Tomodachi Life was released back in June this year and offered 3DS owners the chance to live a simulated life through their Mii characters. I for one love the Mii avatar concept that was first introduced with the Wii and I’m glad to see that Nintendo have stuck with it going forward with the 3DS and Wii U. So when I was finally able to get my hands on a copy of the game, I couldn’t wait to see what it had to offer both me as a core gamer and my two little girls.
Parents will be pleased to hear that Tomodachi Life has been a big hit with my two girls (especially my 6 year old Elizabeth). So far I haven’t needed to step in to read text for her or even explain to her the control setup. She has quite happily poured hours into the game over the last week. Fortunately I was able to get a turn when the kids were in bed. To be honest I didn’t think the game would be enjoyable for me, however, if like me you spend a considerable amount of time creating Mii characters, then I’m sure adults will also enjoy the game.
The game is set on an island that is inhabited by various Mii characters. These can be Mii’s imported from your 3DS, Wii or Wii U, or you can even create new ones from scratch using the game’s creation tools. What’s different about Mii’s in Tomodachi life is that players can give their characters a voice, which is spoken in a vocal synthesizer style. It helps make the game interesting and can very cleverly say whatever text you type into the speech box. Elizabeth’s Mii character sounds like it’s on helium, which makes her laugh uncontrollably every time it speaks.
To play the game you perform various actions with your Mii, such as eating, shopping for food or new outfits, singing, falling in love with other Mii characters, plus other great little mini-games that will provide hours of fun. When you introduce new Mii characters to the island, they will occupy a room in the island’s apartment complex. You can visit your various Mii characters here and give them new phrases to say, feed them, clothe them or just hang out with other Mii’s. Also, unlike other life simulator games it’s very easy to collect in-game money, so you’ll soon be buying all sorts of outfits and expensive meals.
The date and time programmed into your 3DS has an effect on what activities are available to do in the game, which closely follows the same set-up as Animal Crossing: New Leaf. So I’m looking forward to seeing what our game’s island looks like on Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas day. I’m pretty certain that this is a game that’s going to stay in our 3DS for the foreseeable future.
In conclusion, Tomodachi Life isn’t a game that is deep in game play, but that’s not a bad thing as your kids should be able to get their kicks from short bursts of play. It’s simple, accessible and very entertaining for all ages.
