THE COSY MAGIC OF THE BASE GAME, NOW… UNDERWATER, WITH BEAUTIFUL CORAL, ADORABLE NEW POKÉMON, HIDDEN TREASURES, AND PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE AND BUILD. SWIMMING AND DIVING NEVER GET OLD, ALSO OFFERS SOME OF THE MOST EXCITING DISCOVERIES. HOWEVER, RAISING THE ENVIRONMENT LEVEL BY PLEASING POKÉMON CAN FEEL TEDIOUS, AND ACCESSING THE DLC IS MORE COMPLICATED THAN IT SHOULD BE. DESPITE THIS, A GREAT EXPANSION THAT BUILDS ON POKOPIA’S STRENGTHS AND GIVES PLAYERS A BEAUTIFUL NEW UNDERWATER PARADISE TO MAKE THEIR OWN.
DITTO TAKES THE PLUNGE
Pokémon Pokopia is most certainly one of the best Pokémon releases to date, and our very own Pren’s 10/10 review on The Nintendo Gamer pays tribute to that. Pokopia has multiple areas to explore, each with its own theme… so what could be more exciting than adding another area filled with secrets to discover? The Bubbly Basin DLC finally adds something the base game was missing: underwater exploration! No more worrying about my poor Ditto drowning every time I fall into the water. It also opens up new opportunities to build and discover Pokémon in an underwater paradise (that needs a lot of work). Much like the other areas in the base game, Ditto is tasked with bringing new life to a dilapidated environment to attract more Pokémon and help them live happily in a world free from Pokémon enslavement.
It’s so much fun giving Ditto a little spin and torpedoing towards the ocean floor.
The first time I swam into Bubbly Basin, I was in awe. The colour palette is beautiful, giving the area the vibe of a cute underwater fish tank, complete with colourful coral and whimsical, ocean-inspired buildings. It captured my attention immediately, with so many new things to explore. Ooh, what’s that? Let me just quickly see what that thing is. Wait, is that a new Pokémon? Bubbly Basin follows the familiar formula of the base game, but its underwater setting gives it a fresh twist. And it’s so much fun giving Ditto a little spin and torpedoing towards the ocean floor.
INTO THE DEEP SEA
Blocks bob around with their own buoyancy, and you can swim, dive and float your way around Bubbly Basin. Exploration is addictive, with so many hidden treasures and new items to discover. The new Pokémon are incredibly cute, and I love their unhinged character descriptions, which give each Pokémon so much personality. My most exciting discovery was The Deep Sea. At first, you don’t expect what’s waiting below because you can’t even see the bottom. You start wondering, What’s down there? As you head down, the surroundings suddenly turn completely dark, with glowing coral illuminating certain sections. It feels like a beautiful, dark cave filled with little pockets of colourful light.
It feels like a beautiful, dark cave filled with little pockets of colourful light.
You are definitely rewarded for your curiosity, with so many different items to discover and new areas to explore. Exploring these areas felt more fun than exploring the other regions because of the underwater caves and the freedom to swim and dive almost everywhere. The novelty of Bubbly Basin hasn’t worn off for me, and as a big fan of water and underwater creatures, I find it more exciting to explore than the other areas; it has therefore quickly become one of my favourite places to explore in Pokopia. And so, if anything, I’d like even more Deep Sea.
MAKING WAVES
All of the underwater Pokémon are exciting to discover, and they each have such cute personalities. The habitats are very enjoyable to create and discover, too. Thankfully, there’s no rush to get everything done; Pokopia is such a cosy, stress-free experience that lets you enjoy everything at your own pace, both in the DLC and the base game.
I’m more of a build-the-sand- house-or-shark-house-they-give-you type of player than a create-a-five-star-skyscraper-hotel-from-scratch type. Thankfully, there’s room for both approaches.
The Bubbly Basin DLC adds so many new items, buildings and materials that it opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities, if that’s your thing. I’m more of a build-the-sand- house-or-shark-house-they-give-you type of player than a create-a-five-star-skyscraper-hotel-from-scratch type. Thankfully, there’s room for both approaches. The expansion builds on Pokopia’s strengths while adding something the base game was missing: the opportunity to explore and build in an underwater, desolate utopia.
WHERE THINGS GET MURKY
Some people will continue to genuinely enjoy making the cute little Pokémon happy. They’re always so grateful and bring you sticks, much like cats bringing home mice because they think we can’t sustain ourselves as humans. For me, pleasing Pokémon to raise the environment level and progress the story did start to feel tedious, though.
They’re always so grateful and bring you sticks, much like cats bringing home mice because they think we can’t sustain ourselves as humans.
I also found it quite confusing to get the DLC started. There are a surprising number of things you need to check off your list, and you have to progress fairly far into one of the base game’s areas before you can access the DLC. I would have preferred it to be a separate area you could explore right away after purchasing the expansion, rather than tying access to your base-game progress.
DIVE IN, OR SIT THIS ONE OUT?
Bubbly Basin rewards curiosity, with new Pokémon to discover, hidden treasures to find, and beautiful materials that encourage you to build. Its biggest shortcomings are the tediousness of raising the environment level to progress through the DLC’s fairly short story, as well as the complicated process of accessing the expansion in the first place. However, it still meets my expectations for a Pokopia expansion. This game seems to have cracked the formula for creating a cosy, enjoyable experience, and getting to finally explore underwater is something I wish had been part of the base game from the beginning.
This game seems to have cracked the formula for creating a cosy, enjoyable experience,
Since the base game already offers hundreds of hours of gameplay (and I mean hundreds!), Bubbly Basin, Part 1 of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass, is a great addition for both casual and hardcore Pokémon players. Whether you want more of the base game’s familiar gameplay in an exciting new area or simply love underwater environments and discovering new Pokémon and items, there’s something here for you. You don’t need to have finished the main game to enjoy the expansion, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the base game. There’s also plenty to keep you playing after completing the main objectives, from restoring Bubbly Basin to its former glory to building cool, cyberpunk-looking cities in The Deep Sea. Overall, I’d give Pokémon Pokopia: Expansion Pass — Part 1: Bubbly Basin an 8/10. It doesn’t reinvent the formula, and some of its progression can feel like a chore, but the joy of exploration, the adorable Pokémon, and the freedom to create your own underwater paradise make it a great expansion. If you loved Pokopia, Bubbly Basin is well worth diving into!
REVIEW CODE PROVIDED BY: NINTENDO
For more Nintendo Reviews, click here.
0 Comments