Developed by Omega Force, Pokémon Pokopia is the latest cozy game that blends elements of Animal Crossing, Minecraft, and for the Omega Force fans out there, Dragon Quest 2. It’s no secret that The Pokémon Company’s latest track record has been anything but average at best. On top of that, I think it would be fair to say that, besides Donkey Kong Bananza, the Switch 2’s releases also follow suit. At a Wooping $70, let’s talk about if Pokémon Pokopia is able to beat that streak. 

A Mystery to Unfold

In Pokémon Pokopia, you play as a Ditto who has transformed into what their previous owner looked like. As you enter a barren wasteland, you meet Professor Tangrowth, who lets you know that all of the humans, along with all Pokémon, have mysteriously gone missing. You soon encounter a Squirtle dying of thirst and use your transform ability to splash them with water. Professor Tangrowth then comes up with the idea of restoring the land around you and building habitats for Pokémon all in the hopes of getting humans to return. 

When I purchased Pokopia I did not expect the depth of story that the game offers. This truly is a post apocalyptic game in which you are finding relics and data-pads all for the purpose of trying to piece together where the humans and Pokémon have gone. Omega Force could have easily just made a run of the mill cozy game, but they didn’t. Instead, they delivered all of the great qualities of a cozy game, whilst also creating an engaging story for players to uncover as they progress through the game. 

Graphics

I also didn’t expect Pokopia to be the best looking Pokémon game in recent years. Not that there is anything spectacular about how the game looks, it is just clear that this aspect of the game was made with care. Does it look like a game that pushes the limits of the Switch 2? No, but that doesn’t matter, it has that classic Pokémon look without trying too hard.

The game runs smoothly for how expansive it is, and boy is it expansive. You think that you’ve explored everything and then all of the sudden there’s a gate for you to open with a whole new environment to explore and clean up. Then, you think you’ve explored all you can, and then you find another gate.

So, Pokopia has the perfect art style for the cozy Switch game that it is; pleasing to look at and the right amount of cartoonish character models. With the track record that recent Pokémon games have had, it’s nice that they’ve finally made a game that not only looks good, but also performs well on the intended console that it was made for.

The Best Cozy Game? 

Pokopia has all of the best elements of a cozy game, with a great twist on how you interact with those elements. Since you play as Ditto, the only way to learn how to do anything in the game is to first learn it from another Pokémon. For example, you learn how to cut trees and bushes from Scyther or how to till a farm from Drilbur. Thankfully, these are all linked through the story missions so it’s not like you’re going to be lost on how to learn these abilities. 

You also have to use your Pokémon do to certain things in the game. For example, you have to bring Pawmi different fruits to create dyes for items, or you bring clay to Carkol to turn into bricks. You can even have them follow you around and help you with different tasks such as growing flowers, cleaning up mud, or lighting up street lamps. Overall, Pokopia is able to create a great community feeling to the game.

I almost struggle to put the game down with the amount there is to do in the game. As is typical with a cozy game, you start off with a lot of cleaning up to do. Did I think I would get overwhelmed with the amount of dry dirt that I would have to hydrate? Yes I did. Did I turn my brain off and spend hours going around watering it all to look spectacular? Yes I did. This is what I love most about this game which I feel pushes it ahead of other games like it. In a game like Animal Crossing you almost feel like you’re locked out of the playing when there’s a bridge to be built or a new villager arriving. However, with Pokopia, there’s always something to do. Even if I’m waiting for a new structure to be built, there’s a Pokémon whose comfort level needs to be addressed, or there’s another spot on the map that I haven’t explored, or there’s a dream island to go to, it’s never ending. This makes Pokopia impossible to put down because your job is never over; in the best way possible. 

I will say, I do think that Pokopia needs some quality of life updates in the near future. Place blocks can be mildly infuriating due to the camera angle, even after you get used to it. Moreover, using your abilities can cause some frustration, especially when breaking walls, it really all boils down to the camera controls.

I also think that the inventory system can be a little much at times, I found myself constantly having to make boxes to place things in as I was always full. However, I tend to be pretty bad at inventory management in games, so that could just be a me problem.

Caring For Your Pokémon

The way in which you get new Pokémon is you first have to build a habitat for it, and there are numerous of them. Some of the habitats other Pokémon will teach you about, and others you find traces of Pokémon around the world that give you hints of what to build. This gives the game a little bit of a Zoo Tycoon feel to it as once you have a Pokémon, you need to make sure its environment is perfect. 

To do this, Pokopia uses a comfort level mechanic. Whenever a new Pokémon appears in your world, it is your job to make sure that their comfort is met. Some Pokémon prefer dark places, others prefer to be by the ocean, and some like different temperatures. This adds a level of care that you don’t see from games like Animal Crossing where you have your villagers and they’re given a house and then you can just talk to them. In Pokopia, it’s your job to do everything. They want a bed? You better go build them a bed. They say they’re hungry for something sweet? Well, you better figure out what that means and get it for them. 

This is something that I never expected to enjoy in Pokopia. In any cozy game that I’ve played, interacting with the other villagers is the least of my concern. I would much rather farm or explore than ask some NPC how their day is going. However, with Pokopia, I find myself wanting to talk to the Pokémon. Whether that be because their dialogue is always some type of goofy, or because they have some item to offer to me, I make sure to take time to talk to them.

It’s this type of thing that makes a game like this feel alive. They walk around the area and have conversations with each other, they play interact with the furniture that you’ve placed in their habitat, and they even seek you out to offer advice or give you random items that they’ve collected.

With that being said, Pokopia is so much more of a cozy game than it is a Pokémon game. I would even go as far as to say that you don’t even need to be a fan of the Pokémon series to play and enjoy this game. I myself am not a massive Pokémon fan and I found myself deeply engaged with everything that was happening in the game.