<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>I'm worried </span><em><span>Pokémon Pokopia</span></em><span> is going to dominate my life. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>I had zero interest in the game when Nintendo announced it, but after an hour rebuilding my own deserted island back from the brink, it's safe to say our favourite pocket monsters remain irresistibly charming. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The loop of </span><em><span>Pokopia</span></em><span> is simple. Build environments to attract Pokemon to your island, befriend them and then use their abilities to build more complex environments and attract more complex Pokemon. </span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/fallout-76-developers-explain-how-the-tv-series-helps-keep-the-game-fresh/7fc9dabf-f560-4ed9-8420-70fe0f512e64" rel="" target="" title="Seven years on, Fallout 76 developers still listening to fans and now watching the TV series"><strong><span>Seven years on, Fallout 76 developers still listening to fans and now watching the TV series</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>You play as a Ditto who is doing its best to resemble the trainer it once had. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Humans (and Pokemon) have seemingly disappeared from this world and it's your job to find out why. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Things start slowly but quickly get more complex. </span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/technology/pokemon-pokopia-nintendo-switch-2/5f82dd86-b26e-41ce-b3f7-689cf80f140b" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Unlike </span><em><span>Animal Crossing</span></em><span>, you aren't limited to how much you can progress in a day. I had met a Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Timburr, Hitmonchan, Belsprout and a Scyther within 60 minutes. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It was addictive and I'd barely scratched the surface. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/technology/nintendo-switch-2-games-review-mario-tennis-fever-pragmata-and-resident-evil-requiem/8576dea2-3e34-4744-8799-b84f7ae53305" rel="" target="" title="We got an early look at three of the biggest games coming to Switch 2. This is our verdict"><strong><span>We got an early look at three of the biggest games coming to Switch 2. This is our verdict</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Befriending each Pokemon feels like knocking down a domino which starts a chain of events that lead you to the next.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Terraforming is a big part of the game. I didn't get the chance to build anything of my own, but it was clear from the half an hour I spent in a multiplayer session that </span><em><span>Pokopia</span></em><span> is aiming for something similar to </span><em><span>Dragon Quest Builders</span></em><span>.  </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There were some absolutely bonkers areas that the development team had slapped together from stages to pools and houses on either side of a waterfall. If you want to build a staircase to heaven like </span><em><span>Fortnite</span></em><span>, you can do that too.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Multiplayer feels a lot more meaningful in </span><em><span>Pokopia</span></em><span> than in </span><em><span>Animal Crossing</span></em><span> too. Up to three friends can visit your island at once and there are seemingly no restrictions on what they can do to your island (which might be a bad thing if you have mean friends).</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>All in all, I walked away impressed and keen to play more.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><span>Pokémon Pokopia arrives on the Nintendo Switch 2 on March 5, 2026. </span></em></div></div>