Pokopia Review - Switch 2

I went into Pokémon Pokopia on the Switch 2 with a mix of curiosity and cautious optimism. It’s not your typical Pokémon game, and it doesn’t take long to realise that’s very intentional. Instead of battles, gyms, and a big push forward, this is something much slower, much more about settling in and building something over time.

The easiest way to describe it is Animal Crossing with a Pokémon skin, but that almost undersells what it’s doing. You’re not just decorating a house or island, you’re gradually shaping an entire space where Pokémon live alongside you. There’s crafting, gathering, farming, and a steady sense of progression as what starts off feeling a bit empty slowly becomes something full of life.

That’s where the game really shines. There’s a genuine sense of immersion here that creeps up on you. You’ll start off just placing a few things down, maybe doing a couple of small tasks, and before you know it you’ve created a little world that actually feels like yours. Watching Pokémon wander around, interact with the environment, and just exist in that space adds a lot more personality than you might expect.

It also taps into that familiar Pokémon nostalgia in a different way. It’s not about catching everything or building the perfect team, it’s more about the feeling. That comfort, that sense of being in a world you recognise, even if the gameplay is completely different. It’s a smart shift, and for the most part, it works.

Visually, it leans hard into that cosy aesthetic. Bright colours, soft edges, slightly quirky designs. It’s not trying to be cutting edge, but it doesn’t need to be. Everything fits the tone perfectly, and it makes the game really easy to settle into. It’s the kind of thing you can boot up after a long day and just switch off for a bit.

The story sits in the background, but it’s enough to give you a reason to keep going. It’s made up of smaller, slightly oddball moments rather than one big, dramatic narrative, and that suits the game. There’s a bit of charm in how low-key it all is, and it helps the world feel more relaxed and lived in.

Where things start to get a bit more divisive is the pacing. This is a very slow game, and it’s not afraid of that. A lot of your progress is tied to time. Building things, unlocking new options, even certain activities, they don’t just happen when you want them to. You’re often waiting. At first, that actually feels like part of the design. It encourages you to take your time, check in regularly, and enjoy the process rather than rush to the end.

But the longer you play, the more it can feel like the game is deciding your pace for you. There were quite a few moments where I wanted to just sit down and properly dig into it. Expand things, experiment a bit more, make real progress in a single session. Instead, I’d hit a wall where there was nothing meaningful left to do except wait. That’s where the experience starts to lose a bit of momentum.

To be fair, for a lot of players, that won’t be an issue at all. If you like games you can dip into daily, chip away at over time, and slowly build something up, this absolutely delivers. In fact, that’s probably where it’s at its best.

But if you’re someone who likes to go all in when you’ve got the time, it can feel restrictive. Almost like the game is holding you back just when you’re most engaged.

That ties into my biggest gripe overall. I just wish it gave you a bit more freedom. Either more direction when you’re unsure what to do next, or more flexibility to push forward when you’re motivated. Right now, it sits somewhere in the middle, and that balance doesn’t always land.

Even with that, I kept coming back to it. There’s something about the world, the atmosphere, and that slow sense of growth that makes it easy to pick up again. It’s not a game I’d binge for hours on end, but it’s one I can see myself checking in on regularly.

At the end of the day, Pokémon Pokopia is a good game with a lot going for it. It’s charming, a bit quirky, and genuinely relaxing in a way that feels natural rather than forced. It just leans a bit too heavily into time-gated progression, and that’s going to be the deciding factor for a lot of people.

I’d give it a solid 7 out of 10.

There’s a great experience here, especially if you enjoy slower, more relaxed games. I just can’t help but feel like it could have been something really special if it loosened the reins a bit and let you go big when you wanted to, instead of always asking you to wait.