Tomodachi Life, known in Japan as Tomodachi Collection: New Life and South Korea as Friend Gathering Apartment is a life simulation handheld video game for the Nintendo 3DS and the second game in the Tomodachi series, following the Japan-exclusive Nintendo DS title, Tomodachi Collection. It was released in Japan on April 18th, 2013, North America and Europe on June 6th, 2014, Australia on June 7th, 2014, and South Korea on July 17, 2014.
Gameplay
The gameplay is very similar to its predecessor, Tomodachi Collection, as this game also takes place on an island inhabited by various Miis, which the player can import from their 3DS, other devices, or QR Codes, or create from scratch using the 3DS' camera or the in-game creation tools.
Miis can then perform various actions, such as eating, trying on different outfits, visiting various facilities on the island, and doing many leisurely activities. As more Miis are introduced, many strange and curious interactions can occur between Miis, such as friendship, romance, rivalry, and even bizarre musical numbers.
If a male and female Mii get along well enough, they can start to date and even get married, creating their own house to live in together. Married Miis can even have children that will grow up in the house. Once the child gets old enough, it can live in its own apartment or go off as a traveler. Travelers will wait at the dock of the island. If the player StreetPasses with someone who also has Tomodachi Life, the traveler will go to the other person's island to visit.
Locations
The locations in the game are, Mii Apartments, Food Mart, Clothing Shop, Hats Shop, Interior Shop, Pawn Shop, Import Wear, Amusement Park, Beach, Cafe, Observation Tower (Roof of Mii Apartments in the JP and South.K version), Fountain, Park, Mii News, Mii Homes, Campground, Port, Concert Hall, Compatibility Tester, Rankings Board, Photo Studio, and Plane (Western Release only)
Development
After failing to localize Tomodachi Collection, due to voice translation issues, Western audiences still had not gained a proper game in the Tomodachi series. Thus, when Tomodachi Collection: New Life was released in Japan in 2013, people thought that Life would never reach the west. In 2014, however, Nintendo announced a western release of the game as Tomodachi Life.
Reception
Upon its release in the west, social rights activists widely criticized the game for not supporting same-sex marriage in the game, which was considered unorthodox in western civilization. Nintendo apologized for this, and says that the next game will feature same-sex marriage.
On a side note, the game has received mostly positive reviews since its release. IGN gave a positive rating of 8.4, saying how surprisingly funny and rewarding the game is. Upon launch in Japan, the game sold 404,858 units on the first day of release.
Tomodachi Life is the ninth best selling game for the 3DS, selling over 5.7 million copies worldwide.
Release Dates
Japan April 18, 2013, US June 6, 2014, Europe June 6, 2014, AU June 7, 2014, and South Korea July 17, 2014
