Tomodachi Life Reviews
Nintendo's 'Tomodachi Life' is not only one of the most controversial titles in recent memory, but one of the oddest.
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.
"Build your own doll house."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Hilarious, but runs out of juice very, very quickly
A bonkers life-sim with bags of personality and lots of charm, the entertaining Tomodachi Life is let down only by its limitations as a gaming experience.
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.
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.
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.
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?
You can look inside your characters' minds to see what they're thinking, or even more oddly what they're dreaming (normally involving ninjas and superheroics, obviously).
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.
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!
Tomodachi Life has plenty of appealing zaniness and utilizes Nintendo's familiar Miis better than ever before, but the actual gameplay could use some more variety.
Tomodachi Life might not have the lasting appeal of a title like Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but the game certainly offers up an interesting experience
Tomodachi Life brings the quirk in spades, but it's not long before the novelty wears off.
Laid-back pacing and general silliness won't click with everyone
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.
Tomodachi Life is undeniably charming
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.
It is difficult to give Tomodachi Life a direct score, but the game does have the unique Nintendo look, feel and charm. The setup does take some time to progress, and it would require a little effort to truly benefit from the amusing and sometimes surreal moments between friends, family and random celebrities. Having dinner with Shigeru Miyamoto? It is possible. Going out on a romantic beach stroll with Beyoncé? Bit of a "maybe," but still within the realms of 'feasible' in Tomodachi Life. The concept is more of an experience than a game and, as such, is not for everyone - but it is certainly worth a go.