
Pokémon Pokopia Review
A Remarkable Transformation
If you could ask Pokémon players to name a defining feature of the series, many would say it's the Pokémon battles. So, what happens when you place Pokémon in a post-apocalyptic world without trainers and completely strip away the beloved battle system? The result is the cosy goodness that is Pokémon Pokopia ; an impressively designed spin-off, with lore that rivals the philosophical depth of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. I'm no stranger to the Pokémon series, or life simulators, so I had high expectations and a massive wishlist of features to boot. The teams at Game Freak and Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force not only show that the series has plenty more to offer players than Pokémon battles, but they convey it with so much conviction that Pokémon Pokopia has set a new precedent for the level of craftsmanship that I want to see in the Pokémon series going forward.
The narrative is full of spirited Pokémon and heartwarming moments. In Pokémon Pokopia , a Ditto awakens from hibernation in a Poké Ball, and meets another lone Pokémon, Professor Tangrowth, tinkering away and talking to themselves in a cave. Confused by Ditto's appearance, Professor Tangrowth remarks that they didn't think there were any humans left. After a second look, the Professor realises that it is a transformation, mimicking the appearance of Ditto's trainer. They head out into the wilderness, and with Ditto's abilities and Professor Tangrowth's resourcefulness, the two work together to restore a deserted town, meeting new Pokémon along the way.
Ditto comes across signs of human existence, and with each area restored and friend made, the Pokémon begin to unravel what happened to their world. Trainers and Pokémon have long coexisted peacefully, so what could have possibly led to the disappearance of humanity? Pokémon Pokopia invites players to see the world through the perspective of the survivors, the Pokémon, and how they fare without humans.
[caption id="attachment_187618" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Meeting the quirky Professor Tangrowth.[/caption]
Although it's a quiet, fairly intuitive mystery that keen explorers may piece together quickly, players will feel their minds linger on the thought as they go about rebuilding the world. There is plenty of room for intrigue on the finer details of what happened, and when players stumble across clues of their own accord outside of the story, it feels like they've been let in on an exciting revelation. However long it takes the player to uncover the truth, there is a strong sense of gratification when the story comes to its sentimental and amusing conclusion.
At its core, Pokémon Pokopia is about restoring barren environments to reintroduce Pokémon back into the ecosystem. There are hallmarks of a solid life simulator, and the crafting, farming, mining, cooking, building, and terraforming systems are quite moreish. The game is bursting at the seams with content, yet there is room for expansion. While these mechanics are certainly not new, the teams behind this game have truly understood exactly what parts of the franchise's essence they needed to capture, distil, and inject into this world to make it its own distinct life simulation game. For instance, rather than using tools, players use moves taught by other Pokémon, such as using Water Gun to water plants or Rock Smash to mine iron ore.
For a post-apocalyptic setting, it is immensely satisfying to watch the world in Pokémon Pokopia come alive as a result of the player's actions. Sometimes the dialogue can be repetitive or feel like too much too soon (for example, Pokémon expressing that they love spending time together when they've only just met the player), but the Pokémon NPCs are more intelligent than they have been in any other Pokémon game to date. Pokémon do not stay glued to their homes; they wander and regularly interact with everyone around them, not just the player. They speak their thoughts and are perpetually curious about the environment, with special dialogue occurring between certain Pokémon, too.
[caption id="attachment_188158" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The rivalry continues.[/caption]
Pokémon also sleep, play with one another, forage for food when they are hungry, and are capable of accurately determining when to use their specialties, even without prompting. They have detailed preferences ranging from preferred flavours of food to décor tastes, and this information is kept handy in the Pokédex. As friendship levels increase, Pokémon also start calling players by their names, give gifts, and play mini-games. This deftly designed feature of Pokémon Pokopia simulates Pokémon idiosyncrasies and creates wholesome, often entertaining experiences that feel personal to each player.
The monster taming aspect is also around, but in a new way. Each Pokémon belongs to at least one habitat, and when that habitat is restored, the Pokémon appears. The encounter time varies according to the time of day, weather, or degree of rarity. There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of seeing a Pokémon appear in rustling grass or announce their approval of the habitat that the player has eagerly created for them, and almost equally so when players move a Pokémon into a new home that is customised to their liking. Restoring habitats and increasing a Pokémon's comfort level contribute to the environment level of the town, which in turn unlocks more items and recipes for the benefit of the residents.
