Official New Pokémon Release Is The Weirdest Pokémon Game Ever

Austin King is the Senior Editor of Gaming at ScreenRant and has been with the site since 2020 with a focus on RPGs and tabletop games. He previously managed content for Geek to Geek Media, and has served as a writer for sites like Nintendad, Geek Fitness, and more. In addition to his work at ScreenRant, he also hosts the Dragon Quest FM podcast and is the author of several books, including co-writing Nimbus (a #1 bestseller in 2013). His latest is the nonfiction The Dragon Quest Book, available now.

He's written about pop culture, video games, and genre studies over the course of his career. You can find him on BlueSky, X, and at Dragonquestaustin.com Pokémon has had plenty of spin-offs through the years, and those games have explored a variety of genres, from the photography simulation in Pokémon Snap on N64 to the incredible Pokémon Pinball, which is exactly what it sounds like, that released on Game Boy Color. Most of these have at least made sense within the Pokémon franchise, especially combat-heavy spin-offs like Pokémon Colosseum, but the potential for the weirdest Pokémon game ever is finally here. Even outside the actual video games, we've gotten some bizarre Pokémon releases in the past.

We've seen Pokémon Guess Who? and Pokémon Monopoly, which both make a lot of sense, but then there's stuff like Pokémon Yahtzee Jr., which seems like more of a stretch. On the video game side of things, we've got releases like Hey You, Pikachu, which basically just lets you talk to Pikachu until you get bored 30 minutes later. Still, this new release from Pokémon Center might take the cake.

Furret Bowling Might Be The Weirdest Pokémon Game Ever The Furret Bowling Set Plush is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. For $44.99, you can get six Furret bowling pins and a Poké Ball to mow them down with. The Furret have different expressions on their faces, but none of them are terror, which seems odd since they're basically being knocked down every few seconds. In terms of the long history of Pokémon games, both of the video and tabletop varieties, we've rarely seen something as bizarre as Furret Bowling.

Depending on how much you love Furret (or maybe hate them since they're bowling pins to knock over), this might just be a must-have Pokémon Center exclusive. The Gen 2 Pokémon isn't one of the most iconic from Johto, so it's at least cool seeing Furret get more attention here. A Pokémon Bowling Video Game Could Be A Lot Of Fun Honestly, though, a video game of Pokémon Bowling sounds amazing. I'm not sure I'd want Furret to be every bowling pin, but the idea of bowling and collecting Pokémon sounds pretty fun.

A similar gameplay style was used in Pokémon Pinball, which is still one of my favorites on the GBC. Getting to upgrade your bowling ball to be various Poké Balls would be neat, and different regions and locations could make for interesting bowling alleys (the Celadon Game Corner from Kanto is practically begging for this). Opponents could be popular characters from the mainline games, and honestly, who wouldn't want to see Professor Oak in a bowling shirt? The possibilities here are pretty much endless, and the formula of Pokémon + sports has worked well in the past.

If we can get a Pokémon video game that teaches you to type, we can get a Pokémon video game that teaches you how to bowl. Subscribe for more odd Pokémon spin-offs and collectibles Hungry for more quirky Pokémon finds? Subscribe to our newsletter for curated coverage of unusual merch, spin-off game concepts, and collectible oddities -- perfect for fans who love the strange side of the Pokémon franchise. Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You can unsubscribe anytime. Pokémon has been around for 30 years now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. It's likely we'll continue seeing interesting spin-offs, like the most recent Pokémon Pokopia on Switch 2 or the free-to-play Pokémon Champions. Will we actually see a bowling video game for Pokémon?

I'm not sure, but I'd love to see it happen. This Furret Bowling Set Plus on Pokémon Center is pretty cool and weird regardless. Pokemon Created by Satoshi Taijiri, Ken Sugimori, Junichi Masuda First Film Pokemon: The First Movie Latest Film Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle First TV Show Pokémon First Episode Air Date April 1, 1997 Current Series Pokémon Expand Collapse