In the decade-plus since the last Tomodach Life, things have changed worldwide, and not for the better (mostly). So, as someone looking for a retreat, I’ve begun reading more and playing cozier games. Tomodach Life: Living the Dream is not cozy. It’s wacky, funny, and downright silly. Yet, it’s also addictive.
If it feels like this year is the year of the social simulator, it’s because it is. In the last few months, I’ve revisited Animal Crossing, obsessed over Pokopia, and now dived headfirst into serving my island of Miis as the Divine One. The thing is, if you’ve played a game in the series before, you know it is the weirdest game ever. It’s like you’re hallucinating after eating a really spicy pepper, even, throwing you into a world as the person behind the curtain calling the shots. And it works, incredibly well.
The Tomodachi Life Is Worth Living
The main reason Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream resonates with me so much is that it seamlessly fits into my daily routine. Each day, I’ll spend about two hours checking in on the Good Vibes Island (don’t hate on the name), my residents, giving them food, rubbing their heads for luck, and dealing with each of their issues. It takes no time to get everybody sorted out and ready to continue with their day, and by the end, I felt like I’d accomplished quite a bit for my residents.
The basic premise is similar to that of Tomodachi Life for the Nintendo 3DS. You create a bunch of Mii characters, then let them live on the island, give them gifts, create homes for them, get them into relationships, and more.
There’s a bunch of parameters you’re able to select from at the start, making each character feel unique by being more of a straight arrow, quirky individual, or a mix of both and vice versa. Then you watch the Miis grow, start interacting, and live their lives.
At most, you’re playing for an hour a day. Seeing what each Mii is up to, how they’re feeling, see what they need, and then give them that and more. Del, one of my first residents, is an outlier in the group and thus mostly keeps to himself. You can have him go about his day, instead of focusing on his hobbies or get him involved with the community by grabbing him physically and dropping him on another resident.
Another resident, Rissa, is a bookworm who loves to socialize. She’s constantly outside on the island, either working out or walking around, but at night, cozies up at home to read on her couch. She hates shrimp but loves eggs, and has a high-pitched voice, something I adjusted to make her feel even more unique.
The early hours have one goal I’d recommend taking precedence over all others: levelling up your island via the Wishing Fountain. It’s how you raise your island’s level, it’s how you earn some neat items, and it’s well worth spending time interacting with every Mii on your island to watch your island grow alongside its residents. You can unlock some great stuff, including new gestures for your Miis, and there’s some really cool stuff in later stages you’ll absolutely love.
Socializing Is Hard Work
Mii creation is impressive this go-round, with several choices readily available, including dozens of hairstyles, eye shapes, noses, hair designs, and tons of clothes. For the first time, you can now even select non-binary when creating new Miis, doing away with genders if you wish.
What feels like a step back is that there’s no way to share Miis, as in previous games, via a QR code. So, if you’re not exactly one to spend time creating Miis, this change will add some work to your plate as you now have to create each Miii separately. It doesn’t take long to create a Mii, but it’s worth considering if you want to add new residents.
You can dictate how Miis are related to each other, whether they’re siblings, strangers, or something else entirely. Nintendo also added same-sex couples, which is a reason to celebrate. You can even create different characters and then make them family if you wish to create a whole dynasty of family members. Nintendo took criticism to heart, as these changes to existing gameplay systems mean more people can now enjoy the game.
There’s a lot to do, and it’s taking time to sort out the island’s affairs to make sure everyone (and everything) goes smoothly. Each day, I’ll go to Fresh Kingdom to check out the new daily deals and pick up everybody’s favourite dishes; stop by Where & Wear clothing to see if any outfits are worth splurging on; then visit T&C Reno to see if any cool room configurations are available and add new materials to the Island Builder.
The Palette House Workshop is really neat for anyone who enjoys creating their own items. Whether you want to create clothing, food, cosmetics, animals, or interior and exterior designs for homes, the possibilities are endless. However, aside from a quick tutorial, you’re left to your own devices to figure it out. I’m I’mying in a pre-launch environment, but I think this game would benefit from making community builds public. You can make some really out there things, too, like a house made of dessert or a fence made of meat. If you can think of it, you can likely make something to use.
