(Image courtesy of Nintendo of America. “‘Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’ lets players watch an island of characters go through a life of strange happenings.”)

Rosalie Pineda
Connector Contributor

With the highly anticipated sequel to “Tomodachi Life” set to release on April 16 this year, nobody expected a free demo to drop on the Nintendo E-shop. Since the Welcome Version of “Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream” was made available for download on March 25, the internet has been abuzz with hilarious screenshots and growing excitement for the full release.

When starting the demo, the game jumps players right into it. Players are given a small island to look around with the camera, which in itself is a neat upgrade from the first game. Fans of the original game will recall how limited the camera movement was; there was no free movement nor rotation of the camera at all. Now, in this new game, just being able to get a full 360-degree view of a Mii’s room enhances the liveliness of the world.

The demo lets players make their very first Mii within minutes. This is where the fun really starts. Almost every part of the Mii is customizable; there’s a greater diversity of eyes, noses, hairstyles, and colors. Face paint offers an even wider variety of designs for Miis, and although the interface can be overwhelming at a glance, this feature has been especially embraced online. Some players have spent at least an hour designing their perfect Miis, leading to some genuinely impressive recreations of everything from fictional characters to something as abstract as popcorn. There’s even an option to upload real images from the Switch onto the Mii’s face. It’s absurd and wonderful.

Every Mii’s gender and dating preferences can be toggled as well. Notably, a nonbinary option has been added, and Miis can fall in love with the same gender (a highly requested feature from fans of the first game). It’s even possible to customize their clothing preferences for scripted events like weddings. Voices and personality types can also be customized, although for some reason, players are no longer able to choose a Mii’s favorite color.

Another appreciated feature is the option to specify which Miis are related to each other. One unpopular aspect about the first “Tomodachi Life” was the inability to indicate which Miis were related to each other in real life, which would lead to embarrassing situations when these Miis would develop romantic feelings for each other. Thankfully, in the new game, romantic interactions are barred for related Miis.

Players can also make up to three Miis in the demo. Having three Miis on the island provides a pretty good preview of what they can do; not only do they have funny interactions with each other, but they can also be fed, petted, and carried around the island. They can be gifted things like a soccer ball, expressions, and little quirks, which gives every Mii even more personality.

In a recent FAQ, it was confirmed that the number of Miis available to register would be 70. This is a significant decrease from the first game, which allowed 100 Miis to be registered. The reason for the change is unknown, but it is a bit disappointing, especially for players who had planned to make over 70 Miis.

Also, unlike its predecessor, “Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream” has no online sharing features. In the first “Tomodachi Life” game, sharing Mii designs and screenshots online was a popular way for players

to connect with each other. While this is certainly a bummer, one stand-out feature from the demo could explain why this change was made: there is an absolute lack of filter.

It’s common for many Nintendo games to restrict players from typing certain words or phrases that could be offensive, including curse words. This restriction applied to the original “Tomodachi Life” as well. The sequel, however, surprised everyone by completely getting rid of that filter. Dialogue options are more customizable, and this has led to a hilarious amount of screenshots where Miis express themselves in ways they never could have otherwise.

Perhaps the developers thought, “If they’re going to work around the censors anyway, why restrict them at all?” After all, it isn’t quite “living the dream” for some people if they can’t use certain words, which is why this freedom should hopefully extend to the retail version of the game.

It’s exciting to think about what could happen down the line in this digital age. When “Tomodachi Life” came out 13 years ago, the Nintendo 3DS was all the hype. A new generation of kids and adults alike are getting the chance to try out this game, and the creative opportunities presented to them are limitless.

Impressions are clear: this feels like just the beginning for the full game’s financial success.

Grade: A