Pokémon Pokopia Could Be The Franchise’s Best Entry In Years

Pokémon Pokopia is something incredibly special, and I know I’m not alone in thinking that.

I recently had the opportunity to attend Nintendo of Europe’s headquarters alongside other journalists, going hands-on with a number of upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 titles. While every game featured in the line-up delighted in its own way, there was really only one topic of conversation on everybody’s lips. Yes, Pokémon Pokopia. It was our first play of the day and it generated a buzz that refused to dissipate - its formula well and truly enchanting us all.

Developed by Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company, Pokémon Pokopia isn’t the simple cosy sim it appears to be at first glance. Whilst its trees wouldn’t look out of place in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Pokémon Pokopia offers a formula that’s an entirely different kettle of fish. Its sprawling voxel world is perhaps more akin to what you’ll find in Minecraft while the title’s gameplay is, as someone made the excellent point of, of the Viva Piñata variety.

Players assume the role of a Ditto who’s taken on a human form. They awaken though on a desolate island, devoid of both humans and ‘mon all except for Professor Tangrowth. The character will guide the player as you restore the island, building habitats that lure in ‘mon, acquiring their skills as you do so.

Build and Restore Habitats To Lure In Pokémon

We began with Pokémon Pokopia’s main single-player offering, playing through around 45 minutes or so of the game’s opening. While the game’s formula is undeniably cosy, you won’t be building up a farmstead for yourself here as is so often the case in this genre. You’ll be restoring or building habitats for Pokémon to call home, which is where your farming and crafting efforts will come into play. Restoring tall grass, for example, quickly unlocked a Bulbasaur, whilst growing flowers next to a tree brought a Combee to my shores.

Nintendo

When you lure in a Pokémon, Ditto will be able to learn and make use of their ability. For example, Squirtle is one of the first ‘mon you’ll encounter, with Ditto picking up the ability to shoot water. Later on, Hitmonchan set up residence after I fulfilled the required conditions, allowing me to replicate his ‘rock smash’ technique - perfect for opening up new paths.

In fact, you never quite know what delights utilising an ability might conjure up. It was shortly after acquiring the rock smash that I randomly tried it out on a seemingly weeping stone wall. Out came a huge gush of water, filling the surrounding waterways and opening up plenty of possibilities for new water-based ‘mon. You’ll begin your journey in the Withered Wastelands and while I don’t know how large Pokémon Pokopia’s open world is, I certainly was left by the impression that this isn’t a game short of things to do.

Ditto Can Learn a New Ability From The ‘Mon They Encounter

Your goal isn’t simply to lure ‘mon in; you don’t want to abandon your new friends. Once a ‘mon is occupying an area, you can speak to them and learn what else you can do to improve their happiness. Charmander, for example, quickly instructed me that they’d like a campfire nearby. This is a relatively simple request given that the traditional Gen 1 starters are the first ‘mon you’ll encounter but overtime, the requests will likely require a tad more effort in terms of crafting on your part.

I should stress that you can decorate the island in a nice way simply because it pleases you. Not everything has to be in service of your Pokémon. I noticed plenty of adorable in-game items I could craft. In fact, I was just in the midst of building myself - with the help of some ‘mon - a house, but unfortunately my time with this portion of the game ended before I had the chance to see what it looked like or what functionalities it offered.

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Before we depart the single-player offering, I do want to mention that players are quite rapidly introduced to the Poké Life app. This tasked me with completing several jobs in exchange for a currency which I could then use to buy items or materials. The tasks were relatively easy and actually really helped guide the player in what is quite a free-flowing game. They included collecting a certain number of a crafting material, for example, or clearing so many overgrown areas of land.

Pokémon Pokopia Doesn’t Hold Too Much Content Back, Players Can Get Stuck In

What perhaps most struck me about Pokémon Pokopia is how available it feels from the get-go. I despise when cosy games lock progression behind in-game days. It slows the experience down to a pace you might not enjoy, making the whole thing feel like a slog. That’s not at all the case here. Despite only spending around 45 minutes with the opening, I’d already lured in seven ‘mon, and that kind of pace is incredibly appealing to me.

There’s so much of the main mode that I didn’t see. There are endless ‘mon abilities I’m yet to try out, and I didn’t really do any of the traditional farming of fruits and crops that’s featured in the game’s trailer. I also haven’t met some of the more unique ‘mon due to feature in the game, including the likes of Mosslax or Peakychu. I’m as in the dark there as the rest of you, but I did get to sample the game’s multiplayer offering.

Online Co-Op Adds Extra Whimsy To An Already Delightful Formula

Pokémon Pokopia offers four-player co-op which, unsurprisingly, was as joyous of a delight to experience. It functions pretty much exactly the same as the main game, although here you have the added fun of working together. We were dropped into a series of three islands where, essentially, we had to gather enough ‘mon to help us rebuild a Pokémon Centre. That, as you’re probably catching on to, included building the required habitats. Saying that, some of the ‘mon already existed although we did have to craft a huge bridge to get them from one island to another.

Nintendo

We never actually completed the task so no, I can’t tell you what secrets lie within a restored Pokémon Centre. I can attest to the delight though that came from experiencing the gameplay formula with others. “Oo, I’ve found a Growlithe,” one of us announced to much excitement. “This Espeon has asked to speak with you,” is one of the weirdest statements that was perhaps said aloud to me. The whole set-up generated a charming childlike delight as we all immediately felt the familiar warmth that Pokémon generates, especially when presented in this formula.

I barely feel as if I’ve scratched the surface of discovering what Pokémon Pokopia has to offer and yet, I’m entirely sold on its vision. This isn’t simply a formulaic cosy game with a Pokémon overlay. It’s a really wonderfully considered creation that’s as accessible to diehard fans as it is to complete and utter novices. I haven’t stopped thinking about Pokémon Pokopia ever since I heard the dreaded words “time’s up”, so I certainly know what I’ll be picking up come 5 March.

Pokémon Pokopia is set to launch on 5 March on Nintendo Switch 2. This title is planned and co-developed by The Pokémon Company, GAME FREAK inc., and KOEI TECMO GAMES.