I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but Nintendo’s decision to release a demo for its upcoming Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream on the 15th anniversary of the 3DS feels entirely fitting. Tomodachi Life is probably the 3DS game I think about most; not so much in the fond memory sense, but more like a particularly vivid cheese dream. On paper, Tomodachi Life is something like Animal Crossing mixed with The Sims, perhaps with a bit of Tamagotchi thrown in. But that doesn’t really convey just how wonderfully oddball the series is. And after blasting through Living the Dream’s demo on Switch last night, I’m ready for more of its weird.
If we’re sorting stuff into buckets, the Tomodachi Life series, with its daft slapstick and surreal detours, is probably closest to Nintendo oddities like WarioWare, Cubivore, or Freshly-Picked: Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland in tone; those treasured times the company find itself in one of its sillier, spikier moods. And, yes, superficially at least, it is kind of like The Sims as you – half god, half zoo keeper – take charge of a bunch of semi-autonomous computer people, catering to their needs, or nudging them toward new adventures or relationships depending on your whims. But if it is The Sims, it’s The Sims perpetually on the edge of hysteria.
This is a series where a sudden Breaking News report will crash in to dramatically announce – complete with pictures! – two of your islanders have been tragically (but not fatally) flattened inside a large book while visiting the local library. Or where you’ll peek into someone’s head while they’re dreaming and witness, for no particular reason, endless copies of themselves scooting along a conveyor belt and being dunked into mysterious green goo. And while Nintendo’s new Switch demo is brief, there’s at least some of that daftness here.
It begins, though, with your island. First it needs a name, and because everyone in Living the Dream talks using rudimentary, but oddly charming, synthesised voices that make them sound like sentient text-to-speech programs gone rogue, you’ll probably want to provide a phonetic pronunciation too (“Matt oh pea a” – honestly, it took bloomin’ ages to get that right). And then, of course, you’ll need a Mii – those funny little avatars we couldn’t escape from during the Wii era, but which these days only get rolled intermittently, like an embarrassing elderly relative at Christmastime. I love these silly little things, though, and their expressive minimalism is a perfect foil for the comedy here. Oh, and you can give them ears now too!
In Living the Dream, you’ve got a couple of options where Miis are concerned. You can build them by answering a series of questions, or by hitching your sleeves and delving deep into full customisation, even giving them personalities. And if you happen to have a Mii lying around inside your console, you can import that too – which is how I ended up having a mild existential crisis as my Mini-Matt, after spotting we shared the same birthday, began speculating we might, in fact, be one and the same. And the whole ‘forced captivity’ vibe of it all as my tiny Mii clone paced back and forth around his completely barren room was mildly unsettling too.
Previous Tomodachi Life games had a bit of a vivarium feel, with most of your Miis’ interactions happening within the tiny confines of their one-room apartments. Only occasionally would they venture out to appear in a scripted events at one of the islands’ other single-screen locations, giving the whole thing a pretty claustrophobic air – and, it has to be said, limited entertainment value. Living the Dream, though, takes a (new) leaf out of Animal Crossing’s book, giving Miis their own houses and a modestly sized – and customisable – shared outdoor space they’ll happily roam around, interacting with objects and other Miis as they go. It’s adorable!
Attribution
When Miis want something, they’ll “ponder”; their whims turning into wants you’ll need to address to keep them satisfied. You might buy them an apple at the supermarket if they’re peckish (or 16 in-game pounds’ worth of sushi if you’re feeling flush), or – as happens in the demo – they might want a new pal. Which is how islander number two, Heck, came into being. And with multiple Miis in play, all autonomously interacting with each other, the full daffy charm of Tomodachi Life is revealed. Mini-Matt and Heck hit it off immediately, and it wasn’t long before Heck wanted to turn this fledgling acquaintance into a proper friendship. What should they talk about?, he asked, so I filled in the prompt appropriately and sent him on his way.
“Hello, Matt!” Heck cheerfully began when they encountered each other next, “Would you like to have a chat about a baked bean?” Mini-Matt was delighted. “So, fun fact about me,” he replied, “I make a point of taking a photo of every baked bean I see.” It was going well. “Wait, seriously?!” goggled Heck, “Me too! It’s actually been a lifelong dream of mine to live life surrounded by hundreds of artistic baked bean photos.” And after that they were inseparable. I’d catch them giggling together on the grass, spreading “made-up rumours” about themselves, or, later, complaining about the poor mobile reception. And when I eventually added a third islander, the slightly doddery Betsy, I couldn’t help but laugh when Mini-Matt’s idea of helping her after an unfortunate fall was to ask, “Have you tried moving?” The sharp silliness of Nintendo’s scripted dialogue is completely, stupidly endearing.
I catch Heck dreaming by the wishing fountain later on, so I hop into his brain and tease him with my giant finger as he teeters on a high precipice, a bungee cord wrapped around him. “If you push me, I’ll bite you,” he warns, so of course I give him a shove, watching him boing dramatically into space while I giggle like the omnipotent tormentor I am. The Miis – their expressive animations, their silly interactions – really are the stars of the show, and while there’s only so much you can do in Living the Dream’s demo, I’m already sold.
There are glimpses of other things too, though, like new enrichment activities and expanded island facilities – a furniture store and pawn shop, footballs and yoga DVDs – as well as new traits and animations you can unlock to further personalise your Miis. And I’m curious to see how the apparent tilt away from the 3DS version’s skit-focused minimalism (often more interactive sitcom than game) to a more structured Animal Crossing-style mode of play will pan out. It is, perhaps, a bit odd there’s no word on Switch 2 enhancements for this Switch 1 game yet, but even so, I’m delighted to have Tomodachi Life back. And I’m very much here for the weird.