Pokemon Pokopia Is Way Bigger Than I Expected, In The Best Way

When Pokemon Pokopia was first announced, many people expected it to be something along the lines of Animal Crossing with a Pokemon coat of paint. And while Animal Crossing has many strengths, a giant map certainly isn’t one of them. Even after seeing more from Pokopia, I still imagined a relatively small island that Ditto and its Pokemon friends would call home. But shortly after diving into the game, I realized it’s much, much bigger than I expected. And for the most part, that’s a good thing.

At first glance, the maps for areas like Withering Wastelands might seem small. But they’re actually pretty expensive, with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore. And then there’s the gates, which bring you to entirely new worlds to uncover. Not long after loading into Pokopia for the first time, I realized it’s not a small game, at all. If anything, the world and gameplay scope are so big, it can be a little bit overwhelming. Now that I’ve sunk well over 40 hours into the game, I can safely say I’m glad it’s as massive as it is, because I have no interest in being done with Pokopia any time soon.

Pokopia‘s Map Size & Poke Dex Are No Joke

Whenever I hit a waiting point in Pokopia, I feel inclined to try and explore my current biome. But that’s never as simple as you might think. The game really uses space to its advantage, making each area feel even bigger than its map implies. Like using Dig to explore the Underground or Dive to go beneath the waves, Pokopia lets you explore its map on all kinds of levels. You can swim or fly to the map’s edge and stumble upon a whole unexplored cave or mountain as you do.

And unlike the broad emptiness of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, this map feels alive with possibilities. Everywhere you go in each biome, there are items, Easter Eggs, and Pokemon to uncover. The Poke Dex itself is pretty massive, with over 300 Pokemon to discover. Building all those habitats will take time, and not every Pokemon will appear right away. And given that we already have at least one live event to add even more Pokemon to the game, I can see Pokopia have a life every bit as long as Animal Crossing‘s.

Along with tucking secrets all throughout the map, one of the coolest ways that Pokopia adds more depth to “catching ’em all” is that Pokemon don’t evolve. The first Bulbasaur you meet isn’t going to one day be a Venusaur. Instead, you’ve got to unlock a new habitat to attract each member of the evolution line. This, along with the massive map sizes for each region, add a ton of gameplay to Pokopia. It wasn’t long after my arrival in the Withering Wastelands that I wondered how on earth the game developer could think the main story would only take us 30ish hours. After getting endlessly distracted by efforts to perfect each Pokemon’s home, those claims feel a lot like speed runner numbers.

Even After 40+ Hours, It Feels Like I’ve Just Scratched the Surface of Pokopia

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Because I had the pleasure of playing Pokopia early for review, I am already a good bit into the game. And after 40+ hours, there’s still so much for me to do. I have plenty of artifacts, secrets, and Pokemon to track down. My environment levels could be improved all across the board. And that’s before we consider the fact that I’m just now getting to experience what multiplayer has to offer. It’s been a long time since I’ve sunk this much time into a game and still find myself wanting to go back for more. But somehow, Pokopia has created a world I want to explore every nook and cranny of.

Along with its main world, Pokopia has given us quite a bit to do in multiplayer, too. The sandbox Palette Town island where you can host friends is home to a few exclusive Poke Pals you won’t find anywhere else. And that map is huge, offering endless potential for creating a special space for your Eeveelutions. But if you get tired of that, you can create still another realm thanks to the game’s Cloud Islands.

I think the true gameplay hours for Pokopia are going to rival my storied history with the likes of Skyrim. The game feels similarly full of surprises waiting to be uncovered. Whether it’s nods to main series lore or a new artifact from human history, Pokopia is so much bigger and more detailed than I expected. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go figure out how I missed the Misty costume that’s supposedly in the Withered Wasteland somewhere.

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