Epic Preview: Hands-On with Nintendo’s Addicting Tomodachi Life

When Tomodachi Life was announced, Nintendo fans were immediately anxious to see what the long-standing company had up its sleeves. Tomodachi Life was trending on Twitter for days after its Nintendo Direct announcement, provoking a largely positive response from the gaming community. Yet, many were unsure of what Tomodachi Life is. Thankfully, All That’s Epic got early access game time with Tomodachi Life, and we can tell you some of the epicness that the game has to offer as we near its June 6 release.

Tomodachi Life is a life simulator game which loves the drama, and excitement, involved when people interact. It allows you to meet, hang out, sing, dance, date, and much more with other Mii characters that you have created and placed into your apartment building. These Miis are more customizable than ever: you create a personality for each Mii, where they will be placed into one of four different personality groups. You can also create a robotic-sounding voice for your Mii, and they will be able to fully speak on their own, rather than having to read text bubbles. This may seem like a small feat, but the excitement you will feel when your personal Mii introduces themselves with your name is enough to make you giggle like you are a child again.

Based on your personality group, your Mii will get along with other Islanders differently. This involves their dating compatibility along with friendship compatibility. If two Islanders are not compatible, they will eventually get into an all-out brawl, throwing items across the room at each other and puffing out clouds of red smoke until their measly fight is finally resolved. You will become thoroughly involved with the lives of your Islanders in Tomodachi Life, and you will surely feel the tension involved when two of your Islanders are fighting.

If you get along well with another Islander of the opposite sex, you may have a chance to go on a date with them, which could lead to marriage, a honeymoon, moving into your own home, and even having a baby. Similarly, if you get along well with a member of the same sex, they could potentially become your Best Friend, whom you will spend the majority of your time with, go on vacations with, etc. You are able to check how compatible Islanders are by going to the island’s Compatibility Tester, which can check their dating compatibility along with their friendship compatibility. You can also see a forecast rating to see what is in store for the pair throughout the week.

Tomodachi Life also offers a wide range of collectibles and unlocks. By being given a frying pan by one of the Islanders after completing a task for them, you can cook a mystery item which will then be added to your inventory. Different islanders will enjoy different types of food, and giving them their favorite foods will increase their happiness meter along with filling their bellies. Similarly, gaining access to a sewing machine will allow you to craft various items of clothing to give to your Islanders. Along with being able to create items, you can purchase various items such as themes for your apartment unit, clothing items, hats, and food from the island’s shops. If you create an item of clothing or food, they will be placed into the store where you will be able to purchase them at your will.

There are also various minigames and events that you can play and attend. Minigames could include venturing into an Islander’s dream, where you will see whacky events occurring to the Islander, or even, strangely enough, putting a feather up to an Islander’s nose in order to help them sneeze. Events around the island are active at various scheduled times. There is generally a morning market, followed by an evening rap battle at the fountain, while there are also meet-up groups for the men and women of the town. The island is constantly changing throughout the day, with new things to do popping up consistently.

Overall, we have been having an awesome time with Tomodachi Life so far and it has surely proved itself to be thoroughly addicting. A complete detailing of our thoughts on Tomodachi Life will be up on June 6, the day of Tomodachi Life’s 3DS and 2DS release.