Pokémon Pokopia: A Life Sim That Pulled Me In

I’m still only a few hours into Pokémon Pokopia, and more than once I’ve felt my stomach drop at the sheer magnitude of things to do and see in the Animal Crossing-style life sim. My island looks like a mess compared to the functioning towns other players have made, and I still haven’t found My Boy (any form of Pichu, Pikachu, or Raichu) to bring back to my town.

Everything about this game should overwhelm me the way Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Minecraft have in the past, but I’m itching to boot up my Switch 2 because Pokopia gives me something to latch onto beyond a terrifying amount of freedom. Its overarching mystery — a seemingly post-apocalyptic Kanto region where humanity has disappeared — is a dark, almost visual novel-esque premise Pokémon fans haven’t seen before.

Developer Omega Force mixes the freedom of a city builder with a structured, mission-based story progression that keeps me compelled when pure town management might have lost me.

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