‘Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’ is perfect for a daily dose of laughter

I never really got into it The Simsfor several reasons. First, I don’t have the patience to rename my friends or favorite celebrities in a very detailed character creator. Besides, a lot of its gameplay automatically revolves around managing meters to make sure your Sims stay happy and don’t die. It’s compelling to many and one of the most popular games of all time for a reason, but it doesn’t really work for me.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dreamon the other hand, it might be the kind of life sim I can get into. I’ve played a few hours of Nintendo’s new island management simulator for Switch (like the original, though it will work on Switch 2 as well), and I’m digging it so far. It has become a part of my daily routine, as every morning I start it, see that funny little Mii games of my friends and my favorite fictional characters, and then go about my day.

Hard to say yet though Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream you will have the same real staying power The Sims, Animal Crossingagain Pokémon Pokopiabut anyone looking for a low-key delivery method to get laughs on the Switch or Switch 2 should consider it.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream it gives more without asking more of you

For those who don’t know, Living the Dream is the long-awaited follow-up The Tomodachi Life for Nintendo 3DS. The basic premise here is the same as it was over a decade ago: You create a bunch of Mii characters (you know, like the guys you played in Wii Sports) based on whoever wants to rely on him, and they live together on the island. You can give them gifts, feed them food, move their personalities in different ways, and try to make them friends or even lovers together. But generally, what they do and how they do it depends on that seenot you.

That means, beyond the initial phase of setting up the Mii and making your island look your heart’s content, The Tomodachi Life It’s not so much a game that you play as it is a funny ant farm that you enter every now and then. The biggest key to its success, in my eyes, is that all the characters speak out loud using dynamic text-to-speech technology. You can change and raise their voices as much as you like, but their speech will never come close to sounding like a real person, and that’s part of the charm.

A standard The Tomodachi Life a session, at least for me, lasts at least 45 minutes. I start by opening the game and talking to any Miis who have problems that need solving, which can range from “I need a new friend” to “I need a new outfit.” The more you make them happy, the more they level up, unlocking various bonuses that are best left unspoiled.

And, they just do these things themselves.
Credit: Nintendo

The real beauty of all of this is that it’s so natural, it’s almost always funny.

The voice acting is a big part of the comedy, as just listening to your Miis talk is funny in itself, but Nintendo has also created a bunch of funny little jokes that play naturally without much intervention from the player. Sometimes the Mii will ask you to go bowling with them, which means that all the inhabitants of the island will pretend to be bowling pins, and you have to hit them. Sometimes, they’ll ask you what you think about current trends, or if you want to help them develop friendships with other Miis.

This is also what I do with my friends on weekends.
Credit: Nintendo

There are tons of different little vignettes to see, and there’s no telling how many Living the Dream one has to play before seeing them all. Granted, it’s up to the player to make their own fun, to a certain extent. It’s my main form of enjoyment Living the Dream was to create Miis that look like fictional characters like Sonic the Hedgehog, Marge Simpson, and Eric Cartman, and watch them interact. Your grade may be different with this, like other people, creating Miis of their real friends or family members will be the key to having fun.

To its credit, Mii creation is also deeper here than before. Besides new cosmetic options like hairstyles, Miis can now be non-binary and can use any pronouns, regardless of their gender assigned to them. They can also date and marry any gender, if you choose to put it that way. The last one The Tomodachi Life it only supports heterosexual romance, so this is a big improvement.

Character creation has received significant improvements.
Credit: Nintendo

My only major concern Living the Dream that Nintendo has a lot reduced the ability to share screenshots and videos using the Switch share button. You can still capture them, but getting them off your console and onto your computer or phone is more difficult than usual, probably for content security reasons. I get that in a nutshell, but being able to easily share silly little moments in public can go a long way in the making Living the Dream part of my daily routine in the coming months.

I’ll have more to say when it comes time for a full review, but at least after the first few hours, I’m enjoying playing more. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream launches on Nintendo Switch on April 16. You can pre-order the game now for $59.99 at Amazon. and My Nintendo Store.