Tomodachi Life
Packaging artwork used in North America
Developer(s)Nintendo SPD
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Noriyuki Sato
Ryutaro Takahashi
Eisaku Nakae
Producer(s)Yoshio Sakamoto
Composer(s)Daisuke Matsuoka
Asuka Ito
Platform(s)Nintendo 3DS
Release
  • JP: April 18, 2013
  • NA/EU: June 6, 2014
  • AU: June 7, 2014
  • ROK: July 17, 2014
Genre(s)Social simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Tomodachi Life, known in Japan as Tomodachi Collection: New Life[lower-alpha 1], is a social simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game follows the day-to-day interactions of Mii characters (referred to as "islanders") as they build relationships, solve problems, and converse with the player. Tomodachi Life is the sequel to the Japan-exclusive Nintendo DS title Tomodachi Collection.

It was released on April 18, 2013 in Japan, June 6, 2014 in North America and Europe, June 7, 2014 in Australia, and July 17, 2014 in South Korea. With over 6.72 million copies sold worldwide, it was the tenth best-selling 3DS game of all time.[1]

The game received mixed reviews as users praised its gameplay and overall charm, but criticized its simplistic minigames and lack of general user control. With over 400 thousand units sold in Japan in its debut week, the game is widely considered to be a success. Tomodachi Life introduced a level of Mii customizability that was expanded upon in future Nintendo games, such as the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch role-playing video game Miitopia and the social networking app Miitomo. These games allow more complex outfits for Miis, and in the Switch port of Miitopia, customizable makeup.

Gameplay

Tomodachi Life begins with the player naming their island and creating their lookalike, which is usually their personal Mii. The Miis are assigned unique personalities based on selections the player makes for the Mii's stats, such as walking speed, speech, and quirkiness.[2] The player will be prompted to give their look-alike with food to eat and a friend to interact with. Afterward, the Town Hall will open, giving access to create more Miis. Miis can perform various actions and many interactions can occur between them, such as friendship, romance, conflicts, and other social events. As the game goes by, the player unlocks more locations, clothes, food, and other things for the Miis to interact with, like items to give them, and special interiors for their apartment.[3]

A married couple in their home taking care of their baby

By interacting with the islanders, resolving their problems, and giving gifts, the player will be awarded with in-game currency. In-game currency can also be gained by going to the Fountain every day for donations from the islanders, and selling non-interactive items gained from Miis at the Pawn Shop.[4]

Tomodachi Life is set in real time, and encourages players to interact at different times of the day in order to observe different interactions with islanders. Over time, the islanders will interact and develop friendships with each other at random intervals. If 2 Islanders of the opposite gender and similar age interact, one may confess their love to the other, which upon success, sets them as their "Sweetheart", or "Special Someone" in the European version, which can allow for marriage with them after more interaction.[5] Eventually, if a married couple is on the island, the player will receive a phone call from either the mother or the father, informing the player that they had a baby, and allowing the player to name it and edit its face. After this, the married couple may ask the player to babysit the child, which would start a minigame, changing depending on the age of the child. Eventually, the child will grow up, and the player is presented with 2 options. The player can either move the child to the apartments, or send the child off via StreetPass, to appear in other islands, as an explorer.[6]

Local and online capabilities

Using StreetPass and SpotPass, the player can unlock special items and transport islanders. Nintendo would release free Spotpass items monthly to all players that had Spotpass enabled, which would be purchasable in "Import Wear".[7] On May 16, 2016, the last "Import Item" was released, discontinuing the service.[8] Using Streetpass, the player can choose a specific item to give to players nearby their Nintendo 3DS System, which is also used to transport a married couple's child to other islands as a traveler.[9] Using the Nintendo 3DS Image Share service, players could share screenshots taken in game to social networks such as Twitter or Facebook.[10]

Development

Tomodachi Life was originally released as Tomodachi Collection: New Life in Japan as the sequel to Tomodachi Collection. On March 13, 2013, Nintendo announced in their latest Nintendo Direct that along two new special edition 3DS LL[lower-alpha 2] colors, a sequel to Tomodachi Collection was soon going to be released to the public. The first color showcased in the direct was a mint white edition 3DS LL,[11] and the second was included as a part of a hardware bundle with Tomodachi Collection: New Life included, designed with the game in mind.[12] In another Nintendo Direct broadcast on April 3, 2013, Nintendo revealed more details related to the 3DS sequel and introduced software used to transfer Mii data from the original game to the sequel called Tomodachi Collection: New Life Mii Moving Software, which could be downloaded from the Nintendo eShop.[13][14] On April 18, 2013, the game was released in Japan.

