Pokemon Pokopia: From Wasteland to Wonderland

I was looking forward to Pokemon Pokopia ever since it was first announced. As a huge fan of both Animal Crossing and Pokemon, it appeared to be a wonderfully playful bridge between the two-- and it did not disappoint.

Spoilers ahead.

What is Pokemon Pokopia?

In this game, you play as a Ditto, a Pokemon with the ability to shapeshift, who wakes up to a world that has been completely abandoned by all living creatures, human and Pokemon alike. The only creature there is Professor Tangrowth, who soon becomes your guide as you begin your journey.

The game carefully sets you up with a world called Withered Wasteland and teaches you the basic moves. You water grass like Squirtle, plant bushes like Bulbasaur, create habitats for Pokemon, and slowly start building a community for the lost Pokemon. This is all while you uncover the truth about what happened to the humans.

Once you're done with the Withered Wasteland, you realize just how big the game is, which can feel overwhelming at first, but makes for a great time.

What makes this game different from other Pokemon games?

Practically everything! This unique crossover between a cozy game with a somewhat sinister backstory is addicting.

• There is no battling. It isn't competitive nor is there any strategy needed for building teams. All of the Pokemon are just trying to live in their barren world.

• You are playing as a Pokemon who acts like a human. By playing as a Pokemon, you can speak to other Pokemon and understand what they're saying. They have personalities, friends, and needs.

• There are only one of each Pokemon. Pokemon spawn into the game after you build them a home that matches their needs. Then, once they spawn, they enter your Pokedex and that is the only one. Additionally, there are no shinies.

What else makes this game so great?

• The game creators did a great job of creating the cozy atmosphere. The music is so peaceful and the graphics are so detailed.

• The map is a wonderful call back to Kanto. The landmarks, such as the Pewter Museum of Science, are carefully placed to match the map. The places are Withered Wasteland (Fuchsia City), Bleak Beach (Vermilion City), Rocky Ridges (Pewter City), and the final Sparkling Skylands (Celadon City). Palette Town is also a call back to Pallet Town-- a play on words since Palette Town in Pokopia references the blank slate area that the player gets to design from scratch.

• After you're done with the storyline, that's when the real building begins. After the storyline is over, you meet Magnemite, who gifts you this amazingly helpful ability when it comes to creating buildings, structures, or anything your heart desires. I've seen people build cozy cafes, beautiful treehouses, impressive amusement parks, and it's only going to get crazier.

Any Critiques?

• The inventory system is a bit disorganized. I've often left something in a storage box somewhere and then struggled to find it again later. It would be awesome if there was a way to see everything that I was storing at once. Some people have created a whole building with labeled boxes just for their storage.
• Although the game has a great system for building with Magnemite's ability to float, break items while collecting them, and placing multiple blocks at once, it can be hard to aim with the joycons. Placing blocks and furniture down can be frustrating. Additionally, aiming the ability Rock Smash at the right block can be finnicky as well.
• This game is only available on the Switch 2. This means that, in order to play the game, it is necessary to make that $450 purchase followed by the $70 for the game.

Overall, Pokemon Pokopia is an insanely addicting game that will have you looking at the clock and wondering where the last 5 hours have gone. There's so much to do, so much to see, and so many Pokemon to meet.