Well, here we are. Tomodachi Life has been out for about 3 weeks now and I am sure that most of you are looking for the inside scoop. To start off, technically this game is a life simulation game, but that is like how people call a taco salad a salad. The game tends to be so quirky and out-there that it stretches the boundaries of what it is called.
At the start of Tomodachi Life you choose a name for you island and which Mii you would like to put on the island first (It’s a pretty good idea to use your main Mii that is based on yourself because this Mii will be the “owner” of the island). In the process of placing a Mii on the island you can customize your Mii’s personality and voice. The personality customization is simple enough but still has enough depth to the point that you can create a Mii whose personality is close enough to its human counterpart. You are then given an apartment and an island that is pretty bare-bones but after helping your Mii with a few problems and adding some friends to the island more things start to open up, like shops and different attractions (an amusement park and fancy resturant are two I will mention).
Almost immediately the Miis will start to level up with each thing you do with or for them. You can customize them more each time they level up or give them money which goes toward a big trip they are planning. Miis on the island will develop bonds with each other that can result in marriage and children. The amount of items in the game is large and items switch in and out of shops on a daily basis.
The actual social connectivity of the game doesn’t make it or break it. In all actuality, it is just an icon to upload pictures you take in game to social networks and another icon to import or export items to SpotPass. You might pick up an extra Mii while in StreetPass mode. The only thing I can think that is socially necessary are friends who are willing to give you QR codes for their Miis because the island only gets better with more Miis on it.
The game offers a great amount of variety it even has a certain mini-game that is a stripped down RPG, but after the first few hours it is obvious that the game is meant to be played through short increments of time throughout the day and is definitely not a hardcore game. I bought this to play while waiting for another game I have reserved to come out and it has more than served its purpose. It is very interactive but not in a controlling way. These Miis, no matter how much like the individual they are based on, develop more with time and you can help guide them but ultimately they will end up doing what they want.
All in all if you are looking for something to do while trying to pass short increments of time that are not above an hour or two at a time, I recommend this for you. If you are looking for a game that you can play all day then this is most likely isn’t your game. All in all it is one of the more original ideas I have seen recently in gaming and I embrace it.
Overall I give this game an 8.5 out of 10; it is great but I feel like it would be a better game if only there was more online social connectivity in it and more incentives to stay in the game for longer periods of time.
