Tomodachi Life

 3DS
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 258 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 172 out of 258
  2. Mixed: 64 out of 258
  3. Negative: 22 out of 258
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  1. GoombaJMR
    Jul 5, 2015
    7
    I found Tomodachi Life to be a pleasant, albeit repetitive experience as I put my 20 hours into this game. The game starts off slowly, but quickly picks up momentum. It’s not really a game meant to be played for long periods of time, so don’t expect to be able to play it for two days and complete + access all the materials and events. The customisation for apartments is very detailed, andI found Tomodachi Life to be a pleasant, albeit repetitive experience as I put my 20 hours into this game. The game starts off slowly, but quickly picks up momentum. It’s not really a game meant to be played for long periods of time, so don’t expect to be able to play it for two days and complete + access all the materials and events. The customisation for apartments is very detailed, and what you can do with your citizens are quite fun. While it becomes slightly mediocre and boring after the 10-15 hour mark, it still serves a good 10-30 minute dose of play when you have literally nothing else to do. The music is alright, though nothing special comes out - and the implementation of the robot voice leaves me with no opinion. If you need a life-sim game such as animal crossing, but with your precious miss, then take the time to get this game! If not, well then… it’s up to you!

    Gameplay: 8/10
    Story: N/A/10
    Music: 6/10
    Presentation: 8/10
    Length: 7.5/10
    Overall: 7.5/10    … Expand
  2. Evit
    Dec 25, 2014
    5
    There's not a whole lot to do in this game. Half the time everyone is asleep or just standing around. Occasionally the characters will ask you to play a game or ask you to buy them something. That's pretty much it. I came in expecting the Miis to interact more and for things to actually happen. Nothing happens.
  3. SaltyNoodles
    Apr 4, 2016
    7
    A very fun game but it absolutely has it's problems. It's got tons of weird, strange features and experiences that will really take you off guard and make you laugh.... the first time you see them. It has a lot of these, so it takes time to have really seen them all, but after a while they really get sorta tiresome. I've also never really seen a game that's had such an annoying way ofA very fun game but it absolutely has it's problems. It's got tons of weird, strange features and experiences that will really take you off guard and make you laugh.... the first time you see them. It has a lot of these, so it takes time to have really seen them all, but after a while they really get sorta tiresome. I've also never really seen a game that's had such an annoying way of giving bonuses after leveling up that I've specifically went out of my way to not level up as much as I can. At first it seems like a good idea- you get to pick a bonus item to have when you level up! However, as soon as you run out of the bonus interiors and music and you've given your character 8 items, you can choose between clothes, hats, and replacing one of your 8 items with a different item. Which either means I have to give up one of my already chosen items, or I have to accept a piece of clothing and then go back to the clothing menu to get back the outfit I was already wearing, which once you've collected enough clothes, can be a fairly annoying task. However, a lot of the clothes are fairly cute, so it can be nice to get a large collection, even if it makes changing outfits a much bigger task.
    It also has a very similar sense of time as Animal Crossing, in the sense that it uses your clock to figure out when real day and night are, and the Miis will act accordingly, making the game quite boring to play at night unless you've made so many Miis that you've managed to make a few of them night owls.
    There are also some issues such as that they purposely made it so that gay relationships aren't allowed (although you could do what I did and just list some of your female character as male and some of your male characters as female), or how random cultural items are thrown in there in a way that doesn't have much context and feels a lot like cultural appropriation.
    Overall, I would be lying if I said the game wasn't fun, but it has big enough problems to take note of, and after a while, gets kinda stale and repetitive.    … Expand
  4. Mega_Panda
    Aug 15, 2014
    6
    Tomodachi Life is a life sim. you can put your MII's in the game and give them food, cloths and songs they can preform. you might think to put your friends in the game but don't i made the mistake and now my one friend fell in love with someone he dosent know in real life. but after 10 days Tomodachi life gets really boring and that really holds this game back. Tomodachi Life gets a 6/10
  5. DCMetatron52
    May 3, 2015
    7
    You will have a blast the first week or so that you play this. Once you spend enough time on it and earn all of the buildings, it can start to feel boring. Even though there are tons of things to do, each thing doesn't hold its own to complete an experience. That may just be me though. That being said, it's really cool to go to all of the shops and see the clothes/food of the day andYou will have a blast the first week or so that you play this. Once you spend enough time on it and earn all of the buildings, it can start to feel boring. Even though there are tons of things to do, each thing doesn't hold its own to complete an experience. That may just be me though. That being said, it's really cool to go to all of the shops and see the clothes/food of the day and buy stuff for your people. I would give it an 8 because I think this game may just not be for me, but it is my review so I'm giving it a 7.… Expand
  6. XV_
    Mar 8, 2020
    6
    I didn't mind this game that much until I found out that it has some value and I was lucky enough to get a cheap copy of it.

