Pokémon Pokopia Is a GOTY Contender That’s Consuming All of My Waking Hours

Pokémon Pokopia is quite simply perfection, and I can say with complete conviction that it’s a major GOTY contender.

Nintendo’s Game Freak and Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force could so easily have settled for inserting ‘mon into the typical cosy formula. Instead, Pokémon Pokopia offers something entirely unique; a formula that feels familiar despite wholeheartedly standing on its own two feet. This collaborative effort provides a welcomed change of pace for longtime fans of the franchise, whilst serving as an alternative for newcomers who don’t favour the series’ typical turn-based offering. The end result is charming, soothing, and oh so incredibly moreish. Pokémon Pokopia showcases the type of reinvention you want to see in a franchise’s 30th year.

Pokémon Pokopia is a life sim that sees players assume the role of a Ditto who’s awoken in a strange, desolate land with only Professor Tangrowth for company. The professor relays that both humans and ‘mon once filled the world you see before you, but they’ve all disappeared and no one knows why. Beginning in the Withered Wastelands, your goal is to reverse that, restoring habitats to lure in Pokémon in the hopes that humans may follow.

Pokémon Pokopia Offers Instant Freedom, Doesn’t Hold Players Back

I was entirely sold on Pokémon Pokopia from the get-go, and that’s not an easy thing to pull off. While I adore life sims, I find they can be somewhat laborious. In early hours, items can be scarce, with progression often dictated by the passage of time, whether that be in-game or real life. There’s none of that here. While you have to work to unlock other lands beyond the Withered Wastelands, Pokémon Pokopia offers a liberating sense of freedom from the word go.

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Every block it’s composed of is yours to change or mold. You’ll unlock ‘mon in quick succession. There’s nothing stopping you from exploring uncharted territory not yet displayed on the map. There’s a real sense of adventure within Pokémon Pokopia that’s so special. Yes, there are story missions designed to get you from A to B but this is an experience with a distinct ability to reward the curious. A simple stone wall could be concealing an as yet unexplored area or perhaps a cavern that’s home to a curious little discovery.

All of this is to say that Pokémon Pokopia is anything but formulaic.

Pokémon Pokopia’s Gameplay Is Far From Repetitive

The general gameplay loop consists of discovering and creating habitats, stored in your Habitat Dex, to lure in ‘mon. You’ll then want to check their comfort levels, with players having to adjust decorations, light levels, humidity, and more in order to satisfy occupants. The happier your ‘mon are, the higher your environment level will be. The higher your level, the more items you can unlock from a Pokémon Center’s nearby PC Shop, before eventually, you’ll unlock other lands where the loop begins again.

Devs Estimated a 20 to 40 Hour Runtime, You’re Most Likely Looking at the Latter

There’s so much on offer beyond this core experience though, much of which I can’t actually talk about for spoilers sake. From time to time, you’ll find a Pokémon who’s already set up residence within a particular land, and it’s these ‘mon who typically have something unique to offer. Peakychu, for example, plays a key part in the story-based missions that’ll aid in your restoration of Bleak Beach. It’s here that you’ll get to explore a full-scale, albeit rundown, S.S. Anne.

In other instances, new ‘mon like Smearguru and Chef Greedent will teach you special skills. The former will help players customise furniture, whilst the latter will teach you how to cook meals that restore your PP. There are other ‘mon with an interest in certain collectibles, while Withered Wastelands is home to the curious Team Initiation Challenge, a fetch quest of sorts shrouded in mystery. I’m already hoping you’re beginning to see just how much there is to take on within Pokémon Pokopia, and that’s with the caveat that there are discoveries to be made for which The Pokémon Company has sworn me to secrecy.

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Restoring The Game’s Broken World Is Satisfyingly Therapeutic

It’s very easy to get distracted, especially given the fact that you can also just simply delight in restoring the open-world to your heart’s content. As I said, there are no limitations on how you approach this, although there’s a visible path forward if you’re not exactly one for creativity. You’ll need to water deadened vegetation as well as hydrate paths. There are road blockages to remove and missing paving stones to restore. Buildings once occupied by humans now miss roof tiles and walls, while waterways have burst their banks. Minecart tracks don’t operate as they used to, plus bridges have crumbled, cutting certain areas off completely.

