Featured Image Credit: Nintendo/Pokemon/Koei Tecmo
Pokémon Pokopia is the undisputed heavyweight of 2026. Within just a week of its March 5th launch, the beloved life-sim has already moved a staggering 2.2 million copies worldwide. While the success of Pokémon Pokopia inspirations, namely Animal Crossing and Minecraft, meant it was likely to be a hit, nobody expected the cultural phenomenon it’s turned out to be. It’s a big step, but one that validated a risky experiment: letting the masters of the "Musou" genre, Koei Tecmo, take the reins of a cozy Pokémon world.
If the DNA of Pokémon Pokopia feels familiar, it should. Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force team - the same wizards behind critically acclaimed Dragon Quest Builders - co-developed the title with Game Freak. But while everyone’s busy building leaf huts for Charmander, I can’t help but look back at a much weirder, much braver collaboration from the same studio that time forgot.
Long before we were cultivating habitats, Koei Tecmo gave us Pokémon Conquest. Released for the Nintendo DS in 2012, this was an utterly bizarre crossover between the kids game and the historical feudal warfare of the Nobunaga’s Ambition series. Yeah, it was a bit of a weird premise.
It sounds like it wouldn’t work, but Pokémon Conquest currently holds 80% positive score on MetaCritic, making it one of the highest-rated spin-offs in Pokémon history. Yet, because it was the final Pokémon spin-off released for the aging DS hardware, sandwiched right before the release of Pokémon Black and White, it was quickly overshadowed by the looming 3DS era.
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Despite that, I spent hundreds of hours in Pokémon Conquest’s Ransei region as a kid. But whenever I bring it up today, nobody seems to remember it. Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me. Pokémon Conquest has very strict anti-piracy measures. If the software detects it’s being run on an emulator or a flashcard, the game locks down, making it unplayable. Ouch. It means that physical Pokémon Conquest cartridges are very rare - on secondary markets like eBay, authentic copies can run you up between £110 and £150 (approx. $140–$190 USD).
The game was actually the second time Nintendo and Koei Tecmo played together - the first being a small Murasame Castle mode in Samurai Warriors 3. But Pokémon Conquest was where the relationship blossomed, so you’ve got this obscure Nintendo DS game to thank for Pokémon Pokopia.
Like the mainline games, Pokémon Conquest was a turn-based strategy battle simulator, with one key difference.
You played as a Warlord in the nation of Aurora, partnered with an Eevee. Rather than collecting 8 Gym Badges, your task was much grander - uniting 17 kingdoms to summon the creator Pokémon, Arceus.
Instead of leveling up your Party, you built "Links" with your Pokémon - an emotional bond that functioned as this game’s experience points. The tactical, turn-based combat was still really fun, and I absolutely loved the "Perfect Link" lore drop, where specific Warlords were destined for specific Pokémon. I would definitely be destined for Glaceon, with my blue hair and diva bangs.
For anyone who thinks the mainline Pokémon games hold your hand too much, this is the game for you.
The game tells you basically nothing in regard to discovering legendaries or finding Perfect Links.
I recently went back and played it, and found it nearly impossible without the help of online guides helping me keep track of where I was. It would easily take at least 1000 hours to get all Perfect Links without it - whether that’s a good or bad thing is up to you.
What’s heartbreaking about the fact there’s no Pokémon Conquest 2 is that it’s not likely to happen.
The game only sold 1,020,000 copies overall - the 11th worst selling Pokémon game of all time. However, Nintendo still works with Koei Tecmo on games like Hyrule Warriors, and now Pokémon Pokopia, so never say never.
Personally, I really did think when Samurai Wars 5 was released and Pokémon Legends: Arceus was released a few months later, we might hear something, considering the history Pokémon Conquest delved into.
With the Nintendo Switch 2 powering the gorgeous landscapes of Pokopia, there has never been a better time to return to Ransei and Pokémon Conquest.
We have the tech, we have the fandom, and clearly, we have the appetite for Koei Tecmo’s unique take on the Pokémon world.
