Miitopia wasn’t a game that people expected to shine when it came out during its time. The graphics at the time look decent, sure, but overall it looks cartoony and something that you just play for a bit before going to other games. However, the game succeeded instead, becoming a sensation not only in Japan but the whole world.
Thus, Nintendo decided to remaster the game for the Switch, which is something that we’ll talk about today in this preview.
What is Miitopia?
Miitopia, as already stated, was something of a surprise hit for Nintendo. The video game is more or less an RPG parody that they released for the 3DS back in December 2016 for Japan. After seeing its surprising popularity there, they decided to do a worldwide release the year after in July with the same results. It’ll take four years after the worldwide release before Nintendo decided to make a remaster of the game, this time with the developer Grezzo leading the way.
Miitopia Switch Preview
As stated, Miitopia came out on the Nintendo Switch on May 21. Thus, we’ll just show what players can expect in the game when it’s eventually released for the platform.
Gameplay and Controls
If you’ve already played several RPGs that came out of Japan, then Miitopia is already a dead ringer that has some additional elements from life simulation games. The RPG part of the game is of course, from the things that are typical of any role-playing game. Players choose a class to start their journey, go on adventures, et cetera. However, unlike a few RPGs out today that fixed a player’s class, Miitopia instead allows players to change classes as the game progresses.
In terms of game controls, the game is played similarly to other RPGs in the market. However, the one that’s most similar to Miitopia is Pokémon’s combat system of turn-based battles. Player Miis take turns to attack the enemy while the enemy attacks them. The speed that a Mii has, will, of course, dictate what order they do their actions and vice versa. It’s a simple system, yes, but it’s a working one, and the added feedback from the 3DS touchpad made for a great experience controls-wise.
In addition to this, combat in Miitopia can be made easier if all of the party members have good relationships with each other. This is because having a good relationship between Miis can affect their interactions outside and inside of combat. They might assist in attacks more, help in the house, and even go on dates. For those that have good memories, this system is reminiscent of Tomodachi Life, which has a similar mechanic.
Graphics
In terms of graphics, the remaster of Miitopia on the Switch is improved compared to its older version. There’s more clarity to the colors now, though it still has its signature Miitopia vibe. There’s not much change here other than quality improvements so let’s just move on.
Sound Design and OST
Right, full stop, the sound design and soundtrack of Miitopia have no right to be as good as it is. It’s solid, and incredibly catchy, with a lot of rhythm to it that gets your head to bob to the beat while you’re doing your stuff. You can tell that there’s a lot of thought put into the soundtrack by the composers and the developers. It also helps that the game’s soundtrack enhances its whimsical nature.
As for how good the soundtrack is? Well, it can range from the usual orchestra that typical RPGs have, to pumping guitars on battles. There’s a lot of variety on the OST of Miitopia. One time you’re vibing at the character creation screen for a new character, listening to the chimes and the pops of the music beat. The next thing you know, you’re being threatened by an ominous appearance of the Dark Lord, accompanied by an ominous orchestra and some gratuitous Latin.
The game’s music is all over the place, and we love it for it. There are also times when you’re just relaxing with your characters just eating food or cooking. Overall, the game’s music reflects the situation that the player is in and it’s so good to hear and see.
Other than that though, there seem to be no additions to the game’s soundtrack. However, the devs might Add in some new tunes to the game when it’s released on the Switch, so we’ll see.
Story and Plot
Miitopia begins pretty much as standard. The player’s Mii arrives in Greenhorne Town which, surprise, surprise, gets attacked by the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord, being very evil, proceeds to steal the faces of the town’s Miis as well as control various creatures. Once he controls them, these creatures will then go berserk and proceed to rampage, killing many in the process.
It’s here that our intrepid story begins. After the player is done with the character creation, they are then tasked to go on a journey to fight and defeat the Dark Lord. Along the way, they’ll do the typical RPG staples such as meeting more people, getting more companions, fighting enemies, doing sidequests, and more. They will then reach Greenhorne Castle, only to see the faces of the King and Princess stolen by the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord then does a few monologues about his power and evil plot before going away.
Now, it’s up to the player and their companions to not only defeat the Dark Lord but also to regain everyone’s faces. Yes, you fight a Dark Lord to get their faces back, it’s as whacky as it sounds, but the plot works. There’s a lot of good comedy to it with a bit of dark humor. In addition, a lot of the game’s conversations sound pretty serious and build upon the game’s plot.
