Pokémon Pokopia Review

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Fast Facts

Chairs Are NOT Food!

Well. Pokopia fever is here. If you’ve managed to avoid the tips, tricks, opinions, obsessions and downright unbelievable creations in your social media algorithm. You are a better person than me. Albeit I’m not sure it will last long for you. 

Perhaps I should explain what Pokopia is? 

Good Genes

Pokopia is a Switch 2 exclusive, developed by Gamefreak alongside the brains at Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force studio, which includes many of the development team from the infamous Dragon Quest Builder games. 

To set the scene. The world is a wasteland. Humans are gone in a true WALL.E like storyline. Here yesterday… gone today, well according to Meowth anyway. 

You arrive in a wasteland as the ever changing Ditto. Post player creation you are swiftly greeted by Professor Tangrowth. As the leading NPC you are encouraged to begin crafting habitats for long lost Pokemon in the hope you may lure their return. 

Perhaps also in doing so, this will bring back the humans too. I mean if there’s anything that history tells us, where there are Pokemon, humans are never far behind. 

As you begin to explore this open world it’s quickly apparent that the phenomena behind the humans disappearance is a complex mystery that requires lots of fact finding, digging and exploration. The story doesn’t really run much deeper than this in the early game so let’s keep things spoiler free. However with a little digging there’s loads more to discover throughout as you the player begin to piece the clues together. 

Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Now… prior to launch that’s about as much as we knew, and many will tell you that Pokopia is a bit like Animal Crossing mixed with Minecraft. I feel this is really a disservice to the complexity and depth of the game. It has its own unique identity and although it blends so much of the DNA across other Nintendo IP, (cooking sounds like BOTW, bed time feels like Animal Crossing) it stands truly alone in the lore. 

Across the opening act of the Withered Wasteland, you begin to discover more and more Pokemon as you create and design habitats for them. You can scavenge everything that isn’t nailed down, and you are encouraged to layer your own personality into the design of your town. 

Your Pokemon can live in the initial habitats created, or you can really level things up from Leaf Huts to elaborate houses and villas. The aim? To make them happy, which makes you happy, which releases endorphins. 

Really that’s what Pokopia is. It’s a cosy game that promotes the release of feel good moments, memories and vibes. In doing so, it makes you want to come back… Every. Single. Day. 

It’s Your Show Kid.

There are so many layers to how you as the player can tackle Pokopia. You can push the story forward, which is obtained by completing missions and tasks. For example you may need to use the Pokemon in your community to soften the ground soil to release a trapped Pokemon in a cave. You may need to loot a bunch of materials and assemble your posse of handy Pokemon to rebuild the Pokemon Centre. Or you may simply need to throw a massive party for the whole community complete with music, dancing and a celebratory feast! All of these events and activities earn you CP to buy upgrades, decorations and doo-hickeys. 

It also increases happiness in your community, and the more Pokemon you discover the more you build your Pokédex. In time this will allow you to unlock gates to move forward to the next Area to discover more of the secrets in the mysteries of Pokopia. 

Take your time

Now when I say so many layers to how you wish to approach the game. You could literally sink 50 hours into transforming Withered Wasteland back to its former glory and with the included Switch 2 mouse controls, the precision aiming on your building blocks and intricate remodelling is a breeze. You could even do what I did and head across to Rocky Ridges for a 6 hour session meticulously re-designing the railroad tracks. A committed effort to provide a guided tour for my Pokemon across the cityscape. Alternatively you can push the storyline forward and save the interior design and farming for your post-game retirement. 

It’s all entirely your choice, and that sense of freedom can be a blessing and a curse. To say Pokopia is overwhelming is an understatement, and just glancing at the r/pokopia subreddit is enough to make you feel utterly inferior. If you want to build your own Jurassic Park.. yep someone’s done it. A 10 storey high-rise apartment with a full electricity grid. Done. 

My encouragement to you? Take your time. Enjoy. Play at your own pace. This game is here to stay and there is no reward for rushing, aside from a headache. 

If there is a significant other in your life. Do yourself a favour. Find a way to buy them a switch 2 and Pokopia to play on as well. Otherwise it’s unlikely your relationship will survive the level of addiction and dysregulation Pokopia is about to have on your life.

5 out of 5

5

You can buy Pokémon Pokopia from the eShop right here