Nintendo is famous for their big franchises. Mario, Link, and Donkey Kong all headline their own franchises with their own structures that attract big crowds of people. However, every once in a while, the Big N will cook up something new and interesting with their familiar properties and put them in new scenarios.
Some of these spin-off titles are received to great success. After all, both Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros are still technically spin-off games that were so beloved that they’ve become some of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. Then there are other titles that don’t quite get the recognition that some of the bigger ones do.
Games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker are released under the radar and don’t get a lot of attention. Without the massive ambition or scale that some of the other Nintendo spin-offs have, it’s not long before they’re forgotten and gamers move on.
However, there are several Nintendo fans in the gaming crowd that will hastily try out new experiences to see what else the Big N can cook up. While it’s frivolous to refer to them as “true gamers,” there is something to be said about people that go for games that they’re familiar with and those who are willing to try new things.
With that said, we’re going to take a look at 25 forgettable Nintendo spin-offs that only true gamers played. Keep in mind that being on this list alone doesn’t mean that a game is either bad or good.
25 Poképark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure
Poképark Wii: Pikachu’s Adventure took the everyone’s favorite yellow mouse and put him in a 3D adventure. Complete with minigames where only the best can win and a gorgeous environment, it attracted a decent amount of people. However, the seemingly kid-focused gameplay style meant that it would alienate the rest of the crowd from picking it up (it was pretty short after all). There was enough support to garner a sequel, but it wasn’t as well-received as the first game.
24 Mario Strikers Charged
A lot of people played Super Mario Strikers, but it’s sequel, Mario Strikers Charged, was largely left by the wayside. It was very similar to the first game, with a much greater emphasis on character abilities being the main driving force. Unfortunately, with it being on the Nintendo Wii, it was lumped with the “kid-friendly” image that the console had at the time. It essentially guaranteed that the previous GameCube version would be the one that most people would remember.
23 Donkey Konga
Most people are familiar with Donkey Kong Jungle Beat being the 2.5D platformer that starred the trademark gorilla while using the Donkey Kong Bongos. However, it was Donkey Konga that first utilized the bongos. Debuting on the GameCube, Donkey Konga was a rhythm game where players would use bongos to complete songs. Considering how Donkey Kong is typically a brutally hard platformer, this drastic shift in structure meant that a lot of people wouldn’t touch it. The game was the basis for Donkey Kong’s Final Smash in Super Smash Bros Brawl.
22 Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon
After the disappointing, half-baked release that was Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, Game Freak decided to rectify their mistake with Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon. Going with the philosophy of the series, this game included all of the Pokémon created at the time. Using a 3D graphics engine and keeping the Pokémon at their actual sizes, this game took the Mystery Dungeon gameplay and brought it to a new generation. Unfortunately, not a lot of people played it, nor do many people talk about it anymore.
21 Yoshi’s Cookie
When gamers think of Yoshi, they usually think of riding on him in Super Mario World or throwing eggs at Shy Guys in Yoshi’s Island. Most people aren’t familiar with the spin-off game on the SNES titled Yoshi’s Cookie. Where the standard Yoshi game involves platforming and flutter jumps, this game was all about matching tiles and completing puzzles to progress through levels. The entire goal of the game was to clear the entire board of all different types of cookies.
20 Kirby’s Epic Yarn
The Kirby franchise is known for casual platforming where the titular character inhales enemies and takes their powers. However, he is also one of Nintendo’s most experimental characters, being the star of numerous spin-offs. One of the most interesting departures was Kirby’s Epic Yarn. This game stripped away Kirby’s inhale mechanic and replaced it with a yarn whip. On top of that, everything in the world was created by yarn and used it for unique puzzle solving. Its low difficulty drove a lot of players away, but it was a well-made game.
19 Kirby And The Rainbow Curse
Just about every spin-off on the Wii U could probably make this list. The only exclusive Kirby game to be made for the console was Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. It was a sequel to Kirby: Canvas Curse where you draw pathways for Kirby to roll on. The difference this time around was that everything looked like clay instead of a painting. It was a fun game with a pleasing aesthetic. The only downside was that you had to stare at the GamePad the whole time and couldn’t fully appreciate it.
18 Metroid Prime: Hunters
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes introduced a multiplayer mode that needed a bit of work. When the series jumped to the Nintendo DS, the Big N decided to do just that. Metroid Prime: Hunters is a multiplayer-focused game, with various bounty hunters being able to duke it out in first-person combat. Due to being a shooter on the DS, it didn’t quite gain the traction it would’ve on a home console, bolstered by the fact that Metroid Prime was never a system seller.
17 Metroid Prime Pinball
Metroid Prime was such a radical yet successful shift for the Metroid series that Nintendo decided to use the brand with spin-off entries in the series. One of their more unique choices was Metroid Prime Pinball. This game is a lot of what you’d expect; you control Samus in the Morph Ball through massive pinball cabinets. You gain the abilities to shoot and wall jump as you progress through the game. The style is made to look like the Metroid Prime games as well. Being such an obscure title on the DS, though, it wasn’t fully appreciated.
