Pokémon recently celebrated its 30th anniversary and there's a new game to mark the occasion. Pokémon Pokopia is a newly released "cozy game" for the Nintendo Switch 2 featuring everyone's favorite pocket monsters, a first for the franchise.

Cozy Games, a term unofficially coined by fans, are typically video games based around life simulations, such as farming, growing crops, decorating environments, etc. They offer a friendlier alternative to gamers who aren't looking for intense challenges or violence. The genre picked up in momentum around the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Combining this genre with the cuteness and virality of Pokémon seeemed like a no-brainer.

In addition to new gameplay, Pokopia introduces new lore to the Pokémon universe.

It is set in a world where humans have disappeared and Pokémon have returned to their natural habitats. You play as ditto, a shape-shifting Pokémon, who takes on the look of their old trainer as you restore life in unkempt regions. Whereas most Pokémon games have you battle other trainers on your path to becoming a Pokémon master, Pokémon Pokopia takes on a gentler approach. 

Jamal Michel from The New York Times wrote, "The common gameplay loop of catching and collecting Pokémon shifts to comforting them. In older games, Pokémon were mostly tools with personality. Pokopia, however, taps notable spinoffs like Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and even Pokémon Ranger to elevate Pocket Monsters, who may request a warm bed or a dimmer living space. Players can ask how the Pokémon are feeling and what they desire."

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Based off of initial reactions from fans, this new formula seems to be what they've been craving. During its first week of release, Pokémon Pokopia already became the highest rated Pokémon game on Metacritic. 

Popular gaming website IGN rated the game 9 out of 10, and said "Pokémon Pokopia is a real treat: an enjoyable building and town simulator that capitalizes on the charming personalities of its monsters in a way that appeals to both the creative and collector alike."

The demand for the game is so high that stores like Walmart and Target are reportedly running out of physical copies. Online retailers like Amazon even bumped up the price to $80 for a physical copy when it typically retails for $70 (although as of writing this, the price seems to have returned). Some very devoted fans have even posted that they're paying much more for the game...because they're buying a Switch 2 as well just to play it. 

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Overall, the game does look quite fun and from the initial reactions it's hard not to get sucked into the hype around it. For now, I'll live vicariously through Instagram and YouTube videos until the Switch 2 goes on sale.