Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream has been officially released for a few weeks now and has taken the internet by storm. It is a modernized version of the original Tomodachi Life Nintendo 3DS game that was first released in 2014. Not only has Nintendo kept the zaniness of the original game, but it has greatly expanded on it in the new Switch version.

I’ve personally been highly anticipating this new release, having been a fan of the original version. I’ve dumped 40 hours of gameplay into my island so far, creating mii characters from franchises I enjoy such as The Amazing Digital Circus, Apothecary Diaries, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Game of Thrones, Expedition 33 and many more. I love seeing all these vastly different miis from different mediums and combining them onto one giant unhinged island. 

In this discussion, I wanted to dive into the game and why it’s blown up online.

The Customization Power

As you might expect, the original was quite limited on what you could do. You only had the base mii creator many of us grew up using on Wii consoles and DSs alike. The new version blew this issue wide open, with a few nitpicks I’d like to discuss.

The mii creator allows for much more customization. There are so many different hair types. There’s even the ability to combine the bangs and back hairstyles in unique combinations. There’s a wide array of colors and highlight options. You can alter their eyes more than you ever could before, and we of course can’t forget the best feature: the face paint.

Now I do have a gripe with the face paint. If you draw eye details inside preexisting eyes, the mii’s eyes still blink, but the paint doesn’t move. This leaves us with a pretty funny and jarring experience of your miis expressions not being very smooth. However, I tend to opt out of doing that most of the time to prevent this. 

I did, however, have to draw Pomni’s eyes as It just wouldn’t be the same if she didn’t have her trademark pinwheel eyes. This is all down to personal opinion and what you’re willing to deal with. After all, it’s not a game you’re meant to take seriously. 

The paint is also limited by your own drawing abilities. I can replicate some details decently, as long as you don’t involve shading and other intense details. But again, it’s supposed to just be fun. 

Not only can you create your miis with shocking resemblance, but you can customize food, rooms, entire buildings, the ground, and more! It’s a far cry from how the original game was. 

Your miis are also quite inclusive now. They can represent a range of sexualities and identities, which was severely limited in the original. Now there’s no such limitation on this and you can create a mii exactly how you want them.

Lack of Censorship

Aside from the sheer customization power, the second biggest draw for this game is the complete lack of censorship. This is likely why Nintendo doesn’t allow online play except locally and no mii sharing, but I accept that as a stipulation. The original had some censorship built in that this modern version does not. 

If you’re a fan of the game at all, then you’ve most definitely seen the type of crazy things people are making their miis say since there’s absolutely no limitation on what they say. They can curse at each other and talk about anything you input. This leads to so many viral moments within the niche online. In my little corner of the internet, people add anime and fictional characters and include hilarious canon or silly dialogue between miis.

This game has provided me with so much entertainment that it even surpasses Resident Evil Requiem. It’s fun and allows for so much creativity that is honestly refreshing in this day and age. So often are people limited by censorship in media that Nintendo providing absolutely none has been a surprisingly good change of pace. 

If you love being creative and playing social simulation games, I really recommend this game! 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go edit my island and also stop Himmel and Verso from fighting with each other.