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Given the wide reach of the Pokemon franchise, it should not come as a surprise to anyone that the series would spawn its own series of various spinoffs. However, many may not have expected these games to be as popular among the fan base as they have become in recent years, with many fans wanting to see them return.
Given just how many different new series have come from these many different experimental titles for the franchise, some are going to stand out better than others. Going back and playing these titles for one's self can make for a fun nostalgia trip and a nice use of one's week.
However, many players may want to know which of these titles stand out above the rest. So which of these are worth playing again? Which Pokemon spinoff games are the truly best of the best?
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Note: Only one game per spinoff series will be included in this list. Also, a spinoff title is one that branches away from the standard Pokemon formula to either expand on it in a new way or introduces a new type of gameplay entirely.
Top 5 Pokemon spinoff games worth playing, ranked
5) PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure
While many players may remember PokePark as being a simple minigame collection that utilized the Wii's motion control gimmick, it offered a lot more. This game put players in control of Pikachu as he wanders around an unfamiliar realm populated solely by Pokemon after a brief encounter with Mew.
PokePark's story revolves around Pikachu trying to find his way home by finding Mew. Throughout Pikachu's journey, the player will meet all sorts of Pokemon with all kinds of character traits. They can also befriend Pokemon to use in the game's various minigames by either winning a battle, a chase, or by passing their quiz.
They can also upgrade Pikachu to make him faster and stronger. Pair the fun minigames with the beautiful and diverse zones of the map and top it all off with a memorable and relaxing soundtrack, and PokePark makes for a relaxing afternoon at home.
4) Rumble Blast
Though the series started on the Wii as a download-exclusive title and ultimately found its way to being stranded on mobile devices, Rumble was one of the more interesting spinoff series in the franchise. It took the Pokemon we all know and love and shrunk them down into the form of little wind-up toys.
Players could control their favorite toys and guide them through various different levels from a desert oasis to lava-filled caverns and battle other wild toys. Rumble Blast is also the entry that many fans of the spinoff series consider to be the best of the Rumble titles due to it being the only one to have the budget of a full retail game.
Rumble Blast also features an expansive postgame with players being able to battle and collect toys of the franchise's various Legendaries at its release. It also includes various cheat codes, which is a feature that is almost absent from most modern titles.
3) Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky
The Pokemon franchise is known for having a lackluster narrative. However, this criticism is typically casted aside when the topic of the sequal of the Mystery Dungeon series arises. While the first Mystery Dungeon games, Red and Blue Rescue Team, were relatively new and barebones, their sequel went on to expand things much further.
Mystery Dungeon 2, the Explorers series of games, features what many fans consider to be the best story in the entire franchise. Explorers of Sky amplify this further by giving players the option to complete various side stories that further expand upon the lives of the various citizens of the game's world.
However, Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky is held back heavily by its age. The story of this game is told primarily through text boxes which can get annoying in long play sessions. Given how voice acting was absent from the recent remaster of the original Rescue Team game, this will not change if this entry is ever remade either.
2) Legends: Arceus
The most recent entry in the entirety of the franchise, Legends takes the standard gameplay of the series and greatly expands upon it. The new changes to standard gameplay almost makes Legends feel completely seperate from the Pokemon franchise leading to many in the community believing this is the best game in a long time.
Simple changes like battles taking place right where they are instigated and being able to catch creatures without battling makes for one of the most streamlined games to ever come from this franchise. The difference is so stark that many are upset that these features will not be returning in Scarlet and Violet.
While the gameplay is amazing, the narrative and graphics greatly hold this game back from being the best. However, the characters introduced are some of the best to come from even the main series. Not to mention that this game finally utilizes the potential of Arceus, the creator of life in this series' world.
1) Colosseum
Colosseum is the closest thing modern players would call the perfect Pokemon game. It is far enough away from the main series due to its interesting takes on the series' staple mechanics to be one of the freshest experiences players can have while still being in a familiar game.
Every battle in this title is a double battle. This adds a whole new level of strategy to battling as players have to think carefully about every move rather than just spamming Earthquake until the credits roll. There are also no wild encounters in this game. So how can players add new members to their team?
This game is the first ever instance of Shadow Pokemon to ever hit the franchise. Players could see other trainers using these creatures and steal them. From there, they could purify these creatures and keep them as reliable members in their party.
As an added bonus, players could also connect their Gameboy Advance with any of the third generation games to transfer their teams back and forth from the Gamecube to the Gameboy Advance. This was also the only way players could get creatures from the Johto region at the time.