Western release

A western release for Tomodachi Collection: New Life was heavily considered during and after the game's release in Japan. Satoru Iwata told The Wall Street Journal on January 29, 2014 that "the company is now working on the right balance of localizing Japan-oriented games just enough so that foreign audiences can enjoy them", hinting directly at an overseas launch for the game.[15][16] Although Nintendo still had not announced the release of Tomodachi Collection: New Life for regions outside Japan at the time, in late March 2014, Nintendo of Europe launched a survey containing multiple screenshots of what appeared to be localized versions of the game in English, French, and Spanish.[17] Screenshots provided in the survey included localized versions of some gameplay, like player and Mii interactions.

On April 10, 2014, Nintendo announced in a Nintendo Direct that Tomodachi Collection: New Life's localization would be releasing as Tomodachi Life in North America and Europe.[18] 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 to unlock a bonus in-game item.[19] The game was bundled with two Nintendo eShop download codes for a 'Welcome version' demo, which could be given to friends.[20] A slightly different demo version was later publicly released for download via the Nintendo eShop, which did not unlock any features in the full game. The next month on June 6, the game was released in both regions.

Former Super Metroid director Yoshio Sakamoto stated "development began when we started thinking about if it was possible to make a DS game which players could not only enjoy inside of the game, but one which could also trigger communication outside of it".[21] Bill Trinen, Senior Director of Product Marketing for Nintendo described the idea of Tomodachi Life's interaction system in an interview with Polygon by using the following scenario: "What if everybody you say [sic] in those funny videos on YouTube were actually people that you knew, and those crazy things that were happening were happening to people that you knew?" Trinen also said that Nintendo is "always looking for ways to create gameplay that appeals to the entire world".[22] One of the most difficult challenges for the game was localization, with minigames such as sumo wrestling being replaced with football in the US. According to Ryutaro Takahashi, director of the project, "the dialogue of the characters for example is not just simple translation from Japanese; we have reviewed it so that it feels more natural." Trinen remarked that the idea behind developing Tomodachi Life was similar to Animal Crossing's development, in which the question "How do you bring those key moments to live in a way that's relevant to the American consumer?'" led the development process.[23]

Promotion

On April 10, 2014, Nintendo released a Tomodachi Life Direct to the official YouTube Channel, featuring the Mii characters of Nintendo's staff, such as Bill Trinen, Reggie Fils-Aimé, and Satoru Iwata, in the style of the game's "Mii News". The Direct goes into detail about Tomodachi Life and the idea of creating Mii characters of anyone.[24]

On the American Tomodachi Life website, certain Miis of famous celebrities were shown that could be added into the game with the QR Code's attached to them, such as Taylor Swift and Shaquille O'Neal, each including their own custom clothing.[25]

Reception

Tomodachi Life holds a rating of 71/100 on review aggregate site Metacritic, (72.36% on GameRankings) indicating "mixed or average reviews".[26][27] IGN gave the game a score of 8.4, calling it "a surprisingly funny and rewarding experience", and The New York Times called Tomodachi Life "comedic".[38][46] Polygon gave Tomodachi Life a 7.5 out of 10, praising its likeability despite certain aspects being repetitive.[44] GamesRadar gave the game 4 out of 5 stars, praising its weird humor and relaxing gameplay, whilst criticising the minigames for being too simple.[35] 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."[37] Similarly, Martin Robinson with Eurogamer noted "Tomodachi Life is a simple, throwaway toy, then - one with plenty of cute tricks, but not quite enough of them to stop you from tossing it aside after a handful of hours."[31]

The game introduced unique mechanics that were noted for its charm and humor, such as a "dream" state that players could enter when an islander was asleep. According to Takahashi, this would have been difficult to implement in the west without the westernization.[21]

Tomodachi Life was a best seller in the Japanese video game market during the week of its release, selling about 404,858 units.[47] By September 2014, its global sales reached 3.12 million units.[48] As of March 31, 2023, Nintendo has sold 6.72 million units of the game worldwide,[49] which made it one of the top 10 best selling games on the 3DS.[50]

