Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass Review (Switch 2)

It's safe to say that since its release, Pokopia has taken over my life to a certain degree. I've explored the skies, made pals with my favourite Pokémon, and even made a certain coastal town a little less bleak. I've even caused chaos and instated town politics with my friend on our own Cloud Island with very little building involved. Even after completing the story and 100+ hours of playtime, I still have plenty to do.

Which is why when the Expansion, including Bubbly Basin, was announced, I felt a wave of overwhelm heading right towards me. Oh dear. Another town, another grind, and another dive into my already drained creative pool. Suffice it to say my apprehension quickly turned into pure joy as I plunged headfirst into Part 1 of Pokopia's DLC.

Starting is incredibly straightforward. Much like the usual in-game events, you'll get a message pop up on screen telling you to head over to Bleak Beach to have a chat with Professor Tangrowth. Turns out an island has just appeared out of nowhere, and seeing as the Professor isn't exactly an Olympic swimmer, it's your job to check it out.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Were we just getting this little island and some way to venture underwater willy-nilly? Well, one thing's for sure, I was not expecting Manaphy sunbathing with a hankering for seaweed.

So I fed my new mythical pal and, in return, was introduced to the DLC's main ability, Dive. I had some concerns that it might take a while before making it to the main chunk of this DLC due to the endless fetch quests I went through in the main story, but thankfully the introduction is pleasantly short. With my new companion Popplio by my side, I was ready to paddle over to my new town.

My nerves and fear of burnout quickly washed away. The architecture of the submerged Cerulean City (my favourite Pokémon town, by the way) felt far less claustrophobic and more vast than any other towns I've been to in the game. Blissfully decorated with a large square, some broken-down buildings, caves, tunnels, and let's not forget the islands above.

When I say that the world is your Cloyster, I'm not joking. I don't know if it's because I'm usually a Water trainer or because I grew up next to the ocean, but as soon as I saw this town, I felt right at home. I could see the possibility of what I would build and felt so free being able to navigate the town as I seamlessly glided through the water. Finally, no more frantically tapping the jump button; it's surfing and diving all the way.

Much like my swimming, everything began to move progressively more quickly as I met more Pokémon, built new habitats, unlocked more requests, and discovered more of the mysteries of the town. Usually I'd be bogged down by the grind; however, Bubbly Basin manages to stay balanced whilst also moving the story forward with very few blockades or traversing back and forth to other towns.

This is where a very specific item comes into play, which thankfully is included in the free 2.0.0 update. With the Portal Pod, you can access your storage from other towns or areas, granted there is a matching pod. Think of it as an Ender Chest from Minecraft. Combining that with a crafting table beside it and you've got an excellent quality-of-life feature. At the moment I only have the two pods available in Bubbly Basin, but I have plans to dot more across the different towns in order to set up my ultimate storage solution.

What truly pulled me in was the extra whimsy. These are simple water physics, like items freely floating, the buoyancy of broken blocks, the ability to simply float whilst building, and the bubble helmet appearing over you when changing into different forms. The whimsy has me in a chokehold and I'm sure that I'm not the only one. Pokopia has an excellent way of feeding your needs regardless if you're an OG Pokémon fan craving nostalgia or a cosy gamer hungry for more materials for another beautiful build.

I'm happy to say I fit into both categories, and although I'm not usually the type of gamer to time-travel or strategise my playthrough for maximum output, I did (for the sake of this review) partake in some temporal manipulation. Even with time-travelling, this DLC is still a good length but not so long that you want to give up entirely. To each their own, but this time I have to admit it's helped me feel less burnt out and more motivated to actually build.

Speaking of buildings, this town introduces new kits, blocks, and items which fit perfectly in the Bubbly Basin and beyond. I personally love the Dewgong Clock Tower I placed in the town square (which chimes every hour) and the ability to have floating houses thanks to Buoyant blocks. Although building is generally easier underwater, I found that broken blocks would often get in the way due to the sheer volume floating around the camera. It's not usually a massive issue if my inventory was full, but not all items have to float. It's basic physics, right?

I also had some curiosity and concerns regarding which Pokémon could live in this town. My assumption was that only aquatic Pokémon could survive here, but after a mini-experiment, I soon discovered that some could reside either above the sea or in some non-submerged caves. I won't spoil the result of my experiments because that's what Pokopia is really all about: discovering new habitats, lore, and what you can build if your imagination is vast enough.

But I suppose the big question is this: Is this worth the money? I've been in two minds with this. Until the other two DLC parts are released ("late 2026" and "2027" respectively), the cost for just one town (for now) and all the extras that come with it does feel very steep. If there was the option to buy Bubbly Basin as a standalone DLC at a lower price point, I would 100% recommend splashing the cash.

Saying that, my time with it so far has filled my cup and made me love Pokopia all over again. Considering I still have so much to do with my other towns and Bubbly Basin, I'm happy for now.