As you may have guessed, I have been completely obsessed with Pokémon Pokopia since its release a week ago.
Real quick story-time — I almost missed out on my copy on day one. The store I preordered from didn’t receive their shipment on the day, and didn’t tell me. Several phone calls later, I was frantically driving around to a store about 30 mins away just to get my hands on a copy. The first retailer still hasn’t messaged me to collect my preorder yet!
Pokémon Pokopia preorders sold out on first shipment in almost all the major retailers in Australia. That speaks volumes for how highly anticipated a cosy life sim Pokémon game has been among fans!
That’s all in the past now. Since last week, I’ve played at least 20 hours of the game and have been gushing about it non-stop to anyone who would spare me the time and attention. My sincerest apologies, I’m just a very happy girlie right now.
I’ve also been making video content again too— yes, this game has even brought me back to platforms like Youtube and Tiktok, which I haven’t uploaded on since the streaming days!
Anyway, I am LOVING it so far and just wanted to share a few reasons why I think Pokémon fans or cosy gamers who like games like Animal Crossing should pick it up.
Pokémon Watching is My New Favourite Pastime
The interactions in this game are so wholesome. Not only the interactions between you and the other Pokémon, but from other Pokémon to each other. I have so much fun just ‘Pokémon watching’. The world definitely seems more real, having Pokémon chat and hang out together, without you imposing.
Depending on the lore too, they might even have specific interactions with other Pokémon. For example, if you have both Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee, they sometimes spar together!
Befriending Pokémon is Such a Joy
I love a good rustling grass moment, and Pokémon Pokopia brings this back! As you restore habitats, new Pokémon show up. The ones that are hidden in nature are my favourite, because while you can hazard a guess at what that Pokemon might be, it’s still a bit of a mystery encounter.
It’s a different type of satisfaction to catching a Pokémon; if only for the reason that you put blood, sweat and tears into restoring their habitat and intentionally attracting them.
I also enjoy seeing their introductions too — you get a bit of personality from the Pokémon and sometimes a reason as to how they found you.
You Can Actually Chill
I’ve written at length about my thoughts on Pokémon Legends: Z-A on this blog before and mentioned how I felt about the pacing in that game. To recap, I felt frazzled most of the time navigating the tedious day-night cycles and timed alternate dimension adventures.
There was no time to enjoy the view and leisurely explore without feeling bombarded by trainers, Pokémon and random, lazy glittery items on the floor.
So, I really appreciate that you can actually breathe and stop to smell the roses in Pokémon Pokopia. You decide whether to continue with the main quests, or spend the rest of the night just building. There’s no pressure at all. You are only limited by your imagination (and time).
In terms of content, there’s plenty to do but it’s introduced at a comfortable pace. Once you’ve finished the main quests in an area, there’s so many things you can still come back and improve. This makes revisiting previous areas still feel exciting and not redundant.
If you’ve been playing it, I hope you’re having the most wonderful time.
Stay tuned for more related content in the future!
Look after yourself,
Elena
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