Tomodachi Life, known in Japan as Tomodachi Collection: New Life, is a life simulation
handheld video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS.
The game, which is a direct sequel to the Japan-exclusive Nintendo DS title, Tomodachi
Collection, was released on April 18, 2013 in Japan, June 6, 2014 in North America and
Europe, and June 7, 2014 in Australia.
The game was the best-selling game in Japan during the week of its release, selling about
404,858 units.
As of March 31, 2014, its sales total 1.85 million.
Along with good sales records, the game received positive reviews.
Many reviewers praised the gameplay but criticized the minigames.
Gameplay
The game takes place on an island inhabited by various Miis, which the player can import
from their 3DS or 2DS or other devices, or QR codes, or create from scratch using the
3DS' camera or the in-game creation tools.
These Miis can be given their own voice, which is spoken in vocal synthesizer software, and
a unique personality based on slider inputs given.
Miis can then perform various actions, such as eating, trying on different outfits, falling
in love with someone, and doing many leisurely activities.
As more Miis are introduced, many strange and curious interactions can occur between
Miis, such as friendship, rivalry, bizarre musical numbers, etc.
Development In May 2014, a playable demo of the game was
distributed to Platinum members of Club Nintendo in North America, the data of which could
be transferred to the final version and unlock a bonus in-game item.
The game will be bundled with two Nintendo eShop download codes for a 'Welcome version'
demo, which can be given to friends.
Following the game's announcement for a Western release, controversy arose concerning how
it is not possible to have same-sex relationships in-game.
Nintendo stated, "The ability for same-sex relationships to occur in the game was not
part of the original game that launched in Japan, and that game is made up of the same
code that was used to localise it for other regions outside of Japan.”
In May 2013, it was widely reported by the Western games media that a bug in the original
Japanese version of Tomodachi Collection: New Life, which would allow users to have
same-sex relationships, was patched by Nintendo.
This was refuted by Nintendo in a statement made April 2014, explaining that same-sex
relationships were never possible, and that the patch in fact fixed a different issue.
Despite various campaigns from users, Nintendo stated that it would not be possible to add
same-sex relationships to the game, as they "never intended to make any form of social
commentary with the launch of" the game, and because it would require significant development
alterations which would not be able to be released as a post-game patch.
The company later apologized and stated that, if they were to create another entry in the
Tomodachi series, they would "strive to design a gameplay experience from the ground up that
is more inclusive, and better represents all players."
Reception Tomodachi Life has received positive reviews.
It holds an average of 75% and 71/100 on review aggregate sites GameRankings and Metacritic,
respectively.
IGN gave the game a score of 8.4, calling it "a surprisingly funny and rewarding experience."
Polygon gave Tomodachi Life a 7.5 out of 10, praising its likeability despite certain aspects
being repetitive.
GamesRadar gave the game 4 out of 5 stars, praising its weird humor and relaxing gameplay,
whilst criticising the minigames for being too simple.
GameTrailers gave the game a score of 6.0, stating "the pervasive sense of quirkiness
in Tomodachi Life works, but can’t sustain the entire game."
The game has received criticism in the Western regions for not enabling relationships between
Mii characters of the same sex; Nintendo of America later responded that the game was
localized without compromising the title's core programming as developed and released
in Japan a year ago, but that the option may be considered for future titles in the series.
Appearances in other games A stage based on this game has been confirmed
to be featured in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, and will remain exclusive
to the portable variant.
References
External links Official website
Official website