Other than this, there are a few plot twists to the game’s story that’s pretty good and adds additional spice to the plot. For example, a prominent plot twist was the reveal of the motivations of the game’s antagonist. With said motivation exploring how the actions of a few can endanger the lives of the many. However, the game does keep it a fairly straightforward story that has some comedic elements added in, which is nice.
Character Creation
The moment that the player begins a game of Miitopia, they need to do the usual RPG trope of creating their own character. This means customizations, adding in accessories, et cetera. Before they can go on, however, they need to choose their Mii’s starting class. However, in addition to a starting class, they will also have a unique personality trait. These personality traits can do multiple things, and with the right combination of classes, can be either devastating or hilarious.
The game’s starter classes range from the usual Warriors and Clerics to wacky ones like Pop Stars and Chefs. Each of these classes has its own interactions with the personality traits that players give their Miis. They might head pat an enemy instead of attacking them, heal teammates for free, or assist in casting spells.
Amiibos
In addition to this, Miitopia also supports the rows upon rows of Amiibo figures that Nintendo has for various games. These Amiibos allow players to make use of unique cosmetics for their Miis that become available when players set them on their consoles. Miitopia can also import Miis as well as their traits from the aforementioned Tomodachi Life, as well as from another person’s game.
There are a few additional things in the game as well. These include the ability to share the Miis you created with other players, pairing various Miis with each other, setting them up on dates, and a cooking system. The pair-up system in particular is hilarious, as you can pair any Mii that you wish in the game. You can opt for cisgender pairings as well as LGBT couplings. Want some guy-to-guy action? You can pair two guy Miis in the game. Lesbian relationships are also possible. The amusing thing is the fact that weird things can happen in these pairings that players won’t expect.
Level Design
Miitopia’s level design can be seen as the logical conclusion of the previous entries in the Final Fantasy Series. They look incredibly good when they were made, and very colorful, showcasing the beautiful world that Miitopia is in. The enemies are evenly spaced between the various areas, allowing players to keep track of their progress. In addition, the areas themselves have a lot of space for players to explore and discover secrets, which is a good thing to have.
Combat
Combat in Miitopia is a bit weird. They only occur on fixed points when players explore an area in the game. When it happens, it’ll follow the typical turn-based RPG combat styles that are common in most RPGs. However, there’s a twist. The job and personality of a Mii dictate what they will do in the event of a battle. Jobs are self-explanatory: warriors wear heavy armor and attack with swords while the rest of the classes follow the usual tropes we’ve come to expect.
However, if the said warrior is an Airhead (yes, that’s an in-game personality trait), they might attack an enemy with high HP instead of the low HP enemy the player wants to attack. Either that or they might frolic with an enemy, which is a weird thing to do in the middle of combat. It does prevent it from attacking though, and they can still assist other Miis that they have a good relationship with.
Comparing Miitopia For The 3DS and Switch
Now that we’ve talked about what the new version of Miitopia looks like on the Switch, let’s talk about the differences between the 3DS and Switch versions.
What Has Improved?
Most of the improvements on Miitopia are on the game’s graphics. However, it seems that there’s going to be additional content such as cosmetics.
What Was Kept The Same?
The Miitopia Switch release has a lot of similarities in comparison to the 3DS version. The gameplay looks the same, as well as some of the enemies and the plot. There might be some additional content that’s going to be added into the game when it comes out on the Switch though. At least, other than the additional Amiibos players can use to get more cool items. But for now, we don’t know if there will be any new content for the game.
Is The Switch Version An Upgrade?
The Nintendo Switch version of Miitopia isn’t much of an upgrade and is more of a port into a new console. However, the remaster does have a few additional perks added in. It introduces to the players a new wig and makeup feature that allows players to have more freedom to trick out and customize their Miis in the game. These include additional options that they say were not available on the Mii Maker, which is exciting news.
For now, though, That’s all the available information for Miitopia’s Nintendo Switch remaster.
Should People Consider Playing This Game?
If you’re looking for a good, nostalgic RPG to enjoy yourself in, and one that doesn’t have the grind that other RPGs do, then yes. Miitopia is a treasure of a game that one should experience at least once before tucking it to a hidden part of their Nintendo Switch. Perhaps next time that they feel like they want to play the game again, they can simply take it out for a spin, and the colorful world of Miitopia will show itself to the player.
