera ? But so!?!

Pokémon * Snap * has been added to my pic cringe library

Pokémon Snap is a three-dimensional "shooter" for Nintendo 64 where our job is to photograph Pokémon (yes no pokeball on this round). The island has different ecosystems , each with characteristic Pokémon for a total of 63 from the first generation .

Stand still, I can't focus on you!

Apparently it is a simple game, in reality it is not so: the pocket monsters do not allow themselves to be photographed easily and to catch their attention we have to throw food at them. To this we add that in most cases we have little chance to take our photo. At the end of the level it will be the same professor to evaluate the quality of our shots so get busy Parker and bring me my damned photos of Spiderma- Ah no, I made the wrong franchise, sorry!

The Pokémon Stadium series

Pokémon Stadium is a game for Nintendo 64 in which all the battles of the original Pokémon Blue and Red gyms are re-proposed . The gameplay is limited to fighting but there are some minigames.

Pokémon Stadium lets you relive the fights of first generation titles in three dimensions

Noteworthy is the technical sector and the quality of the animations which at the time (2000) was truly avant-garde. The game also allowed the transfer of the pokémon from the first generation titles (Blue, Red, Green and Yellow) and to fight exciting battles for up to 4 players .

The technical sector at the time was truly cutting edge

Pokémon Stadium 2 , released the following year again for Nintendo 64, is practically identical to its predecessor: it too focuses exclusively on battles. However, the new second-generation Pokemon from Gold and Silver are introduced . As with the first chapter, Pokémon can be transferred from all Game Boy titles.

The hilarious minigames of Pokémon Stadium 2

Pokémon Battle Revolution was released in 2006 on Wii. It includes pokemon up to the fourth generation and it is possible to play using the Nindendo Ds as a controller. The mechanics are the same as the previous titles even if the beloved mini games are not present in this chapter.

Pokémon Colosseum and XD

Pokémon Colosseum was released in 2003 on GameCube and is set in the Auros region, infested with shadow pokémon . The protagonist coach, Wes, after stealing the tool capable of stealing the shadows, the Cleptatrice, starts the adventure together with her two pokémon Espeon and Umbreon and a female character in order to purify all the pokémon in the region.

The Colosseum protagonist looks like a crossover between Rick Sanchez and a Yu-Gi-Oh character

The title inherits and extends many Stadium features, but the player can explore the game world as it does in titles for portable consoles. However, it is not possible to catch wild pokémon . The title is compatible with the third generation video games for Game Boy (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red and Leaf Green).

In Colosseum there are many elements in common with Stadium. It could be said that it is a spin-off from a spin-off

Pokémon XD: Dark Storm is the sequel to Colosseum . It is always set in the lands of Auros, five years after the previous title and we control a fifteen year old boy named Michael. The gameplay, except for a few small additions, remains unchanged.

It's called XD but it has nothing to do with emoji (which by the way we hate a lot, don't use it!)

Pokémon Conquest (Pokémon arrives in Feudal Japan)

Pokémon in the Sengoku period (Feudal Japan)? It exists and is called Pokémon Conquest , a turn-based strategy with isometric graphics for Nintendo DS. The title is a crossover with the Nobunaga no yabo franchise .

A pokémon in feudal Japan? Here's Conquest

The protagonist is a warrior from the kingdom of Aurora who, accompanied by his Eevee, has the task of conquering all 17 kingdoms of Ransei. Legend has it that he who conquers all kingdoms will be able to awaken the legendary Arceus .

Conquest's gameplay is characterized by its strong strategic element

It is the first Pokémon game that allows us to manage both monsters and "allies" called Warlords . On the playing field, an isometric arena where you move in turns from box to box, the player commands up to six Warlords with their respective pokémon. The winner is the one who eliminates all the monsters of the opposing team or the one who captures all the flags first.

At the end of the battle our pokémon gain bond points with their commanders. When the level of the link between warrior and pokémon is high enough, the warlord can evolve by changing its appearance and unlocking new commands . Obviously there are also the classic pokémon evolutions.

The strategic mechanics of this title are really interesting, we recommend recovering it if you have a basic knowledge of the English language (unfortunately no localization in Italian has ever arrived).

Pokken Tournament (and Smash)

Pokken Tournament is a fighting game featuring pocket monsters. Developed by Bandai Namco, it is based on game elements from the Tekken and Soulcalibur series .

Are you ready to give it for good reason?

The game was initially released for some arcade cabinets in Japan, then it was ported to Wii U in 2015 and finally to Switch in 2017.
The game roster includes 16 Pokémon in the Wii U version and 7 others for the version arcade and DX for Switch.

Another fighting game featuring Pokémon (also) is the Super Smash Bros. series. 

Other noteworthy Pokémon titles

There are so many spin-offs from the pokémon series that it would be impossible to enclose them all in one article . We have shown you the most interesting or curious ones. However, we would like to mention the Pokémon Ranger , Pokémon Rumble and PokéPark series. Not forgetting the various puzzles such as Puzzle Challenge Puzzle League and Picross .