When it was first announced, my interest was already high for Pokémon Pokopia. A life sim in the world of Pokémon from the point of view of the Pokémon? Sign me up! Eagerly awaiting it, it was then known that this was a collaboration between Game Freak and the team that made the Dragon Quest Builders games. Which is exactly the type of information that boosts my hype. I loved those games, so it should be no surprise I’m loving Pokopia.
A Ditto misses its trainer to the point it transforms into them, with some customisation of what that Ditto looks like. The options here aren’t huge, but there’s enough for some variety. The look of Ditto can be changed later, which is especially good as new options can be found throughout the world for even more customisation options. And emotes, which are fun to see used.
Now in the world, specifically a cave where Tangrowth lives, the first taste of control and story are given. Humans and Pokémon have disappeared, with Tangrowth being the only one around. Until I appeared. Along with a Squirtle that is outside the cave. A Squirtle that needs help in the dry air of this wasteland. This is where I learn my first move of Water Gun to help it recover.
Moving around the world is easy enough, with an auto grab to get up a level whenever stairs are not available. Though at some point in the story, a proper jump does get learnt. Using and swapping between moves is no trouble, either. Leafage, the next move learnt from a Bulbasaur that appears from watering a habitat, allows for more habitats to be created by making tall grass appear. There are many types of habitats that can be created. Some that don’t even require tall grass.
Only certain Pokémon will teach moves as part of story progression, but that doesn’t mean the rest don’t have a use. Every Pokémon has a specialty, whether that be quickly growing planted crops, providing materials, or building houses. Which can be used as habitats along with the natural outdoor ones. Such skills also come in handy for turning resources into new building materials, which leads me to just how great the building in Pokopia is.
Being a blocky world, building is grid-based. Simply select something from the menu to see a highlight appear of where it will be placed. Then place it once in the right position. Holding down the left trigger will lock me into facing one direction while moving, along with allowing height adjustment of what I’m holding up to three grid places. This makes building, or even using moves across distances, a breeze. In fact, the only thing I wish the game had was manually swapping to first person when working in tight spaces.
The variety of things that can be placed is huge. While things might seem light to start, there’s plenty to find around the world. Furniture including beds, chairs, tables, and lights. Recipes can be leant to create even more things. Whether they are found, bought, or encountered via other means. And that is another thing I do like. Exploration is rewarded, with finding Pokéballs, glowing blocks, and ripples in water always providing a reward. Plus the memos that provide a nice bit of history to the world.
Pokopia is a delight in its life sim stylings, too. The Pokémon that arrive can be found wandering the area, chatting to other Pokémon. Sometimes they’ll come to me, either to give me something for free or earn it by playing a game. If I check in on them, they’ll have requests for how to make their habitat better, which improves the overall environment level. It’s so nice to see the Pokémon playing as I wander around, or them coming to see what I’m working on and cheering me on.
Speaking on the environment level, that is one of the important requests Professor Tangrowth will provide across each of the areas. An important request that goes toward completing that areas story. More than that, each level provides new things that can be bought at the shop on the Pokémon Center PC. The currency of which can be earnt through challenges, such as building roads, picking up items, and attracting Pokémon to the area.
Pokémon Pokopia has me hooked with its charm. With its freedom. I’ve split my time equally between progressing the story and working on terraforming the first area. A story that me smiling with each new encounter. Terraforming that has produced some nice results so far, and will continue to do so as I work on the rest of the area. It’s just as well that the starting path blocks are ones I like.
Overall, there’s a lot to like about Pokopia. Easy to use controls. A world that feels lived in. And just so many things to smile at. Especially with the sounds and music. Ditto learning new moves uses the evolution theme to great effect, for instance. It’s why I can easily recommend Pokémon Pokopia. For anyone wanting a nice, chill gaming session full of charm, this will do nicely.
Images Taken From:
Pokémon Pokopia | Nintendo Switch 2 [Docked]
