Pokopia treats us to cool new variants of familiar friends!
The Pokémon game series has long consisted of far more than just its main titles. Every year we get more or less successful spin-offs that bring the pocket monsters to life in different ways.
Some of these have taken rather absurd forms in the past – like Pokémon Channel, which largely revolved around watching TV with Pikachu (why did my sister buy that back then?), though at least it offered the unique opportunity to obtain a Jirachi for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (thankfully my sister did buy it!).
Animal Crossing Meets Pokémon
Pokopia is the newest of these games and caused quite a stir when it was first announced – after all, it’s a mix of Animal Crossing and Pokémon. Not only could it fill the wait for a new AC title (five years, Nintendo? Come on!), it might also offer Poké-fans a cozy experience in its own right.
With the brand-new trailer, we’ve now gotten a better look at the game and its gameplay, plus a release date – and on top of that, we were shown completely new forms of well-known and beloved Pokémon.
Pokopia Release Date Confirmed!
Pokopia will launch on March 5, meaning we still have to wait a bit longer, though the digital version can already be pre-ordered.
Even for those who might not care much for the cuddly-looking life sim itself but are interested in all the new and rare Pokémon forms, the real highlights are, of course, the four new forms of Tangrowth, Smeargle, Snorlax, and Pikachu.
These appear to be NPCs in the game that will allow the player – who is a shape-shifting Ditto – to further customize and develop their island.
New Forms Of Pikachu, Snorlax & More!
While "Master Smeargle" is rather unspectacular – basically just a Smeargle covered in colorful paint splatters, likely useful for building in your favorite colors – "Professor Tangrowth" stands out much more visually and will apparently help you learn new moves and abilities.
But the real treats come at the end of the new trailer: brand-new forms of Pikachu and Snorlax.
While Peakychu looks like a faded ghost-type twist on the beloved electric mouse, the adorable slacker Pokémon Snorlax is now completely covered in moss and goes by the fitting name Mooslax. If you see that little flower on its head and don’t immediately pre-order Pokopia, then I can’t help you.
Whether and how these new monsters will be obtainable in other games – the main titles or Pokémon GO – is still unclear. However, Pokémon GO has often been used as a marketing vehicle, adding unique Pokémon to stir up hype. Niantic? Give me Mooslaxo! Quickly!