Controversy

Following the announcement of a worldwide release, controversy arose concerning the impossibility of same-sex relationships. In May 2013, a rumor emerged that a bug in the original Japanese version of the game that enabled such relationships was patched by Nintendo.[51] This was refuted by Nintendo in a statement made April 2014, explaining that same-sex relationships were never possible, and in fact a different issue was fixed.[52] In reality, fans had been making their Miis appear to be a different gender, which, while a workaround, did not change the Miis' pronouns.[53] Fans were angered by the lack of such relationships, starting campaigns to add in the option.[54]

Despite this, 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",[55] 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 a third game in the series they would "strive to design a gameplay experience from the ground up that is more inclusive, and better represents all players."[56]

Legacy

A stage based on Tomodachi Life appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[57]

WarioWare Gold features a Tomodachi Life themed microgame, as a fast-paced minigame.[58] The microgame, is based on picking a foreign object, like a leaf, off a Mii's face. The items picked off the Mii's face are similar to the actual items that can be found on a Mii. The game's text-to-speech voice is similar to the one used in Tomodachi Life, as well.

Miitomo, a social networking mobile app for iOS and Android devices, was released in March 2016. The app was created by the same core team who developed Tomodachi Life, and features very similar ideas. Miitomo was discontinued on May 9, 2018.[59]

Miitopia, a role-playing video game which similarly uses Miis as in-game characters, was released for the 3DS in Japan in 2016, followed by a worldwide release the next year.[60] In a Nintendo Direct on February 17, 2021, it was announced that an enhanced port of Miitopia was being made for on the Nintendo Switch.[61] This port was later released on May 21, 2021.[62]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ トモダチコレクション 新生活, Tomodachi Korekushon: Shin Seikatsu
  2. ↑ In Japan, the Nintendo 3DS XL is referred to as the Nintendo 3DS LL.

