This year marks 30 years of Pokémon And while there are likely big RPG announcements on the way, the first major game we know is coming this year is something a little different. Pokémon Pokopia it’s a Animal Crossing-style life simulator in which you help rehabilitate a desolate town into a habitable habitat for Pokémon. It seems to be Pokémon‘s foray into the “cozy” genre, but it could have dark undertones based on what we’ve seen. Here’s everything we know so far.
The premise
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Poppy stars a Ditto who transforms into a human, whose shape you can customize. It is strongly implied that this human form is meant to embody Ditto’s trainer, who is missing at the start of the game.
They encounter a grizzled Tangrowth named Professor Tangrowth, with whom they decide to help rebuild a desecrated village into a habitable space, complete with specialized habitats to attract new Pokémon residents. Along the way, Ditto will learn new skills that will help him cultivate his growing village, using water attacks to water plants and fire attacks to cook and burn objects. Ditto can also transform into other Pokémon to get around, becoming a Lapras to swim between areas, for example, or a Dragonite to fly long distances.
As you reclaim your plot of land, Pokémon will come in large numbers and you will soon have a small community of creatures. They will come to you with requests on how to improve the city, and that will attract more Pokémon to your space. The more visitors appear, the more you will have to build homes and other buildings to fill the city, such as houses, Pokémon Centers, and other services.
New Pokémon
While no new Pokémon species have been announced for Poppysome returning monsters have named variants. Peakychu is a pale-white Pikachu that has an almost ghostly aura. Professor Tangrowth has white vines on the top of his head, as if he were an older Grass-type Pokémon, and also wears glasses and a broken Technical Machine on his head to look like a human doctor. Mosslax is a Snorlax that has slept for so long that vegetation has enveloped it. And lastly, Smearguru is a Smeargle covered in plant spots. From what we can gather, these are just named characters and are still considered members of the same existing species. I’d be surprised if any of them show up in RPGs as usable party members, though.
Is it post-apocalyptic?
There’s an ongoing theory that Pokopia could be set in some sort of dark, post-apocalyptic version of the Kanto region from Pokémon Red and Blue. Professor Tangrowth says he hasn’t seen humans in a while, and some of the areas we’ve seen seem to resemble areas from the original games. Additionally, each of the “new” Pokémon has some element that hints at the post-apocalypse. Mosslax has been sleeping so long that nature is taking over, Peakychu is dead or dying, and Smearguru has apparently been painting so much that he hasn’t showered in quite some time. Will the game really explore this, or will it just be a disturbing truth in the background of an otherwise cozy game? We’re not sure yet.
Multiplayer
Poppy will include cooperative multiplayer for up to four players, either by connecting online with multiple owners of the game, or using GameShare to play with a second player who does not own the game. By using GameShare, the second player can play on the original Switch system, but the game will only be playable natively on Switch 2.
It’s a game-key card
Unfortunately, physical copies of Pokopia will include a game key card, meaning the cartridge you insert into your system won’t actually contain the game data. Instead, it will only function as a key to tell your Switch 2 to download the game to your system through the eShop.
But when is it coming out?
Pokémon Pokopia coming to Switch 2 on March 5.