You don’t have to simply opt to restore the world on offer in Pokémon Pokopia. You can remodel it if you wish, although I’d perhaps recommend saving your creativity for Pallette Town, a play on words of the usual Pallet Town. You can access Pallette Town at any time, although the game recommends you wait until you’ve progressed to a certain point. It comprises three largely undeveloped islands so that players can wholeheartedly unleash their creativity; you can even do that alongside a friend via the game’s multiplayer functionality.

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I’m a perfectionist and that can be a burden within the cosy gaming space. I find it difficult to decorate, for example, as my abode or island in such titles never quite feels up to par with those I see online. That was entirely absent for me within Pokémon Pokopia, perhaps as there’s that option to restore if you don’t want to put your own spin on things. Whether it was relaying a road, gathering trash, or demolishing an unwanted blockade, Pokémon Pokopia allowed me to scratch a very satisfying itch. If you get a kick out of a clean, organised home in real life, you’ll find a virtual iteration of that here.

This all allowed me to approach the game with far more abandonment than I typically do within this space, which is why the experience felt all the sweeter. As a relevant aside, during one session, I literally spent an hour using Ditto’s water ability to rehydrate scorched grass as the yellow-hued Withered Wastelands slowly turned green. Ah, sweet satisfaction.

Pokémon Pokopia is Free of Grind, Formulated With Player Happiness in Mind

There’s a distinct lack of grind within Pokémon Pokopia, and this all links back to what I said earlier about the game’s world really being your oyster. Of course, not everything is handed to you from the word ‘go’. It’s certain ‘mon who will teach you their abilities that you’ll need to use throughout the game. Within the opening hour or so, Ditto should learn how to use Water Gun, Leafage, Rock Smash, and Cut, but you will have to progress before other skills can be encountered.

That limitation never feels obvious though. You may occasionally stumble across a barrier you can’t destroy, for example, but Pokémon Pokopia strikes the perfect balance. There’s enough that’s inaccessible at any one time in order to strike curiosity and intrigue into the player, but never so much that you feel limited.

Whether it’s restoring habitats, progressing through story quests, or fixing up Pokémon Pokopia’s world, there’s a fair amount of crafting that takes place within the game but this too is without grind. There are materials scattered all across the various lands, and players can hold ‘Y’ if they want Ditto to inhale them all up in a Kirby-esque fashion. When you do need to create something, there are crafting tables scattered across the various maps, many of which have an inventory box located next to them. When an inventory box is situated that way, the materials within it can be accessed from any crafting table.

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Crafting recipes can be found across the open-world in Poké Balls or purchased from a Pokémon Center’s PC Shop. You’ll get coins for completing ‘challenges’ that you’ll do without even trying. Examples include restoring so many roads, watering so many trees, or discovering so many ‘mon. I also found that my happiest ‘mon would usually give me items too, with those gifts including decorative items, crafting materials, or crafting recipes. I never at all felt like I was trapped within a repetitive cycle with plenty at my fingertips to make use of.

Seamlessly Fast Travel Between The Game’s Various Maps

It’s also incredibly easy to switch between the game’s various maps, once you’ve unlocked them. You will need to build a home in each land, although you can buy very rudimentary ‘den’ kits from the PC Shop. Simply gather the materials and a couple of ‘mon to help out and the den will soon be erected. Once you’ve established a home, you can quickly travel between them. For lands where you haven’t yet built a home, you’ll have to navigate to said land via the gate you originally discovered it from, likely from the starter land, the Withered Wastelands.

There’s no one reason why Pokémon Pokopia is so special; this game is a sum of its parts, without a single weak link in the chain. It’s a title that offers a unique spin on the cosy formula, made all the more magical by the familiarity of this wonderful franchise. Pokémon Pokopia is a true adventure that boasts a refreshing sense of freedom. Totally devoid of grind, this experience rewards the curious with heaps of content on offer. You’ll be hard pressed to put it down, and it's certainly a title that we’ll all be discussing when this year’s GOTY discussion rolls around.

Pros: Heaps of content, so many ‘mon, packed with surprises, no sense of grind, entertaining formula

Cons: Nothing

For fans of: Minecraft, Animal Crossing, Viva Piñata, Pokémon

10/10: Perfect

Pokémon Pokopia launches on 5 March on Nintendo Switch 2 (version tested). A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.