Somewhere, on a lost and lonely island that has been abandoned for a long time, there is you. A lone mutant Pokemon, named Ditto who has taken the form of his missing human trainer. And you want friends.
A giant monster with a squiggly face named Professor Tangrowth meets you. From there, you wonder: Why is everyone gone? How can you make things better?
And then the Pokemon start to arrive.
I’ve been playing Pokemon Pokopia at home for over a week, and I’m feeling the emotions I don’t have. from the early days of the epidemic back in 2020: a comfortable life in a world where friends seem to appear every day, full of necessities and equipment, and where I spend hours watering plants, fixing roads, finding food for hungry Pokecritters and decorating homes. Animal Crossing, but in a new and more interesting way than the latest Animal Crossing update.
Making friends is a permanent thing.
I had no expectations for Pokemon Pokopia, and now I absolutely love it. And my little one, a die-hard Pokemon fan, is absolutely crushed that this is Switch 2 especially since he doesn’t have his own Switch 2 yet — which makes me convinced that Pokopia is the worst Switch 2 killer app yet, even more so. Donkey Kong Bananas or Mario Kart World. That being said, you can do multiplayer between the Switch 2 and the original Switch with Game Share, but that’s not the same thing, is it?
It’s more than just a Pokemon for 30 years how to hold the fort until the main line looks good next year Pokemon spirits and waves the game is coming. This whole Animal Crossing x Pokemon game feel is smart, and it really works. And I’m not even a Pokemon fan.
This game is part of the ultimate Pokemon game, Tales ofwhich was about wars. Fight, fight, fight and learn real-time attack moves. None of that is here. You are not fighting anyone. You just make friends.
Like Animal Crossing, you are always chatting with little friends and doing everyday things to make your world better. You have things to buy, things to repair, resources to gather, and small oddities to dig or find. (A fossil? A mysterious feather?) And you have an infinite number of Pokemon to find, partly by chance and partly by creating areas that attract these Pokemon later. One or two friends suddenly become 20, 30, or more. And although I haven’t done it yet, you can connect with friends and play together in the same world, build homes or other things, farm, or decorate.
That is not my leaf hut at home. I’m just using Nintendo’s screenshot to illustrate. (Mine is up on a cliff.)
I made a small leaf booth at home with a kit I bought and then made a larger home. It looked like Animal Crossing. Even the menus and other character reaction sounds are the same.
Unlike Animal Crossing, the scale of Pokopia is much larger. It’s not a single village: It’s a connected archipelago.
I don’t know how big it is, really, even after playing for a week or more. Everything is made of blocks, like Minecraft. You can tear them down and collect them to build somewhere else. There’s definitely a Minecraft or Dragon Quest Builders (series I’ve never played) style here, but it’s approachable. I never felt lost or depressed.
However, there are significant challenges. Creating new structures can lead to big things that can take a long time to do. You have to revive and reconnect all kinds of ruins, including Pokemon Centers and more. It’s a game you can play.
There is a central story line to follow, of sorts, where the player can go back and talk to Professor Tangrowth to get ideas on where to go next. But it’s so easy to get distracted: What’s that shiny thing over there? Wait, this Pokemon wants to ask me something. And this one. And oh yes that side quest. These Pokemon are a definite must. I don’t know what it will be like if I have maybe hundreds of them. It is Animal Crossing Unleaded.
Ditto store Pokemon abilities. (That’s a human-shaped Ditto Pokemon, not a human.)
My Ditto also has abilities that I got from other Pokemon, which further enhances the possibilities. This fluid evolution of the game keeps it mysterious and exciting. What if the next day in Animal Crossing your arms are outstretched and you can do something completely different, like cutting trees or breaking new blocks? That’s Pokopia. I want to go back and continue to discover. The horizon remains unexplored beyond the next wall of blocks.
I needed a cool game like this to get into in the middle of a chaotic year. In the middle of a hot storm, it was a warm blanket. I’m worried about where all the people are going, and I feel the sadness, the Miyazaki-like sadness that permeates this game. But also hope. I am cleaning up the broken world, little by little.
I’m nowhere near this level of home decor yet.
I feel like I have a lot to do in this game, a lot to think about. I’m not sure if there really is an ending — even if Nintendo apparently says there is an ending, it’s about 20 to 40 hours. I’m sure that’s just a milestone, while everyday things like animal crossings will continue. This is a game that feels like it’s worth the $70 price tag — though I still feel like $70 is too high for games (complaining).
And it’s also the game, finally, that made my kid want his own Switch 2. Nintendo may have had its time to develop, at least in my family. Going forward, Nintendo’s games are likely to be almost entirely different for the Switch 2. And this one remains in the mix for a long time to come.
