Pokemon’s best spinoff is still stuck on DS

Of the franchise’s many spinoffs, Pokemon Conquest is among the best and most ambitious — but it remains trapped on the Nintendo DS.

As one of the biggest franchises of all time, it’s no surprise Pokemon has had some wild spinoffs over the years. These have been around since near the beginning, with 1998’s Hey You, Pikachu giving fans of the burgeoning series a unique way to interact with the iconic electric mouse.

Ask any Pokemon fan which spinoff game is the best, and you’re likely to get a different, passionate answer. Some, like Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Pokemon Ranger, did well enough to spawn side series of their own; others have fallen into obscurity, becoming all but impossible to access through legitimate means.

One such game is Pokemon’s most daring and unique spinoff: Pokemon Conquest.

Why Pokemon Conquest was a great spinoff

Released in 2012, Pokemon Conquest is a crossover with the lesser-known Nobunaga’s Ambition series of turn-based tactics games. In it, players travel the Ransei region with an Eevee, meeting new Pokemon as they fight Warriors and Warlords in an effort to unite the region.

The game takes a unique approach to battles in which each Pokemon knows only one move. Players team up with defeated Warriors and Warlords, each with their own special abilities. These human characters have affinities for certain types and evolutionary lines, adding another layer of planning to consider.

In true Nobunaga’s Ambition fashion, most of the Warriors are based on real figures from Japan’s Sengoku era, adding a layer of history to the game.

Pokemon Conquest garnered positive reviews, with critics praising its simple-to-learn but hard-to-master gameplay for making the genre approachable for Pokemon’s predominately young audience.

Still, despite its deep gameplay and massive potential, the game has been largely overlooked since its release. It’s never received any kind of sequel, remake, or port, meaning – as with plenty of other Pokemon games – having the original Nintendo DS cartridge is the only legal way to play it in 2024.

Pokemon Conquest was ahead of its time

Other Pokemon spinoffs have received new entries or remakes in recent years—the original Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games got a remake in 2020, and New Pokémon Snap was released in 2021. However, there’s been no indication that Pokemon Conquest will get the same treatment, especially since the DS’ two screens make ports more complicated.

The game’s status as a crossover made by Koei Tecmo complicates things a bit, though it is worth noting the developer has worked closely with Nintendo over the years. Koei Tecmo has made several hack ‘n slash spinoffs based on The Legend of Zelda and Fire Emblem and even helped Intelligent Systems make 2019’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

The Pokemon Company

That game is actually a pretty good reason to bring Pokemon Conquest back. Three Houses helped turn Fire Emblem from a niche series to a Nintendo mainstay, selling over 4 million copies to become the 34th best-selling Switch title overall. Fire Emblem’s rise shows there’s an audience for tactics games that extend to more causal players – and no franchise is better to extend than reach than Pokemon.

Pokemon Conquest belongs to a bygone age of spinoffs

Sadly, those compelling reasons only make a Pokemon Conquest comeback more desirable than likely to happen. In recent years, spinoffs like this have become the exception rather than the norm.

Outside of the aforementioned Mystery Dungeon remake and last year’s underwhelming Detective Pikachu Returns, the only new Pokemon spinoffs to release have been mobile games.

Of course, Pokemon Go continues to be a juggernaut, and games like Masters EX and Unite have their audiences. But there’s still something to be said for the old-school spinoffs with their fresh ideas and deep gameplay options – though the decline of dedicated handheld gaming in favor of mobile titles and their controversial practices is another conversation.

As Pokemon continues to grow, it’s clear there’s still a desire for the classic approach to spinoffs. The innovations of mainline games like Pokemon Legends Z-A are great, but you only need to look at the comments on any Pokemon Presents or Nintendo Direct announcement to see fans are eager for spinoffs like Pokemon Conquest.