Let’s Stick Together
From there, it’s typically taking the grand tour of each Mii’Mii’se, giving them food or dropping them off at the local diner, seeing what’s on their minds, and giving them gifts. Some Mii residents might just be super shy, so you can now pick them up and drop them near other residents to have them interact.
As more Miis begin to join your island, you can have groups interact, and it can be quite chaotic. Say Rissa and Max are talking; if you drop Del and Riza into the conversation, the group starts blabbing about their favourite foods, clothes, or something else entirely, like how much they love to work out.
Each morning, you’ll get a hilarious recap of fake news via the Mii News Network station. Once you’ve locked it, you’re to tune in to a random broadcast that airs, and you’ll hear bizarre, funny updates like one of your residents forging a lonely earbud and the residents reacting to its creation.
In some cases, after I had my first official home with two Miis living together, I had hoped there would be room for groups to socialize. Still, it’s limited to three people at most, even though there’s clearly room for more residents to interact. I’ve had three of my residents walking around together as they gabble over the daily goings-on on the island.
A bit later, I had several Miis living together under one roof, and honestly, the chaos they created was worth the drama. Some Miis do not get along with others and will throw shade by ignoring or shooting daggers at them.
Other Miis will obsess over their crush and ask for advice, and it’s up to you to let it unfold or talk them down. Either way, you end up with some hilarious moments when the residents freeze up over their feelings, and you need to snap them out of it.
Budding relationships, marriages, breakups, and all the things that make life worth living can be achieved, and despite this being a video game, it’s pretty to watch Miis find love or choose themselves. Each Mii begins as a stranger and seems to gravitate toward others. I’m not sure I’m with them when they choose who they want to interact with, but it’s endearing, it’s catching one character freeze up over another before asking your opinion of the Divine One.
Having the choice to guide them in a relationship or advise them to stay single can go well or go south, but it’s usually entertaining to watch what happens. In some instances, you’ll have a character who wants to get along with one of the newcomers, but then they’ll disengage and actively avoid them on the island.
I wasn’t sure whether selecting each Mii’s personality would truly affect their personalities, but by the second week, each Mii showed their true selves. And you can even give your Miis quirks, so Riza on my island always starts her sentences with an “Ummm..” bef “re tel” ing you what she wants. You can add physical quirks like how they walk, how they eat, and an assortment of catchphrases.
Growing your island means you’ll want your best in upkeep, too. Miis will ask for benches, trees, trash cans, new storefronts, and a bunch of other things needed to make a town run efficiently. As my island expanded, I had to reshuffle homes and existing storefronts, but it meant I could now have bigger homes for up to 8 Miis available. You can use the Island Builder to choose the materials you want to use, from grass to brick to cement, and even more.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream lets you live out your improvisation dreams by dealing with the absurd problems your residents create each day. You don’t need to keep things civil, and sometimes, you can force a sword fight between two characters to have them repair their relationship. It’s small things like this that make each day worth checking into my blossoming town and seeing who wasn’t getting along or what that might mean for the other residents.
Verdict
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is an excellent life sim, one that I’m highly invested in. Nintendo clearly listened to criticism and feedback since the last Tomodachi Life and offers plenty of variety to keep people coming back. Each day brings its own challenges, thanks to the personalities you’ll cultivate and watch grow on your island, so it’s enlightening to help each Mii find what they want and pursue it. There’s quite a bit to do, too, so be ready to pull out your island design tools. Once you catch the remodel bug, all you want to do is make the perfect destination for your Miis.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: Switch 2
I’ve been playing Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream for a while now, and I have to say that the Wishing Fountain is a game changer, it’s amazing how levelling up your island can unlock new gestures for your Miis. I’ve found that interacting with each Mii daily, like giving them food or rubbing their heads for luck, really adds to the experience and makes the game feel more personal. By spending about an hour a day checking in on my residents, I feel like I’ve accomplished quite a bit for them, and it’s become a great part of my daily routine.
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I think the games is fun
This is such a fantastic read! Your description of Tomodachi Life as “wacky, funny, and downright silly” yet “addictive” really hits home. I completely resonate with finding solace in cozier games, and it’s great to hear how *Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream* fits seamlessly into your daily routine. It makes me want to dive back into the weird world of Miis myself! Thanks for sharing your insights and reminding me why this game (and social simulators in general) are so captivating.
I couldn’t find the game for ever now