Pokemon Pokopia is another fantastic example of how spin-offs are the best of the Pokemon universe. Interacting with Pokemon, building habitats and letting your creativity run wild are all balanced across an impressively expansive series of biomes. Pokopia Bubbly Basin is part 1 of the expansion pack content and launches today, August 5th. Players can access a freeflow 3D building system via new buoyancy blocks (and the help of new underwater Pokemon to befriend!), new food items and more.
Pokopia surprised us on release with how universally appealing it was, even for our incredibly mature and sensible writer James (no affiliation to the Team Rocket one, we promise):
“The entire package has a very all-ages appeal to it (not in the dirty joke in a children’s film way, more in the “somebody brought my child a LEGO set, why am I enjoying building it as much as they are?”).” The depth of repairing or repurposing all the broken and empty spaces in the Pokemon post-apocalypse lends itself to players with the drive to fix everything, to realise a vision, regardless of age.
Even in the base game there were multiple biomes to explore and design with distinct sets of furniture, luring unique Pokemon for each area. The contents of Expansion Pack 1 — Bubbly Basin includes a new biome that makes use of some new water-type friends and their new Ditto ability: Dive.
Free Update for all Pokemon Pokopia Players Alongside Paid DLC
It’s worth noting that a portion of the new content is actually a free update for all current players, and will not require you to purchase Expansion Pack 1. The free content includes:
- An encounter with Mythical Pokemon Manaphy
- The new Ditto ability Dive, which allows you to build and forage underwater in currently existing biomes
This free update promises to make repairing the hull of the S.S. Anne a little easier, as well as help those of us who wanted to build oil rigs, quays or whole new islands.
Bubby Basin Paid Expansion Content
Nintendo announced last week that Bubbly Basin was the first of 3 parts to the Expansion Pack, and launches today. For the other parts we have to wait until later in the year (for part 2) and into next year (for part 3).
If you have Expansion Pack 1 you will also get access to Bubbly Basin in addition to the free update. The new Dive ability is key to accessing this expansion, as the brand new biome is an underwater paradise! Clean up the area, meet new underwater Pokemon and create architecture or technology with a whole new vibe compared to previous biomes.
Bubbly Basin also expands underwater building with a new block type: Buoyancy blocks. These can be set to float at specific depths, making it possible to build detached, suspended 3D structures. I can already imagine players far more creative than I taking full advantage of this new mechanic to create absolute masterpieces.
Other content includes
- An upgrade for the Ditto ability Surf
- A Sharpedo submarine to use as an interior design space underwater
- New food — Watermelon! You’ll need a water Pokemon to help
- New infrastructure with bubble machines
- New Pokemon and habitats
- New furniture to craft, find and trade for
A simple game that taps into boundless joy
Explaining to someone why Pokopia hits the way it does can feel like a fool’s errand, but it’s not hard to see that a whole new biome, new Pokemon and exciting new Ditto abilities all add up to some very happy Pokopia players! Remember, the free update content is available for everyone while the Bubbly Basin biome and associated upgrades and Pokemon are part of the expansion pack. Keep your eye on our news feed here to be sure you know when the next part of expansion pack content drops later this year!
Now I’m off to build myself a habitat: A sofa, a Nintendo Switch 2 and a copy of Pokopia.