Additionally, each Pokémon comes with one or two specialties. Pokémon with the Chop specialty can cut small logs into lumber. Those with the Grow specialty can accelerate seedling growth. Similarly, Pokémon with the Burn specialty can light fires, and so on. There is a real sense of camaraderie when players call on the help of Pokémon to build amenities and house kits, which can take anywhere between fifteen minutes or until the next day to complete in real time, depending on the size of the building project.
[caption id="attachment_187619" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Pokémon with the Burn Specialty can assist with smelting materials in the furnace.[/caption]
With snappy controls, up to five Pokémon at a time can accompany players around their native towns or beyond, and it is an excellent interaction that adds depth to the sandbox. Pokémon Pokopia is a co-op game, and while the game can be played entirely solo, playing with others establishes a community, as well as a self-sustaining feedback loop of creativity, where players can be inspired by others' designs, create memorable experiences with each other, showcase their own creations, and repeat.
Pacing is fairly consistent throughout, although players who are familiar with this type of game are likely to inadvertently figure out some things on their own before hitting the relevant story beat. There are no unnecessarily long cut scenes or pointless dialogue, and for a real-time life simulation with no time pressure, there is always plenty to do. The game currently encompasses a substantial number of Pokémon from all nine generations , with scope to add more. Each area has an underlying story to complete, with its own set of environmental challenges. The gameplay loop is largely the same in each town, including restoring the Pokémon Center and raising the environment level to at least level five. Beyond the individual area objectives, players are asked to complete the mysterious Team Initiation Challenge, which puts their skills to the test, as the requested resources become harder to procure in each additional stage of the challenge.
[caption id="attachment_187855" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Pokémon Center restored.[/caption]
Visually, Pokémon Pokopia is vibrant and super easy on the eyes. The designs don't stray far from the signature aesthetic and colourful palette of the franchise, but do incorporate the popular block-based style seen in other simulation games. The end result is a marvelous 3D art style that sits at the intersection of endearing and goofy, particularly evident in the design of Ditto's resting slack-jawed expression. Exclusively on the Switch 2, Pokémon Pokopia runs extremely smoothly, at 60 FPS, though the graphics remain an area of improvement for the franchise, including low fidelity textures and unfavourable visual effects such as Pokémon clipping into objects.
How a town looks and feels is largely left to player autonomy and appetite for terraforming. Players can choose to use building kits as a template, or build entirely from scratch --- the world is their Cloyster. Pokémon can live in a human-inspired metropolis or straw beds in a tree house. There are also exclusive objects from the world of Pokémon , often discoverable in relics. Additionally, players unlock a host of charming emotes and the ability to take photos in-game, showcasing the lighthearted nature of the design.
[caption id="attachment_187617" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Say "cheese"![/caption]
The score in Pokémon Pokopia is delightfully cosy. Each area has its own little tune, which also varies depending on the time of day, with elements of jazz, acoustic, soft synth melodies, and alternative arrangements of familiar tracks. Pokémon Pokopia's soundtrack remains quietly atmospheric and pleasant, even after listening to the same track looping for hours. Sound effects, from the swoosh of the Cut ability, soothing droplets of rain, to the encroaching silence of players heading deeper into the mines, are all immersive. Although there is no voice acting, each Pokémon's unique battle cry is featured. Pokémon Pokopia also allows players to create in-game ambience by adding diegetic sounds, not only with music tiles, but with CDs discovered in the world. These older, nostalgic tracks from previous games can be played through the Pokémon Rotom, or CD players, and Pokémon with the Hype specialty, in particular, enjoy these additions.
Pokémon Pokopia is a worthy spin-off that breathes new life into the series. With a refreshing narrative and an incredibly engaging world, the game flourishes with its bold direction and diligent execution. It's hard to believe that this is the series' first foray into life simulation games because of how snugly the game fits. Between making sure my Pokémon residents are as happy as they can be and stopping to smell the roses, I have been too busy living my best Poké life to miss Pokémon battles.
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