Tomodachi Life Reviews

Tomodachi Life is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Jan 28, 2017

"Build your own doll house."

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8 / 10.0
Jul 14, 2014

Tomodachi Life is by far the weirdest game that I've ever engaged in. And much like my Miis, the experience has been completely unique.

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Yes
Jun 20, 2014

A weird, hillarious, and heartwarming game that still surprises me after three solid weeks of playing it.

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B+
Jun 20, 2014

Tomodachi Life isn't going to make all players happy. It can be a touch directionless, and the oddities of the Miis isn't universally appealing. In the end, though, this is the sort of game that open-minded players will love if they give it a chance. There is so much to do and see on a daily basis, it almost becomes compulsory to switch on the game and check in with the Miis. Not a lot of games have as much heart as Tomodachi Life, and I really hope that fans give it the shot it deserves.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jun 19, 2014

Tomodachi Life is a delightful and wholly enjoyable game. Bound to keep kids occupied for many hours with its endless amounts of character possibilities, it seems more suited to the younger generation as its trailers would suggest. Still, if you are a fan of The Sims and Animal Crossing, as much as I hate to refer back to these games as much as I have, then I'm sure you will enjoy Tomodachi Life in some capacity, be that for the short or long term.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 18, 2014

Well, if easy and weird is how you like it, Nintendo's Tomodachi Life may be just the Mii Rap Simulator/news program for you!

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Jun 11, 2014

Tomodachi Life is a promising concept, and its abstract sense of humor can be very charming. It does, however, get old fast, and you'll find yourself making the characters say lewd things to keep yourself amused.

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7.8 / 10.0
Jun 11, 2014

While life simulators in general give players the opportunity to create a persona and live out that avatar's life in ways they might not to live their own, this game gives the player the ability to affect dozens of lives without dictating every single moment of any given individual Mii's existence. If nothing else, "Tomodachi Life" presents a fascinating digital social realm that may, in time, shed some light on real-life interactions and allow us as a species to reflect upon our own selves. It may not be the prettiest game out there and it may not offer the most varied gameplay experience, but I'd be surprised if at the end of the year we in the gaming landscape don't look back on "Tomodachi Life" as the most unique title offered in 2014.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jun 9, 2014

Yet the game fails to genuinely engage most of the time, leaving the player to observe when they should be making choices and doing things. It lacks clear objectives and direction, never making you feel like you've made any progress or done anything important. It's just plain boring too much of the time to recommend whole-heartedly.

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7.4 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2014

Tomodachi Life isn't for everyone, but it's still a fun game that can also be enjoyed in short bursts when pressed for time.  While the main goal of the game is to basically keep your residents happy, it's a slight disappointment that you can't control their actions directly.  I feel bad for a Mii who was shot down after asking for a relationship as I can't do a whole lot for them, but there's still enough to do in the game to keep things interesting.

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NZGamer
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Jun 7, 2014

Hilarious, but runs out of juice very, very quickly

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Jun 7, 2014

Tomodachi Life does its best to cut through a lot of society's hateful garbage to produce an incredible island paradise of distraction and more often than not succeeds, but not without stumbling all over itself, revealing too many embarrassing inner thoughts. Just like that kid in gym class, it's possible to cross a line trying to prove a point. There's no progress in Tomodachi Life without you and maybe that's to the game's advantage. It puts no pressure on you to keep playing if you really hate the game, but revisiting your island paradise later won't leave you feeling guilty since you don't have to worry about picking a bunch of weeds.

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Unscored
Jun 6, 2014

Try it if you're a tween (or a tween-at-heart). Otherwise, avoid it.

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5 / 10
Jun 6, 2014

An amusing novelty on a good day but a tedious non-game for the rest of the week, Nintendo's life simulator proves voyeurism is not all it's cracked up to be.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 6, 2014

Tomodachi Life is a trip into a world where your Miis live out a never-ending series of bizarre and amusing adventures. While I'm glad that Nintendo of America decided to take a chance in bringing it our way, those adventures are unfortunately tainted somewhat due to a few gameplay decisions that really should be rectified in a future sequel.

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GamesBeat
Top Critic
90 / 100
Jun 6, 2014

Tomodachi Life reminds me what I love about Nintendo. Another developer might try an experience like this on iOS or Android, but it's unlikely they would leave it unsullied by in-game purchases. I also doubt that many other studios could nail the effortless humor that makes this so refreshing to play. It's not about shooting people. It's not even about jumping on heads. It's about mixing people together to see what happens, and I'm not sure anyone but Nintendo could figure out how to make something that simple so much fun.

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66 / 100
Jun 6, 2014

Tomodachi Life is a bizarre game. It's a tiny world with its own news channel (a popular story involved Roops opening his window and a bird flying in; another was the surge of headphone purchases around the island), its own residents with predictable dreams (they all sing in the concert hall with pre-generated songs lacking depth about love and pizza), and if you're open to it, its own comment. Playing Tomodachi Life is no different than life in its purest sense, but it makes one wonder: who's playing you? Should we care?

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9 / 10.0
Jun 6, 2014

In all, Tomodachi Life is filled with pure, unbridled joy. It puts a stupid grin on my face and keeps it there through its duration. Some might complain that it is "not a game," but they can go on hating. It does require the player to put in some love, flair, and wit, but what comes out is magic.

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7 / 10.0
Jun 6, 2014

Laid-back pacing and general silliness won't click with everyone

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Jun 6, 2014

The latest of Nintendo's experiments to create games with appeal beyond the usual clichés of the medium, Tomodachi Life may actually be the most humanistic creation the company has ever put together. While it could (somewhat notoriously) stand to be more inclusive, its focus on the concrete personalities and tangible interactions of tiny digital people make it one of the most addictive and fascinating life sims ever made.

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