Living the Dream on Switch

Nintendo has released a surprise playable demo for Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream on the Nintendo eShop, giving fans of the social simulation series the first chance to dive into its latest entry’s content. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream should create some wild scenarios for players to observe, and they can now get their first taste of its bizarre Mii relationships.

The third overall installment in the Tomodachi series and only the second released outside of Japan, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is set for release on April 16. Following up on its predecessors, the upcoming game, which will be exclusive to the Nintendo Switch, will be familiar to fans of the first Tomodachi Life for the Nintendo 3DS. Players will still be able to follow the daily interactions between Miis living on a secluded island, but the upcoming sequel will also spice things up with a ton of new features that should expand the scope of what behaviors and relationships are possible.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream May Matter for Super Smash Bros.’s Next Roster

Tomodachi Life is finally returning on the Switch, which bodes well for the roster of Nintendo’s next Super Smash Bros. entry.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s Free Demo is Out Now

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While fans still have to wait a few weeks for the full release of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Nintendo has dropped a special gift for them in the form of a free, playable demo, called Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream Welcome Version. The demo puts some limitations on players compared to what they will be able to do in the full game, allowing them to create just a small handful of different Mii characters and use them to explore different interactions with one another, including those tied to friendship and romance. It also gives players the first shot at exploring the game’s island setting, even giving them the opportunity to place some buildings, plants, and other decorative objects in anticipation of the full game’s launch.

Uniquely evolving social interactions are one of the key elements that set the Tomodachi series apart from most games in the life sim genre. Players expecting Animal Crossing but with Miis will be in for a surprise, as Living the Dream won’t cast players in the role of the island’s star player, but as an observer of all the goings-on that happen in the encapsulated world that they have built. It’s also somewhat of a god game in terms of social interactions, as players not only design individual personality traits for each Mii, but they can add special traits like quirks and catchphrases as they level up, and can play a role in helping their Miis make big life decisions.

Players who are already familiar with the original Tomodachi Life from 2014 are still in for a few surprises, as the next game is filled with many more customization options than its predecessors. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream‘s changes to Miis include a lot more design tools, including stamps and free-drawing of facial features. The range of Mii possibilities has also increased greatly, with non-human Miis as an option. Additionally, while the previous game let players do some interior decorating in Miis’ homes, the outdoor sections of the island will be much more customizable in Living the Dream, with a variety of shops and quick-build amenities that can be placed around the playable space, and even options to terraform the island itself.

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Players diving into the demo content don’t need to be concerned about growing too attached to their pre-release Miis, islands, and budding relationships, because all progress they complete during the demo period will be transferable to the full game once it is released. Conversely, players wanting to wait and take in the new Tomodachi Life all at once may want to think about diving into the demo after all, to claim its special reward at the end. The content contained in the demo not only gives players a head start on getting a feel for Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream‘s features, it also offers up a special hamster costume for players who make it all the way through the demo’s content, and they will be able to apply to their Miis in the full release.