After more than a decade, Nintendo released “Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream,” marking the third installment of the franchise. Released on April 16, the social simulation game features an updated version of the island, where players manage characters, wacky scenarios and budding relationships.
The opening of “Living the Dream” follows the basic premise of the previous games, where players create Miis (human-like characters). The newest installment expanded options for Mii customization, with the standout being a face painting feature. When equipped, players can draw traits and makeup on their Miis, allowing for originality not seen in the prequels.
One of the main factors of the “Tomodachi Life” series is relationship statuses. Miis can become best friends, enemies, fall in love and even get married. However, the original games only featured heterosexual romances and male/female gender options. Fulfilling a promise by Nintendo in 2014 to be more inclusive in future games, characters in “Living the Dream” are now able to have same-sex relationships, as well as identify as non-binary.
“Living the Dream” continues to keep the original charm of the series. From Miis falling down, having strange dreams, competing in various minigames with players and ridiculous hourly MiiNews updates, “Living the Dream” continuously produces a multitude of quirky dialogue and ridiculous cutscenes.
“I want to apologize to my family, my friend, my neighbors, the guy at the bus stop watching shows over my shoulder, and the tablet itself,” a Mii said in a MiiNews conference on losing the password to their tablet. “I’ve failed you all.”
The graphics of the game further its whimsical nature, featuring cartoon-like visuals and a playful color scheme, save for the extremely realistic images of objects and food that can be given to Miis.
However, classic features in the previous installment are noticeably missing from “Living the Dream.” The fan favorite Concert Hall, where Miis could perform original songs in different genres, is not available in the new game. Additionally, while the 3DS version could host 100 Miis, the Switch version is capped at 70. While the game’s new contents are certainly a highlight, the forgone older features could have elevated the experience further.
A consolation is the user-generated content feature, where players can introduce items from their own world, creating food, decorations and objects they want Miis to use. Additionally, players can customize the island by terraforming and using the Island Builder to create structures, with Miis being able to interact with the environment around them.
“There are countless ways to play Tomodachi Life, and ever since the first game, we’ve wanted it to be something you can play casually, in a relaxed way,” developer Ryutaro Takahashi said in an interview with Nintendo. “So, we wanted to ensure that, while you can create what you want in this game through (user-generated content), you can have just as much fun even if you don’t create anything at all.”
“Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream” was a satisfying sequel that successfully balanced eccentric charm with fresh, new features, making it a dream come true for many fans.
4.5 realistic food images out of 5
