Review for Miitopia. Nintendo 3DS game, the video game was released on 08/12/2016
When he came out Tomodachi Life, the Western public was blown away by the peculiarity and strangeness of the typically Japanese humor present there. The players had in their hands a "non-game", a simple life simulator in which decisions were reduced to a minimum; more than anything else we ended up looking amused at the s between the various characters and the sketches that derived from them.
Strong of the unexpected success received, Nintendo has decided to continue on this trend by equipping our Mii with swashbuckling and involving them in a theater that tells the deeds of good against the forces of evil. What to expect from Miitopia? Certainly not the depth of a real RPG, but rather a nice hybrid that doesn't take itself too seriously.
Faces wanted
From the beginning of our journey we will realize how funny and light-hearted the tones of the story are. After choosing the protagonist Mii, we will find ourselves in the joyful and cheerful kingdom of Miitopia, where everything is in peace and harmony, and where every single character is played by a Mii of our choice, whether it is inside the console or who be scanned via QR Code from one of the many sites that own famous Mii's.
Peace is not meant to last long, as the Duke of Evil enters the scene by stealing the faces of the Miis in the village, to then attach them to various animals and creatures that transform themselves in this way into terrifying monsters. Not only does he have a rather high-sounding name, but the Duke does not seem to have any rivals: only the one chosen by the deities is able to oppose him. Of course, our protagonist is the chosen one, as well as the leader of a party of 4 characters who will adopt a class among the 6 initially available.
Companions without control
Miitopia is an RPG, this is undeniable. Its fantasy setting and turn-based combat, in their most classic style, shout "RPG" from everywhere, including swords, spells, items and so on. However what we love about the classics of the past ends there, as we will immediately realize that the title we have on our hands is actually a Tomodachi Life with a splash of RPG. During the story, in fact, we will move on a map with "objectives" similar to that of platformers like Super Mario Bros. 3 or the latest New Super Mario Bros., thus losing the taste for exploration and limiting ourselves to choosing our destination. Even once our destination has been decided, we will only be spectators of a walk among the four companions (full of conversations and gags on the verge of dementia) who, once the fighting on the road is finished, will come to the tavern to rest and buy new equipment, feed characters to increase their stats, and mate them in bedrooms that will increase their , useful for getting various bonuses in battle.
The battle itself continues this "passive" attitude that we will maintain for the duration of the title, given that we will have control exclusively on the main character, while the others will act independently based on the class and character of the Mii. It is therefore clear that, even if the title sprays craziness and fun from every pixel and gives us that minimum of story and role-playing gameplay, on balance it offers a rather fleeting entertainment, good for quick "hit and run" sessions during which we can distract ourselves without any problem and deal with other commitments.
Mii in treddì
Being Miitopia based on Mii, and therefore presenting itself completely similar in design to the various minigames present in the Mii Square, it is quite complicated to evaluate the technical field. Everything is extremely colorful and well done, but in a completely minimal environment, in which particular polygonal models are not necessary due to very bare settings, nor textures of any kind.
Against, the audio sector is appreciable and very well thought out, thanks to catchy tracks that perfectly accompany not only moments of battle but also those with the funny gags of which Miitopia makes himself sovereign. Too bad for the longevity and the difficulty, which stand at rather low values.
Miitopia is not an RPG to be recommended to everyone. Nintendo 3DS is packed to the core with extremely good RPGs, if not masterpieces from this generation, such as Bravely Default and the sequel Bravely Second. Miitopia is instead a minimal version of an RPG, from short sessions, which does not require attention or particular commitment, but which is strengthened by an irresistible humor.
► Miitopia is an RPG-type game developed and published by Nintendo for Nintendo 3DS, the video game was released on 08/12/2016
