Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream

Are you ready for a very silly game? Well, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is here and it's one of the funniest cozy games you'll ever play.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a delight, with superb character customization and plenty of charming humor. Its hands-off nature won’t be for everyone, and the lack of a dedicated Nintendo Switch 2 version is a missed opportunity, but there’s still no other game that offers its special brand of unapologetic weirdness.

While Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream offers a lot of the same fun and quirkiness as its predecessor, its commitment to player creativity also sacrifices a lot of what made the 3DS game great.

Mii characters have a lot of things to talk about, and I noticed that, despite having played the game for a couple of weeks now, I have seen very few repeated dialogue situations. It's been a lot of fun getting invested in their little lives, and I can see myself coming back to the game for a long time. I'm sure that for people with more decorating skills than I have, there would be even more to enjoy as they craft unique and beautiful worlds. Overall, I think that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is absolutely worth the wait and deserving of the hype.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is the long-awaited sequel to the popular 3DS game, expanding on the setting and gameplay but keeping all the weird humour. This time set on an island, with the player taking the place of an all-powerful deity. Much like the stories of the Greek Pantheon, you can sculpt your own world and fill it will splendours, but you have very little control over that pesky little animal called man.

Tomodachi Life became a cult classic way back in 2014 when the second game was released on the Nintendo 3DS. Since then, fans have been waiting for a new and improved adventure. Well, Living the Dream manages to deliver, bringing shiny new upgrades that build upon the original in every way.

Nintendo has two sides -- there's the company that makes broadly appealing, polished entertainment like Mario and Zelda, and then there's that weird side that makes stuff like Tomodachi Life. While the last Tomodachi Life was a surprising success, moving nearly 7 million units on the 3DS, not many expected a follow-up to the Mii-focused life sim, as it kind of felt like the series’ time had come and gone. There's no keeping the weird side of Nintendo tamped down, though, and so, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, a game in development in one form or another for nine years, drops this week.

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a weird but strangely addictive title that continues to surprise each time you dip in. The level of customisation helps create a truly unique experience, where the Miis, clothing, and more are shaped entirely by your choices, letting you fine-tune every detail to reflect your own quirky vision. This leads to an array of wacky stories and situations that keep you coming back for more. Although there’s a lack of traditional gameplay and not much to keep you playing for longer than short bursts, it’s a successful evolution of its predecessor and a relaxing, cos...

Tomodachi Life was a 3DS game from way back in 2013, and to be frank, the only reason I remember it is because it, accidentally or otherwise, labelled homosexuality as a “bug” rather than a feature. Nintendo, of course, has since apologised for that mistake and has followed through on its pledge to fix that in future releases (ie this one).

Easily the game with the highest meme potential of 2026, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s combination of zany (if repetitive) writing and player input makes for a memorable time. The open-ended play is balanced with a steady flow of bite-sized activities for structure, and while the game could have used a bit more substance, it’s surprisingly addictive nonetheless.

The 3DS release of the charming Tomodachi Life exceeded my expectations. The Nintendo-developed product provided a fun sandbox life-sim experience where things often ended up at their silliest and strangest possible outcomes. It felt like a fun one-off experiment for Nintendo, but I always held out hope for a new entry. Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream revives the franchise, and though the technology is vastly improved and it doubles down on the weirdness, Nintendo strips any meaningful socia...

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is one of the weirdest and most absolutely endearing games I have ever played. One part social simulator and one part endorphin-blasting island builder, it feels like there’s a nigh endless amount of laughs to craft and satisfying stuff to do. I just wish it were easier to share your creations and island with friends, as that’s been made bizarrely difficult.