The Pokémon Company has released an extended trailer for its upcoming life simulator game, Pokémon Pokopia. The game will launch on March 5, 2025, and features a unique concept where the shapeshifting Pokémon, Ditto, serves as the playable protagonist. Players take on the role of Ditto, who is transformed to look like a human (albeit with “dead-eyed dots for eyes”), as it attempts to build a home and restore a strange, barren land previously inhabited by both humans and Pokémon. The game shares notable similarities with Nintendo’s Animal Crossing franchise.
Gameplay and Features
The gameplay focuses on building and restoration. Ditto meets the hermit Professor Tangrowth and works to build the town of its dreams by creating various habitats tailored for specific Pokémon types. Successfully building these habitats will attract other Pokémon to come and live in the town. To accomplish its goals, Ditto must learn moves from other Pokémon (like Surf and Glide) to perform tasks such as watering plants and traversing the environment. It can also gather materials to craft items and customize its human-like appearance with different hairstyles and outfits. Players can enjoy the experience in four-player multiplayer and assist other Pokémon with their personal housing requests.
New Peculiar Pokémon Forms
The trailer also confirmed the existence of four new variants of existing Pokémon, dubbed “Peculiar Pokémon.” Similar to the franchise’s region-specific forms, these creatures offer fresh takes on classic favorites:
- Peakychu: A pale, fatigued-looking Pikachu with noticeably drooping ears.
- Mosslax: A Snorlax that appears to have slept for so long that moss has begun growing all over its body.
- Smearguru: A vibrantly colorful Smeargle whose painting habits seem to have intensified.
