Pokemon Pokopia Is Shaping Up to Be an Impressive Level-Up of the Animal Crossing Formula (Preview)

For years, Pokemon fans have been asking for a cozy game set in the Pokemon universe. And with Pokemon Pokopia, we’re finally getting the first-ever Pokemon life sim. This new spinoff centers on a Ditto that finds itself on an island where all the people have vanished. Together with the local Pokemon, Ditto works to restore the habitat and bring life back to a deserted island. Early trailers made the game look like a sort of Minecraft meets Animal Crossing hybrid. And having gotten a chance to play Pokemon Pokopia, I can report that it’s all that and more.

Pokemon Pokopia is a collaborative effort between The Pokémon Company, Game Freak, and Koei Tecmo Games. It’s set to release on March 5th as the first Switch 2-exclusive Pokemon title. And during a recent Nintendo Switch 2 preview event, I got around 40 minutes of hands-on time with Pokemon Pokopia. In that time, I got to try out character customization and the early-game single-player loop, as well as Pokopia‘s multiplayer mode. Though I went away knowing I’d barely scratched the surface of the game, I’m already feeling much more optimistic about this cozy spinoff. From what I can tell, Pokemon Pokopia will offer a little bit of everything you want in a life sim, with a Pokemon twist.

Cozy Gamers Will Love Pokopia‘s Gameplay Loop

Admittedly, I was not particularly excited to see that we’d be playing as a Human Ditto in Pokopia. But after getting to spend a bit of time running around as said Human Ditto, I’m coming around. At the start of Pokopia, you get to customize your avatar. The options were relatively limited overall, but it was still nice to get to choose a hairstyle, skintone, and outfit to make my Human Ditto feel like my own. I’m hoping there will be more outfits to unlock as we play, because there were only a handful of options to start with.

After shaping my very own Human Ditto, I got to dive into the early gameplay for Pokopia. It’s clear that there is a story to tell here, as Ditto and Professor Tangrowth seek to figure out what happened to all the humans (and Pokemon) that used to live here. I love a cozy game with a bit of a plot, and this one hooks you in right from the start. Until Human Ditto showed up, the island was pretty much empty, except for Professor Tangrowth.

As you slowly bring the island back to life, you’ll encounter new Pokemon friends and clues about what happened to make the island so empty. And since you’re a Ditto, the Pokemon’s dialogue reads like an actual conversation, not just the Pokemon repeating their own names. This brings the personalities of different Pokemon to life in a fun new way, and I enjoyed learning what each Pokemon is like. As they settle into their new homes, the Pokemon will have requests for Ditto to make them more comfortable. Completing these requests is one of a few ways you’ll unlock new abilities and rewards as you play.

Along with ticking off Pokemon requests, the core gameplay focuses on using Ditto’s skills to create habitats for each type of Pokemon. Building new types of habitats attracts new Pokemon to the island. Each new Pokemon friend you meet will have useful skills that can help you grow Ditto’s repertoire and restore the island. As you play, you’ll also unlock crafting recipes to help you build up the island and give your Poke Pals a more comfy place to live. In this way, Pokopia feels quite a bit like Animal Crossing. You’ve got the ability to decorate your island how you like, molding it into an ideal place for you and your Poke Pals to live. Though I only got a glimpse at the crafting menu, I’m already excited to unlock all the possibilities.

During my preview, I got a sense that the gameplay loop for Pokopia strikes a nice balance. It has a sandbox-style feel, letting you do as you want from moment to moment. But there are Pokemon requests and daily challenges to add a bit of structure for those who like a clear sense of purpose. And the overarching story gives you a reason to keep going in order to uncover the mystery. In fact, I got the sense that I only scratched the surface of what the game has to offer during my playtime. After all, I didn’t see a single one of the strange new Pokemon variants we’ve seen in trailers, and I only got to explore a small section of the map.

Pokemon Pokopia Pays Homage to the Pokemon Games Before It

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Of course, Pokopia might be a cozy game, but it’s also a Pokemon game. As I ran around as Human Ditto, I was on the lookout for how the game incorporates the existing lore from the Pokemon universe. One thing I loved is that Pokopia incorporates sound effects that longtime Pokemon players will no doubt recognize for main series games. Unlocking new emves and crafting recipes will play familiar sounds that add a nice bit of nostalgia to the cozy game.

Pokemon fans will also naturally enjoy meeting the variety of Pokemon in the game. Early on, I was pretty pleased to see that my task of restoring tall grass resulted in a Pokemon encounter. After all, wandering into the tall grass is how you catch your first Pokemon in many early Pokemon games. And the habitats you restore to attract certain Pokemon feel nicely related to their types and homes from the main series. Though the gameplay loop is quite different for this spinoff, it did feel very much like stepping into a Pokemon game.

Along with Pokemon and sound effects, players will also get their very own PokeDex. In Pokopia, it works a bit differently, but it does work. Similarly, the island ruins feature a rundown Pokemon Center which suggests that our new home might once have been a town from the Pokemon world fans know and love. I came away from the preview excited to see how else Pokopia will connect with other Pokemon games.

Pokemon Pokopia Multiplayer Lets You Craft a Co-Op World

During the preview session, we also got to try our hands at online multiplayer for Pokemon Pokopia. This mode lets one player “host” a collaborative island. Rather than just visiting one another’s spaces with limited interaction like in Animal Crossing, you work together to design this multiplayer-specific space. This has its pros and cons, of course, and I’ll be interested to see if there’s a way to visit each other’s main islands in the final game, as well. But personally, I like the idea of getting to shape a space together, with co-op-specific tasks like restoring the Pokemon Center and recruiting new Pokemon pals.

From what I could tell, the core gameplay in multiplayer is otherwise pretty similar. You work together to build up the island and complete tasks, unlocking new rewards and Pokemon friends as you do. Each player can restore habitats, discover Pokemon, and craft in multiplayer. However, some actions will require the host player, such as taking Pokemon requests. This could potentially feel a bit limiting, as you’ll need to make sure one person is “in charge” and present while playing co-op. Even so, it feels like a pretty good foundation for multiplayer cozy gaming while still letting you retain your original island.

Overall, I really enjoyed my hands-on time with Pokemon Pokopia. The game ran pretty smoothly on Switch 2, and the graphics looked like a Pokemon game made cozy. Even as a cozy gamer and Pokemon fan, I was initially pretty skeptical of Pokopia. After playing it, I can now safely say I am really looking forward to picking this one up when it comes out on March 5th.