Pokemon Pokopia Hasn't Given Me a Reason to Pre-Order, But That's Nothing New For the Series

It’s not going to be long before the first Pokemon game exclusive to the Switch 2 console comes out, and that is the upcoming Pokemon Pokopia, scheduled for release on March 5 of this year. Pokemon Pokopia is more of a cozy game like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, rather than something akin to what the Pokemon series has had to offer so far, but it’s still a refreshing and exciting take on the monster-collecting universe that could even spark new lore discussions with its setting and unique forms for Snorlax or Pikachu. As such, if you like the genre already, or you’re into a shift from the usual formula, Pokemon Pokopia may be the next best thing for you, to the point you may want to pre-order it.

If I have to be honest, I can’t even remember a time when I didn’t pre-order Pokemon games, at least not when I started purchasing them with my own money rather than getting them as gifts when I was a child. I love the series above all other video games I’ve ever played, so it’s always a matter of when rather than if for me. I’m sure that next month I’ll pre-order Pokopia, too, even if it doesn’t really give me a reason to do it. At the same time, it’s not like I had high expectations after all the pre-order bonuses from the mainline series.

Pokemon Reveals New Pikachu and Snorlax Forms

Pokemon has just revealed new forms for Pikachu and Snorlax, giving the beloved creatures even more adorable designs for fans to gush over.

Pokemon’s Tradition of Bad Pre-Order Bonuses Continues in Pokopia

Ever since Gen 7, Pokemon games started having a consistent pattern of early purchase bonuses and pre-order bonuses that varied with each game, and these were offered on top of any potential seller-exclusive bonuses you could find, be it Walmart, Amazon, or other retailers. And as much as I like freebies, I can’t deny that Pokemon has almost always been quite stingy with its early purchase and pre-order bonuses, and the Switch 2 exclusive Pokopia is no exception, offering just two decoration items at best.

A History of Pokemon Early Purchase and Pre-Order Bonuses

Why Pokemon Pokopia’s Pre-Order Bonuses Are Disappointing

In case you don’t know, early purchase bonuses are available to all players up until a certain date, which is usually a few months after the game releases, whereas pre-order bonuses are typically handed over via online redemption or in-game code. Pokemon Pokopia has both, depending on where you purchase your copy, and they are:

A Ditto rug house decoration (early purchase)
A flat leaf plant house decoration (pre-order bonus on Amazon.com)

The flat leaf plant bonus went viral on social media after players started calling it a joke, with Twitter user @KirbyCheatFurby calling it the “most depressing pre-order gift” they have ever seen.

If you’re disappointed already, trust me, you’re not alone. More importantly, it’s not like this is new, either, as the series has a history of giving out subpar bonuses for pre-orders. These are:

Pokemon Legends: Z-A Mega Dimension DLC
- Two cosmetic outfits and a set of special Poke Balls
Pokemon Legends: Z-A
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Indigo Disk)
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet (Teal Mask)
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
- 10x Potion, 10x Antidote, 3x Revive
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
- Baneful Fox Mask cosmetic (early purchase bonus)
- Hisuian Growlithe Kimono Set (early purchase bonus)
- 30x Heavy Balls (pre-order bonus)
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
- Manaphy egg (early purchase bonus)
- 12x Quick Ball (early purchase bonus)
- 200x Poke Ball (pre-order bonus, exclusive to the Double Pack)
Pokemon Sword and Shield (Expansion Pass)
- Pikachu Uniform and Eevee Uniform
- Leon’s Cap and Tights
Pokemon Sword and Shield

These are the most recent early purchase and pre-order bonuses in the series, and except for the Manaphy egg in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, they have mostly been very bad. The pre-order bonus for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is possibly one of the worst and most insulting ever, and all the ones that give out Pokemon can easily be obtained in the game anyway.

As such, I was not anticipating Pokemon Pokopia to have the best pre-order bonuses around, but I also didn’t expect one of them to be a very basic plant in a very basic pot. Since Pokemon Pokopia‘s Ditto is front and center, I understand the Ditto rug, and it’s actually cute, but nothing is truly groundbreaking here. I think The Pokemon Company knows this, especially since fans have always been vocal about how disappointing some of these gifts are.

Yes, they are “free” if you pre-order, but you couldn’t convince me under torture that Potions, Antidotes, and Revives, or some basic Poke Balls, are good pre-order bonuses. Again, the expectations were already low, but I can’t help but wonder if the leaked Pokemon Wind and Wave will also have ridiculous gifts in store for players. I think, in the case of Pokopia, things are disappointing for many fans because it’s a Switch 2 exclusive, and the console is still quite expensive, so a better gift would have been seen as a gesture of goodwill. We’ll have to wait and see if the series improves this underwhelming part of the process in the future, but for now, I’m not impressed. Yet, I’m not surprised, either.