14 Years Ago, Pokémon Officially Switched Genres And Gave Us A Near-Perfect Masterpiece

Published Sep 26, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT Lee D’Amato is a writer born, raised, and based in Queens, New York. With collective thousands of hours in games like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear, Elden Ring, and The Legend of Zelda, he's now writes game features, guides, and reviews for Screen Rant, but has covered a wide range of topics, including ancient history, affordable travel, and overall health. Pokémon is now in its tenth generation and, with Winds and Waves on the way, surprisingly little about the gameplay has changed. At their core, Pokémon games are still monster-collecting, turn-based battle games. They even follow the same structure of route to town to gym, repeated until you finally make it to the Elite Four. The franchise has occasionally stepped out of its turn-based box (in the Legends subseries, for example), but rarely does it change genres as drastically as it did in 2012. Shortly before the release of Black 2 and White 2, Pokémon went in a totally different direction that it's never explored again - but maybe it should. Pokémon Conquest Was An Unexpected But Welcome Spinoff Released in 2012 for the Nintendo DS, Pokémon Conquest completely transformed the franchise from a monster-collecting RPG into a turn-based tactical strategy game, not unlike Fire Emblem. There's still an aspect of creature collection — you befriend different Pokémon through a series of rhythm game-style sidequests, and each Pokémon has different abilities that can affect your strategy in battle. Tecmo Koei (now known as Koei Tecmo) developed Pokémon Conquest as a crossover with its Nobunaga's Ambition franchise, a series of grand strategy games in which you play as a Japanese feudal lord. You have to keep your peasants happy, train your army, cultivate diplomacy, administer your fiefs, and, of course, go to war. All of which is to say that Pokémon Conquest takes place in a feudal version of the Ransei region, split into various kingdoms. Real-life daimyō and unifier of Japan Oda Nobunaga aims to harness Arceus' power to conquer the entirety of the region, and the player character, a warlord named by the player, has to stop him. Pokémon Conquest doesn't go quite as deep into the strategy aspects as the typical Nobunaga's Ambition game; there's a lot less emphasis on management in between battles. Still, it was a unique twist on what's generally a formulaic franchise, and was well reviewed upon release. Critics loved the tactical gameplay, the historical setting, and the Pokémon connections, turning a risky crossover into a sleeper hit. Pokémon Conquest Deserves A Comeback Despite its modest success, though, Pokémon Conquest never got a sequel. It was the only time Tecmo crossed Nobunaga's Ambition with Pokémon, and marks a rare departure from both franchises' formulas. Pokémon Conquest is also one of relatively few Nobunaga's Ambition games to gain a foothold in the West, likely thanks to the inclusion of a much more internationally popular property. But, as strategy games continue to thrive, with things like Star Wars: Zero Company and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave topping charts in recent months, it may be time for a Pokémon Conquest revival. Modern-day Koei Tecmo could do a lot more with Nintendo's current-generation Switch 2 hardware, making an expansive sequel with management mechanics that rival the mainline series. Or, if not a full-blown sequel, a way to play the original Pokémon Conquest on modern platforms would be welcome. The DS library isn't available on Nintendo Switch Online, which is a shame — it included some incredible games that are still worth revisiting today. The launch of an NSO app for DS games would mark a huge expansion to the service, especially if it included forgotten classics like Pokémon Conquest. But, for the time being, the only way to play this underrated classic for yourself is to dig up your old DS and find a used copy. Thankfully, resale prices for Pokémon Conquest haven't gone off the rails just yet; you can get a working copy for a reasonable $30. Still, more people deserve easy access to Pokémon's biggest and boldest shift in genre. TV Show(s) Pokémon Video Game(s) Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon Yellow, Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokemon Sapphire, Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Pokemon Platinum, Pokemon Black and White, Pokemon Black and White 2, Pokemon X and Y, Pokemon Sun and Moon, Pokemon Sword and Shield, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, Pokemon Winds and Waves, Pokemon Legends Arceus, Pokemon Legends Z-A First Film Pokemon: The First Movie First TV Show Pokémon First Game Pokemon Red and Blue Genres RPG Pokémon is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, launched by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures in 1996. Centered on fictional creatures called Pokémon, the series spans video games, trading cards, animation, films, merchandise, and competitive events. Players assume the role of Trainers who capture, battle, and trade Pokémon. It is one of the highest-grossing entertainment franchises in history.