16 The Legend Of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes
The dungeons in The Legend of Zelda are always the best part, so Nintendo decided to make those the focus and allow you to team up with two other players in The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes. Puzzle solving with two other friends was extremely fun, and the unlockable cosmetics guaranteed a lot of replay value. While there wasn’t much to the game if you didn’t have friends, those daring enough to give it a try usually walked away satisfied.
15 Fire Emblem Warriors
Between the release of Hyrule Warriors and Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition, there was Fire Emblem Warriors on the Nintendo Switch. It follows the Dynasty Warriors formula but throws in Fire Emblem characters. It was a game that improved on the elements of Hyrule Warriors. The reason that it didn’t garner enough attraction was the fact that it was released just days before Super Mario Odyssey. Furthermore, Hyrule Warriors was already in the pipeline to be released in May of the following year.
14 Mario Tennis Open
Mario Tennis is a series that didn’t quite know what it wanted to be after the days of the GameCube. However, there was a solid attempt at making it one of the better Mario Sports titles with Mario Tennis Open on the 3DS. This game looked nice and had a solid core gameplay system. Packaged with a robust online mode, there was a lot of promise with this game. However, a lack of true single-player content prevented it from being sought after by many.
13 Metroid Prime: Federation Force
One of the most infamous games on the 3DS was Metroid Prime: Federation Force. Where everyone was clamoring for a new Metroid game, Nintendo released a multiplayer shooter spin-off title. However, the people that shoved away their initial distaste for the game actually found some enjoyment with it. Linking up with three other friends in levels inspired by Metroid Prime proved to be an entertaining time with a lot of replay value. Furthermore, it featured a lot of the iconic monsters one would expect from the series.
12 Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
This spin-off of Super Mario 3D Land was released on the Wii U back in 2014, so you already know that not many people played it. You take control of Captain Toad and go through levels that are each squares filled with different puzzles for you to solve. Your goal is to find a set number of gems and then make it to the finish. It’s a simple concept, but all of the charm is in the execution. The game recently got a re-release on the Nintendo Switch, giving more people a chance to play it.
11 Super Princess Peach
Princess Peach is famous for always getting kidnapped by Bowser, leading Mario to have to travel through the Mushroom Kingdom to save her. However, the roles were flipped in Super Princess Peach, putting the normally stolen Princess in the leading role. It progressed as a fairly standard platformer, though Peach had a few different abilities for attacking along the way. Unfortunately, it got a decent amount of criticism for some of its new mechanics, leading to only marginal success worldwide.
10 Star Fox Adventures
The first Star Fox game to be put on the GameCube, and after the amazing Star Fox 64, was Star Fox Adventures. Instead of being a standard space shooter, though, the game was a Zelda clone that had Fox McCloud exploring the corners of Dinosaur Planet. He found items, upgraded his staff, and was looking for mysterious spirits that would help him rescue a fox named Crystal. However, it turns out that Andross was behind all of it, leading to a final battle that was more like the classic Star Fox games. Yeah, it was weird.
9 Dr. Mario
Everyone knows who Dr. Mario is thanks to Super Smash Bros, but not a lot of people ever played the original game. It was a puzzle game where viruses of different colors would end up filling the screen. As pills would fall down, it was your job to match their colors with the virus colors. If you got a proper match, the viruses would disappear. Clear all of them, and you’d be allowed to move on. Considering it never took off as a full series, not many people remember or even played the game.
8 Pokémon XD: Gale Of Darkness
The sequel to Pokémon Colisseum, XD: Gale of Darkness starts a new journey through the Orre Region. Packed with new Shadow Pokémon to save and new villains to defeat, it was everything a proper sequel should be. However, plenty of criticisms about reusing assets from the previous release as well as not having any proper wild encounters prevented it from ever taking off like Game Freak and Nintendo wanted it to. Not even a powerful Shadow Lugia could save it.
7 Pokémon Ranger
What if you went through a Pokémon Region but never threw a Poké Ball at a single creature? That’s the premise behind Pokémon Ranger, except it actually does something unique and interesting with the series. You take control of a ranger who has a device that he/she can spin around a Pokémon and temporarily win them over to their side. These Pokémon can then assist with overworld tasks and are promptly let go. Of course, it was a gratuitous mechanic shoved in to fit with the second screen of the DS.
6 Pokkén Tournament
Originally released as an arcade title in Japan, Pokkén Tournament eventually made its way to the West on the Wii U. While the fighting mechanics were helped by the guys who made Tekken, the game suffered from a lack of playable characters and a lack of depth. As such, it didn’t do that well when it released on the Wii U. It was re-released on the Switch in the form of Pokkén Tournament DX, but with games like ARMS already out and Super Smash Bros Ultimate on the way, it was always destined to play second fiddle.