References

  1. ↑ "IR Information : Financial Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Nintendo 3DS Software".
  2. ↑ "Tomodachi Life Personality Guide: Dreaming Up Life Aplenty". BagoGames. June 8, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Your Island - Tomodachi Life Wiki Guide". IGN. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ Henry Gilbert (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life review". gamesradar. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  5. ↑ Otero, Jose (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life Review". IGN. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  6. ↑ How to Share Miis - Tomodachi Life Wiki Guide - IGN, retrieved April 4, 2022
  7. ↑ "Tomodachi Life - Item FAQ - 3DS - By Sopheroo - GameFAQs". gamefaqs.gamespot.com. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  8. ↑ ssf1991 (May 16, 2016). "The Final Special Import Item In Tomodachi Life Has Been Released Via SpotPass". My Nintendo News. Retrieved May 12, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ "Tomodachi Life 3DS Electronics Manual" (PDF). nintendo.com. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Nintendo 3DS Image Share service". Nintendo of Europe GmbH. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  11. ↑ Lawler, Richard (March 12, 2013). "Nintendo announces 'mint white' 3DS XL, Tomodachi Collection bundle for Japan". Engadget. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  12. ↑ Madden, Orla (March 12, 2013). "Nintendo Announces Mint White 3DS XL For Japan". Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  13. ↑ "トモダチコレクション 新生活 Mii引越しソフト - ニンテンドー3DS - 任天堂" [Tomodachi Collection: New Life Mii Moving Software - Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo]. 任天堂ホームページ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  14. ↑ Madden, Orla (April 4, 2013). "Tomodachi Collection: New Life Detailed in Latest Nintendo Direct". Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  15. ↑ Negishi, Mayumi (January 29, 2014). "Nintendo Walks Fine Line Between Change and Identity". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on May 13, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Tomodachi Collection: New Life seeing localization?". Nintendo Everything. January 31, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  17. ↑ Hiller, Brenna (March 27, 2014). "Tomodachi Collection survey suggests Nintendo title may be coming west". VG247. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Tomodachi Life release date announced for Europe and North America". VG247. April 10, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  19. ↑ Meli, Jowi (May 19, 2014). "Club Nintendo Distributing Tomodachi Life Demo Codes to Select Platinum Members". Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  20. ↑ MacDonald, Keza (May 21, 2014). "Tomodachi Life Comes With 2 Free Demos to Give to Friends". Kotaku UK. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  21. 1 2 "Preview: Tomodachi Life: Can Nintendo's maddest game make waves in the west?". Computer and Video Games. April 13, 2014. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  22. ↑ Otero, Jose (April 10, 2014). "Tomodachi Life Could Be Nintendo's Next Animal Crossing". IGN. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  23. ↑ Tach, Dave (April 10, 2014). "Tomodachi Life hits 3DS June 6, combining universal gameplay with Western hooks". Polygon. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  24. ↑ Tomodachi Life Direct 4.10.14, retrieved April 4, 2022
  25. ↑ PureNintendo (June 23, 2014). "Nintendo Offers Celebrity Miis for Tomodachi Life". Pure Nintendo. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  26. 1 2 "Tomodachi Life for 3DS". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  27. 1 2 "Tomodachi Life for 3DS Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  28. ↑ Darren Nakamura (June 6, 2014). "Review: Tomodachi Life". Destructoid. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Tomodachi Life review". Edge Online. June 6, 2020. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  30. ↑ Eric L. Patterson (June 6, 2014). "EGM Review: Tomodachi Life". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Archived from the original on June 8, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  31. 1 2 Martin Robinson (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life review A life less ordinary". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  32. ↑ Jeff Cork (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life Little Nintendo People". Game Informer. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  33. ↑ DANIEL BISCHOFF (June 7, 2014). "Tomodachi Life Review". Game Revolution. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  34. ↑ Mark Walton (June 6, 2020). "Tomodachi Life Review". GameSpot. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  35. 1 2 Gilbert, Herbert (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life review". GamesRadar. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Tomodachi Life". GamesTM. No. 149. Future Publishing. June 2014. p. 121.
  37. 1 2 Moore, Ben (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life - Review". GameTrailers. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  38. 1 2 Otero, Jose (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life Review". IGN. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  39. ↑ Danny Cowan (June 6, 2020). "Tomodachi Life review: The surreal world". Joystiq. Archived from the original on June 8, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  40. ↑ Damien McFerran (June 5, 2014). "Tomodachi Life Review (3DS)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  41. ↑ Zachary Miller (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  42. ↑ "Tomodachi Life". Official Nintendo Magazine. No. 110. Future Publishing. August 2014. p. 68.
  43. ↑ Peter Willington (June 6, 2020). "Tomodachi Life". Pocket Gamer. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  44. 1 2 McElroy, Griffin (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life review: semi charmed". Polygon. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  45. ↑ Jeremy Parish (June 6, 2014). "Tomodachi Life 3DS Review: Conversation Piece". USgamer. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  46. ↑ "Reviews: Tomodachi Life; Divinity: Original Sin; Shovel Knight; and Civilization: Revolution 2". The New York Times. July 15, 2014. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  47. ↑ "This Week in Sales: Tomodachi Collection Sees Big Launch Sales". Siliconera. April 24, 2013. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  48. ↑ "Supplementary Information about Earnings Release" (PDF). Nintendo. October 30, 2014. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
  49. ↑ "Top Selling Title Sales Units - Nintendo 3DS Software". Nintendo. June 1, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  50. ↑ "IR Information : Financial Data - Top Selling Title Sales Units - Nintendo 3DS Software". Nintendo Co., Ltd. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  51. ↑ Ashcraft, Brian (May 8, 2013). "Rumor: Bug Makes Gay Marriage Possible in Nintendo Game". Kotaku. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  52. ↑ Parfitt, Ben (April 10, 2014). "VIDEO: Nintendo to give Tomodachi Life a shot in the West". MCV. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  53. ↑ Starr, Michelle. "How to have same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life". CNET. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  54. ↑ "Nintendo resists #Miiquality campaign to let Tomodachi Life gamers play gay". Associated Press. May 7, 2014.
  55. ↑ lang, Derrik (May 7, 2014). "Nintendo Says No to Virtual Equality in Life Game". Abcnews.go.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 12, 2014. Retrieved May 21, 2014.
  56. ↑ "We are committed to fun and entertainment for everyone - Nintendo Official Site". Nintendo.com. May 9, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
  57. ↑ "Tomodachi Collection: New Life stage". IGN. March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  58. ↑ "WarioWare Gold's Nintendo-Themed Microgames Steal The Show". Siliconera. August 21, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  59. ↑ Byford, Sam (January 24, 2018). "Nintendo is shutting down Miitomo". The Verge. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
  60. ↑ Otero, Jose (March 31, 2016). "5 Things We Learned About Miitomo and Nintendo's Digital Future". IGN. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  61. ↑ LeBlanc, Wesley (February 17, 2021). "Miitopia Announced for Nintendo Switch". IGN. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  62. ↑ "Miitopia™ for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo". www.nintendo.com. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
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