Rikku Pokémon Pokopia Review

Pokémon Pokopia has been one of the most surprising and genuinely inspiring games I’ve played this year. I always knew I’d end up buying it — the mix of Pokémon with this kind of gameplay sounded way too appealing — but I expected something much smaller, maybe just a lighter (or even worse) version of Animal Crossing. I’m really glad I was completely wrong. This game feels like the perfect blend of Animal Crossing and Minecraft. Having your “villagers” as Pokémon is such a great idea, and discovering new ones and their habitats keeps feeling exciting even after 40 hours and finishing the main story. The freedom to reshape the world from early on is just as impressive — it really encourages creativity, even if you’re not usually into building or decorating. It’s surprisingly deep despite its simple mechanics, and everything it tries to do, it does extremely well. One of the best Pokémon spin-offs I’ve played, and a clear step in the right direction for the series.