Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream review

Life of Tomodachi on the Nintendo 3DS is fondly remembered as one of the handheld's cult classic games. 13 years later, the long-awaited sequel Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is now available on Nintendo Switch, bringing the quirky sim/cosy God Game to a modern audience. But though there's definitely fun to be had Tomodachi Life: Living the Dreamit's unlikely to keep most players occupied for long.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream gives players an island paradise to populate with Miis of their own creation. Tomodachi Life: Living the DreamThe Mii creation tools are robust and allow you to create all kinds of characters. Since the days of the Wii, it's been relatively easy to make a Mii that looks at least a little bit like you, and making recreations of celebrities and fictional characters is also a breeze. You may have to follow tutorials in games with more complex character creation tools, but Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream it keeps things simple and that's to the benefit of the cause.

Tomodachi Life is basically a Mii Ant Farm

Miis have their own personalities that affect how they react to their surroundings. Some Miis are more likely to get along, while others may be more prone to disagreements. Miis have their own likes and dislikes, and players are encouraged to figure these out through experimentation.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream players can grab Miis by the head and force them to get in close proximity to their neighbors to trigger interactions. They can also gift their Miis with items and food to figure out what they prefer. Discovering what Mia likes makes it easier to level them up, which in turn gives players the juice they need to fuel the island's wishing fountain. Leveling up the Wishing Fountain unlocks even more items and decorations to play with in the game.

Unlike many other Nintendo games, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream does not have a profanity filter. This, combined with the excellent text-to-speech function in the game, is clear Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream wants players to create any kind of crazy island they want with zero restrictions. This results in lots of laugh-to-cry interactions between the Miis and seeing the absurdity unfold is Tomodachi Life: Living the Dreamthe biggest draw.

The problem is, that's really all there is to it Live the dreamand once the jokes get old, it's hard to stay engaged. Players are encouraged to push Miis into romantic relationships and watch their chaotic lives unfold, but it's something that gets repetitive far too quickly. Aside from just watching the Miis go about their lives, the main progression is largely about unlocking the island's various buildings, but it doesn't take terribly long and isn't as exciting a carrot on a stick as you might think.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream it has various buildings that give players more options for their Miis, such as a clothing store where they can buy new clothes and a news station that recaps the island's wild happenings. What's here is good, but the unlocks weren't compelling enough to keep me hooked for hours like other cozy games. I often felt like I was full of it Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream for the day after short 15-20 minute login sessions and a quick check-in on my Miis. Compare that to something like Nintendo's own Popopiawhere there's always something worth doing and it's hard not to be disappointed Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream.

In Tomodachi Life, you have to make your own fun

Live the dream is the kind of game where players have to make their own fun. This approach won't appeal to everyone, especially those who enjoy the structure present in other cozy games, but the creatively minded will probably get a lot more out of it Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream. The game offers players the tools to create an absolutely ridiculous paradise for their Miis, and they're all easy to use. Players can freely customize their island, design their own items and craft Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream truly their own.

Creating and decorating in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a delight thanks to the cute art style of the game. The Miis are simplistic, but fit the game's atmosphere perfectly, and the island is vibrant and colorful. Relaxing music and funny sound effects only add to the charm, with a versatile presentation that is perfect for what the developers were going for.

Tomodachi Life: Living the DreamThe game isn't massive enough, and it's disappointing that some features that were present in the 3DS version, such as the concert hall, are missing. But the game undeniably oozes charm and is a decent distraction for a while. Playing in short bursts is an ideal experience, and while I don't feel the same kind of pull to never stop playing that I do with more versatile cozy games, I still plan to check my Miis from time to time. However, $60 is too high an asking price for what's on offer.