The moment I pressed the shoulder button, I knew I’d end up loving Pokémon Pokopia. Instead of pulling out a watering can like you’d expect from games in this general lane, I swung my mouth open and sprayed a full stream of water across the ground. While Pokopia draws from the same spirit as Animal Crossing, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, and even Viva Piñata, there’s a genuinely compelling—and oddly rebellious—edge to it that’s hooked me right from the start.
It all kicks off, naturally, with the character creation screen. Most games ask you to build an avatar that looks like you, but here you’re shaping—at least according to the setting—someone who’s already passed away. Pokopia doesn’t spell it out so bluntly, of course, yet in this post-apocalyptic version of the Pokémon universe, where humanity is gone, you’re effectively presenting a Ditto that’s imitating the recollection of its former Trainer. It’s brilliantly strange. And, perhaps a bit recklessly, I named my Ditto after myself—so every time Professor Tangrowth says my name, it lands with a small wave of dread. Am I Ditto? Am I me? Or am I the lingering trace of my own long-decayed remains, refracted through yet another extraterrestrial presence? I’ll admit it: I’m enjoying the confusion.
And somehow, whenever I think Pokopia is starting to drift back toward familiar, comforting patterns, it immediately throws another jolt of weirdness into the mix. Drifloon—assuming we need reminding, it feeds on the energy of abducted children—briefly sends you into a dreamlike space where you can gather resources, but only after you give it dolls carrying the essence of their deceased previous owners. At one point, I found a note joyfully talking about the collapse of streaming services (with server costs apparently shooting through the roof!) alongside the return of physical media. On another occasion, I run into a CCTV camera that lets me watch Pokémon from far away. So, yes—I’m headed for a post-apocalyptic watchtower state!
To be clear, “cozy” still drives the tone most of the time (it’s Pokémon after all), but there’s real charm in how Pokopia quietly and earnestly leans into the franchise’s darker streak. Even as you get used to its oddball choices and its upbeat mood starts to reassert itself, a lingering sadness follows you as you pick through the remains of a world that feels familiar, yet strangely deserted. Pokopia is packed with personality, and—even though I’m still pretty early in my playthrough—there are already plenty of small touches I genuinely adore. For example, I keep smiling that what might be the most pointless move in the Pokémon series ends up functioning here as the gateway to real, satisfying exploration. I also love that the Pokémon act like they have their own distinct temperaments, almost like there’s an inner life behind them. And I can’t get enough of simple oddities, like the goofy way your Ditto-human’s spaghetti-like arms whip around as it runs.
Still, character design alone can only carry you so far. Underneath all that, Pokopia simply feels like an excellent game. There’s real pleasure in building habitats out of fairly basic components and watching your community grow step by step—it scratches an itch for the management-sim side of me. Then there’s the survival-style loop of gathering materials and crafting, alongside the obvious nods to Minecraft’s block-based building. You also get Animal Crossing-style cozy customization, plus the straightforward joy of bringing a lifeless place back to life—one major, water-splattering moment at a time. Last night I spent hours clearing sand from Bleak Beach, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
Admittedly, I haven’t run into everything here that I didn’t expect at some level, but developer Omega Force (best known for the Warriors series, though it’s also behind the acclaimed Dragon Quest Builders line) stitches it all together with plenty of inventiveness, polish, and flair. For instance, I really appreciate how cooking plays a meaningful role in your progression, opening up new ways to explore. And speaking of exploration—curiosity stays front and center. I was thrilled when I finally gained the ability to smash through rocks and reveal a wide stretch of ocean. I even let out a genuine gasp as I huffed to the top of a hill, only to spot an eerily familiar spread of houses, streets, and even a neglected Poké Mart sitting below. The game keeps delivering surprises—unexpected corners that lead to bigger discoveries. I’ve dug up fossils and found discarded treasures; I’ve come across a mud-caked lighthouse, odd portals guarded by tightly shut metal shutters, and even a torn magazine featuring a long-lost Trainer, which Ditto then brilliantly turned into a fresh hairstyle.
I’m only just starting to reach the point where the little building blocks that make up Pokémon Pokopia are beginning to click into a more complete, cohesive experience. Even so, those pieces fit together beautifully—the way they blend the game’s recognizable rhythms with a fresh pulse is genuinely impressive. Pokémon Pokopia is, hands down, the most fun I’ve had with a Pokémon release in quite a while, and I can’t wait to bring this ruined world back to life, one heavy gush of “water-vomit” at a time.