Pokémon Pokopia

Many of us have probably lost ourselves in the wonderfully expansive world of Pokémon at some point in our lives and now that the series has just celebrated its 30th anniversary, it's only right that we players get the chance to design our own society of pocket monsters. That's basically what Pokopia is all about, now that Nintendo has finally opened its enormous treasure chest and unleashed its creativity.

I am a Ditto, a Pokémon whose speciality is copying the appearance and abilities of other monsters. For some reason, however, I have taken the form of a human, which makes me unique, both in terms of how Dittos usually behave, but also because the world, once populated by both people and their Pokémon companions, seems to be completely devoid of us two-legged creatures. Even pocket monsters seem to have disappeared from the world, at least initially, but together with my new friend Professor Tangrowth, I quickly learn how to change this and how we can transform the desolate landscape into a whole new vibrant community filled to the brim with Pokémon.

To succeed in this, I must create a variety of habitats that will attract more and more monsters to move in. The approach varies depending on the types of Pokémon I want to attract, where I often get quite far by planting grass under a tree or by a stream, but as I learn more about Pokopia's complexity, I discover that some individuals are much more discerning than that. To allow you to figure out for yourself which types of places attract which Pokémon, I'm leaving it here for the moment, but with that said, this element is something that persists throughout my journey as I constantly find clues about where I might encounter new friends.

The way I manipulate the world is reminiscent of a mixture between Minecraft and Animal Crossing, where the whole of Pokopia is made up of blocks that I am more or less free to break and reposition. At the same time, I can also turn to my workbench to construct various types of objects for either practical or decorative purposes. In short, I am free to design the world entirely according to my own preferences and those of my Pokémon friends, which quickly activates a creative streak in me as function must be mixed with aesthetics in my quest to build our own colourful utopia. However, Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a society in Pokopia, because as my own ambitions grow, I also gain access to more materials, new gadgets to tinker with, and a growing population of Pokémon with their own preferences for their ideal living situation. I feel like I always have half a dozen projects going on at the same time, and I only need to look up to find a few more tasks to tackle. This makes Pokopia feel like the kind of creative experience that you never really finish.

A key feature in managing all of this is my access to all the Pokémon powers in the world. Since every pocket monster has at least one useful trait, almost every individual in the world's growing population becomes an important resource when it comes to developing our shared place in the land. Fire types assist in melting down various types of materials, grass types accelerate the growth of crops, while some specialise in building larger structures and others in bartering. I'll be honest and say that some abilities are much more useful than others, and that a Pokémon that specialises in keeping the mood light, for example, has much more free time than one that can recycle scrap and rubbish into valuable metal.

At the centre of all these special abilities is my own peculiar skill of being able to copy the powers of other monsters, albeit with my own little twist. The character I play is a bit defective and can't quite transform into other Pokémon, but instead chooses to store selected characteristics in its memory, which can then be used when needed. These are used extensively throughout the game, and although I initially have to make do with a few manoeuvres such as watering grass and chopping down trees, my arsenal grows and develops steadily as the adventure progresses, which contributes to my desire to explore more and move forward in the story.

In addition to the creative freedom I am given in Pokopia, there is a narrative to discover which, in addition to serving as a driving force to introduce new places, Pokémon, and mechanics, actually delivers a compelling story. Where has everyone gone? Where are all the people? Why are Pokémon only now beginning to return to the world? This is the big question on everyone's lips, but no one has the whole answer. During the game, I find clues and fragments from the past that I slowly but surely manage to piece together into a convincing picture of the situation. It's a story that takes time to unravel, and while the big question hangs over Pokopia, there are smaller, more concrete narratives to follow up on, such as how I can restore electricity to my darkened port city. The next step in the story is always available, but at the same time, I never feel that the narrative is urgent or that it in any way detracts from the creative side of the experience.

As I constantly collect blocks of different colours and functionalities, as well as a variety of other items during the game, it sometimes becomes difficult to navigate among all the gadgets I have collected. My pockets are certainly large and can hold a lot, but they also get overloaded quite quickly. This is really a problem that is mainly due to my own lack of organisation, as I actually have good opportunities to create an unlimited amount of storage space, as well as to upgrade my own ability to carry items, but it still becomes a problem in some respects. I certainly appreciate that Pokopia has so many unique items to pick up, but at the same time, there are a lot of things that I simply never find any use for. It may well be me who is the problem here, but when my collection of washed-up seaweed starts to approach triple digits without me having been presented with a use for it, I start to wonder if it needed to be such a common part of the game from the start.

On an aesthetic level, Nintendo has once again proven that they are masters at creating magic with limited hardware. Pokopia is first and foremost a beautiful place to be, with cosy, colourful elements everywhere, while the Minecraft-inspired blocky environments are unexpectedly charming. The design of the pocket monsters is familiar by now, and as far as I can tell, there are Pokémon represented from most of the series' many generations. As someone who considers myself something of an expert on Pokémon up to the third generation, I had the pleasure of getting to know a lot of new individuals, while also happily seeing how much love the older characters have received.

The music in Pokopia also contributes to a very pleasant atmosphere, delivering a series of reinterpretations of classic soundtracks from the series' roots. For example, I remember how I was struck by a pleasant sense of recognition when I noticed how the sound effect that plays when you restore your companions' health in the main games had been incorporated into one of the game's melodies. A little musical Easter egg that made me laugh with surprise.

Technically, Pokopia runs flawlessly and without the slightest hint of graphical glitches or lost frame rates, despite the enormous freedom I have been given as a player. On the other hand, I find that the different zones, which I unlock as the story progresses, are a little small and a tad too easy to traverse once I have explored the entire map. This probably has a lot to do with the limited hardware Nintendo is working with, but I would have preferred a larger world with more places to visit, rather than a few smaller levels. This is a mild criticism, as Nintendo still manages to make the surroundings feel expansive, at least until I encounter a barrier that tells me I can't go any further.

The game controls are easy to understand, and even though after a while I have quite a few different abilities to keep track of at the same time, they are easy to switch between and it's always clear which power should be used at any given moment. As I mentioned earlier, Pokopia has a lot in common with Minecraft, but unlike its Swedish-developed block counterpart, I control my character in third-person, which sometimes compromises precision. I misplace things a little too often as a result, and digging my way underground, as the surroundings often invite me to do, means that the camera rarely keeps up when I crawl through narrow tunnels.

Overall, I have had a very pleasant time in Pokopia, which never ceases to feed me with new things to do. Pokémon's living conditions must be improved, items must be built, and properties must be planned. We've probably all experienced the kind of game where you repeat the mantra "I'll just do this too" over and over again until you finally look up and realise that it's five in the morning and you haven't slept a wink. That's my experience of Pokopia in a nutshell, and I already feel the urge to dive back in. If Nintendo continues to experiment with Pokémon in this way, the future of the brand looks very bright!