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Welcome to another purchase reflection, where I walk you through my personal thought process when deciding whether to buy a game or not. Today’s subject is Pokopia, a survival crafting spin-off set in the Pokémon universe.
I’m just like you, a Nintendo Switch gamer who isn’t partnered with Nintendo and has to rely on the same information you do when making purchases. So, as usual, I go by game trailers, available demos, first impressions from big media outlets, and of course, the pricing. Or will I?
This time I’m shaking things a bit and I’ll be providing actual numbers so you can see exactly why I’m skipping Pokopia for now:
Purchasing Score
| Category | Weight | Score | Weighted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 35% | 4/10 | 14.0% |
| Game Key Card | 25% | 2/10 | 5.0% |
| Reviews | 15% | 9/10 | 13.5% |
| Game Scope | 15% | 8/10 | 12.0% |
| Demo Availability | 10% | 0/10 | 0.0% |
| Total | 44.5% |
Pokopia is Way Too Expensive—4/10
Pokopia’s base price here in Europe is €79.99, which means I will never see it at a price I’m comfortable with, even with a discount at physical stores. I know I can find it cheaper used, but even then I’d likely end up paying more than €60—and that is a price I just can’t bring myself to pay right now.
And then there’s the DLC, which costs an additional €30 on top of that. Pokémon DLC has historically been a justified purchase for me, but after the disappointing Mega Dimension DLC for Legends Z-A, I don’t trust the team to pack in enough value to justify that ridiculous extra cost.
Pokémon is not even a mainline Pokémon game, and it’s getting full AAA treatment. There is no reason this shouldn’t have been a €60 Pokémon spin-off. But given how many units it’s sold, I guess I’m the one who’s wrong here.
Pokopia is a Game Key Card—2/10
Pokopia is a Game Key Card, meaning not all the game is included on the cartridge—and as usual, that is a huge deal breaker for me. I’m more open to the idea than I used to be, since you still get some physical value with the box and the cartridge itself, but not having the full game inside still feels off.
Game Key Cards exist to cut down costs, since the alternative at Pokopia’s launch was either this format or the most expensive, 64 GB cartridge. Price-wise, I understand why publishers would go for the Game Key Card.
But then they turned around and made Pokopia the most expensive Pokémon game ever released. In my opinion, if you’re going for the Game Key card, you should expect us to pay premium price.
The Gameplay of Pokopia—8/10
Pokopia’s gameplay is a double-edged sword for me, and honestly, it’s difficult to weigh correctly. This is a survival crafting game, and looking back at my track record with the genre, it’s not looking great.
In Pokopia, you can leisurely explore, make new Pokémon friends, and build your perfect post-apocalyptic Pokémon world. That sounds genuinely fun—and that’s exactly what scares me. I know myself well enough to know I’ll sink hundreds of hours into an ambitious project I’ll never actually finish.
The last time something like this happened was in Animal Crossing, where I decided I wanted to build a giant wall around my entire island. I succeeded in building it, but I never completed the vision I had in mind, and eventually I dropped the game after 140 hours.
Now, I don’t have to play it that way. I could just work through the missions, see the credits roll, and call it done. But that is not how I play survival crafting games. If I ever get my hands on Pokopia, I will let my creativity run completely loose and try to build my own Pokémon region.
Pokopia Reviews—9/10
If I made purchase decisions based on reviews alone, I’d have sunk at least 100 hours into Pokopia by now. As of writing this, it is the highest-rated Pokémon game of all time.
Here’s what the critics are saying:
Nintendo Life — 8/10 Pros: Moreish cosy gameplay loop / Absolutely bursting with content, collectibles, and items / Crafting and building is easy / Feels fresh for Pokémon, overflowing with charm and character / Looks and runs well on Switch 2 Cons: Waiting around for certain buildings and materials slows progress / Easy to lose track of items and materials in storage / Rock Smash is a little finicky to aim
GameSpot — 9/10 The Good: Flexible world is bursting with secrets to explore and Pokémon to befriend / Writing is frequently warm-hearted and funny / Building habitats is a great way to recontextualize “catching” Pokémon The Bad: Some more complex Pokémon don’t look great in this art style
Siliconera — 10/10 “It’s so easy to spend hours building things up so they’re more comfortable for us and our new friends. Pokémon Pokopia is a lovely spin-off and one of the best games on the Switch 2.”
Is There a Demo for Pokopia? — 0/10
There is no demo available for Pokopia, which unfortunately means I have to give this section a 0/10. I genuinely don’t understand why one wasn’t released on the eShop.
My last Switch 2 purchase was The Adventures of Elliot—a game I had decided I would buy based on the demo released the previous year. But as the release date got closer, I had completely discarded the is game off my “To buy” list.
Then I played the demo again. And I immediately remembered why I had to own it. The gameplay was so polished and addictive that I almost didn’t care it was a Game Key Card.
So, to conclude: dear publishers and developers, please release demos for your games. Thank you.
Should You Buy Pokopia?
If you love survival crafting games, have the patience for open-ended creativity, and aren’t bothered by the Game Key Card format, Pokopia is probably one of the best games you can buy right now. And looking at the reviews, it’s a difficult game to pass. Even more so if you’re a Pokémon fan eager to build your own region like me.
But that pricing combined with the fact that it’s a Game Key Card, it’s something I cannot get behind right now. Maybe once I see it at a decent price I’ll buy it, but it has to be a super-low price since I know I’ll have the 30-dollar DLC waiting for me.
For all of these reasons, I am skipping Pokopia—for now.
Thanks for reading, and I’ll be seeing you again next time, with brand new content!
What’s your score?
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