Nintendo and The Pokemon Company have never been shy about experimenting Pokémon stamp. While the core games have rarely deviated from their established formula, Pokémon Spin-off games have given us everything from a trading card RPG to digital pinball to fighting games to a game where players can literally talk to Pikachu with a microphone accessory. Considering how many genres Pokémon have dipped their toes in, it's surprising that Pokemon Pokopia is the franchise's first crack at a cozy life sim in the direction of Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing. But even if the main character in Pokopia is a Ditto, it doesn't feel like a copycat of the games that inspired it, and instead it can stand among them all as one of the best cozy life sims on the market.
Pokemon Pokopia players take on the role of a Ditto who has decided to take the form of a human (to mixed results, in typical Ditto fashion) as they explore a wasteland, seemingly devoid of life. They run into Professor Tangrowth, who gives Ditto a mission to rebuild the wasteland in an attempt to lure Pokémon and humans back to the region.
Pokopia is like Animal Crossing, but with Pokemon
What comes out are typical cozy game dishes, but with a Pokémon-turn. Various Pokemon from all generations of the games take the place of Animal Crossing villagers, with players able to draw new Pokémon to their islands by building special habitats. Some of the Pokemon are important to progress Pokopias story, while others are optional, but still play an important role in fleshing out the island and making it feel more alive. As in the main games, discovering a rare Pokemon in Pokopia is a thrill, and it's easy to lose hours just building habitats and trying to complete the Pokedex.
Pokemon in Pokopia serve a greater purpose than the NPCs in many other cozy games. Many of them Pokopia Pokémon have special abilities that players can take advantage of, such as Scyther's ability to turn logs into lumber, which in turn can be used to build houses and helpful items. Other Pokémon can be asked to follow Ditto around to complete tasks, with Charmander able to light fire and Piplup able to soften poison gun so it can then be washed away with Ditto's Water Gun ability. Some Pokemon can teach Ditto HMs that give it more options when exploring the island. For example, Hitmonchan can teach Ditto Rock Smash, which allows players to destroy objects in a way that is not unlike Minecraft.
While Pokopia is very much Animal Crossing-coded with its adorable characters, the often cute or funny Pokémon beep dialogue, and the general tone of the game, it also draws clear inspiration from Minecraft. The world design stays close Minecraft aesthetic, with blocky terrain and the ability to manipulate it. Players can build all kinds of structures in Pokopia by smashing and rearranging blocks – another activity it's easy to sink into for hours without even realizing it.
Pokopia has a bright, colorful and simplistic art style that looks good, but it's not exactly a graphical powerhouse for the Switch 2. Still, it runs like clockwork and the draw distance is surprisingly strong. I could see the specific action my multiplayer partner was performing from almost halfway across the map.
Just like other games in the genre, Pokopia gives players the tools to play how they want, but for those who prefer more structure to their games, it also provides concrete goals to tackle. Pokopias Pokémon regularly have requests that players can complete that help them gain more resources or teach them something about the game, such as the Trubbish quest that explains how to turn trash into iron ore or the Smeargle quest that teaches players how to paint items. Players also have an overall goal of raising the environmental level of the various areas they visit by improving each Pokémon's habitat as much as possible.
One of the main goals in each area of Pokopia is to rebuild the Pokemon Center, which is accomplished by completing various requests for Pokemon living in that area, collecting the necessary materials, and recruiting the necessary Pokemon to get the job done. Advancing the story in this way raises Ditto's trainer level and in turn makes it possible to go through gates to reach new areas with their own Pokémon, biomes and secrets to discover. Sectioning the world creates a sense of progression that other games like this don't have, and that makes it even harder to set Pokopia down. Pokopias structure ensures that it always exists something worth doing in game.
Pokopia is great, but it's not perfect
Still, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when I started opening gates to new areas and realized that I would end up rebuilding Pokemon Centers each time. There are other repetitive tasks and goals in Pokopia which can make the game boring at times, but going through the slightly more boring parts of the game is still worth it for the rewards on the other side.
Pokopia also lacks certain quality of life features that would have helped it reach even greater heights. Pokopia players can only craft using items they have in their inventory or are in storage boxes immediately adjacent to the workbench, unlike a universal storage system used by other games in the genre. Not being able to zoom in on the map is also annoying, and then building houses is Pokopiawhich could benefit greatly from streamlining. As it stands, larger projects require players to collect every single Pokémon and lead them to the construction site, as opposed to just summoning them all there from a menu. This is especially annoying when the number of Pokemon required to build something exceeds the maximum number of Pokemon that can follow Ditto around at any given time.
Apart from the minor violations, Pokopia is the perfect cozy gaming experience. It draws players in and gives them compelling reasons to spend hours upon hours of their lives rebuilding islands and discovering new Pokémon. It also has surprisingly interesting lore, plus lots of fun nods to the main series games, from gym leaders being referenced to treasures that can be found hidden underground.
Pokopia Multiplayer is ridiculously fun
Pokopia would be an easy recommendation for genre fans and Pokémon fans alike if it was strictly a single-player experience, but what makes it an absolute must-buy for Switch 2 owners is the multiplayer. Pokopia multiplayer comes in a few different flavors, and they're all a lot of fun.
Pokopia players are free to visit each other's worlds, interact with Pokémon there, and potentially open the door to have those Pokémon appear in their own worlds. The main story areas of the game cannot be manipulated when visiting friends' islands, but there are some areas there Pokopia players are free to change the terrain and do whatever they want. Still the best way to play Pokopia multiplayer is through the Cloud Islands.
The Cloud Islands are persistent worlds, not unlike those found in Minecraftwhere Pokopia players can work together with their friends to find Pokemon, build all kinds of creations, and basically play the game without having to stay within the framework of the main story. It is here Pokopia multiplayer really shines, and the fact that it supports both local and online multiplayer (not always a given for a Nintendo game) is the icing on the cake.
With fun multiplayer and an addictive story mode that's virtually impossible to put down once you get going, Pokopia has absolutely nailed the concept of combining the world of Pokémon with the life-sim genre. It's as good as the best life sims and a must buy for Switch 2 owners. And if you don't have a Switch 2 yet, Pokopia is one of the best reasons to go out and buy the console ASAP.
Pokemon Pokopia is out now, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.