    My only "sim" experience before Tomodachi Life was Animal Crossing and I don't think they're that similar, so this review is for an amateur simulator player. The premise is simple, you create or download miis and have them in a building, they can interact with    I didn't mind this game that much until I found out that it has some value and I was lucky enough to get a cheap copy of it.

    My only "sim" experience before Tomodachi Life was Animal Crossing and I don't think they're that similar, so this review is for an amateur simulator player. The premise is simple, you create or download miis and have them in a building, they can interact with another miis if you're lucky, feed them, give them items and different apartment skins and that's pretty much it. Occasionally, they'll fall in love and in some cases, they get married, which I assume is the main goal of the game.

    At first, it was fun, I enjoyed quite a bit making friends and relatives and give them personality traits and clothes that match them, but then when I was making my 40/100 mii I have a realization, that I was having more fun making miis than playing the game. There is certain charm to it, but it can be easily transformed into a chore, if I can wrap this game into a word it may be 'repetition', you'll be hearing or reading the same dialogues and interactions over and over, there are some "mini-games" or cutscenes (which come through dreams mainly) but they get old way too fast, the game updates its content once a day with new food, clothes, and apartment skins, but by one week of 30 minutes a day you'll find out that is basically a resume of what will be the game for the rest of your gameplay.

    That said, I have some really good moments which I won't spoil and it has some charm to see people you know interact in a similar fashion like their real counterparts, although your fun is also dependant on how creative you can get with certain things, the game doesn't help you that much.

    Maybe I'm missing something but from a mechanic and technical view this game falls short, it can be repetitive and boring way too fast and it relies a lot on padding with its daily mechanics, hard to recommend only if you're into rare game collecting.    … Expand
  7. Kanazawa
    Jun 7, 2014
    7
    Kind of feels like an extremely limited animal crossing. Can't control the characters, only suggest things to them. There is a real lack of things to do. Even so, it has a certain charm to it..
  8. 1x1ismath
    Apr 8, 2018
    7
    Endless. The game is creative but proposals are rare which kinda upsets me. I have like 30 miis still no proposal
  9. GoreSmasher
    Nov 10, 2014
    7
    I like this game i played about 5 days on it and i think its worth buying. If you think you're going to be interested in playing it buy it and if you think its not for you then i would suggest to take something else.
  10. Nerpco
    Nov 29, 2014
    7
    Tomodachi Life has the charm that I look in video games these days, but the charm breaks off half way.

    In Tomodachi Life, you first make the role as you, making your Mii and moving in the apartment building, and after that you can create any character to populate your island; being it a fictional character, friends, family, enemies, and more. Even though the game revolves around real    Tomodachi Life has the charm that I look in video games these days, but the charm breaks off half way.

    In Tomodachi Life, you first make the role as you, making your Mii and moving in the apartment building, and after that you can create any character to populate your island; being it a fictional character, friends, family, enemies, and more.

    Even though the game revolves around real time, it doesn't feel like it, as for trips/honeymoons, the trips only last that day, so the novelty of being in real time shatters over small aspects of the game.

    The game is flawed at certain parts, but the charm shows, and I definitely recommend it to 3DS players.    … Expand
  11. JJTX
    Apr 22, 2019
    6
    Tomodachi Life starts off with an addictive gameplay loop, but it gradually becomes repetitive and annoying to the point of frustration. I grew to hate my little village of Mii islanders, and I quit the game for good once I realized there was no way to make them leave or otherwise punish them for their clingy behavior.
  12. ThingThatReview
    Jul 16, 2014
    7
    Tomodachi Life is a very fun little game. I have played around 30 hours so far. It's really good to waste a few minutes here and there. There is enough content to keep you entertained for a few hours, but after that, it just gets a bit boring. The same stuff happens over and over again. There is not really much to do after the initial 'check all islander's problems, make people fall inTomodachi Life is a very fun little game. I have played around 30 hours so far. It's really good to waste a few minutes here and there. There is enough content to keep you entertained for a few hours, but after that, it just gets a bit boring. The same stuff happens over and over again. There is not really much to do after the initial 'check all islander's problems, make people fall in love, get married, have babies' sequence. It has got a bit dull for me.… Expand
  13. shimby
    Sep 27, 2014
    7
    It's fun i guess but you have very little control over what happens so if you wanted like one of your mii's to be friends with another you have no control and also the baby's are really amazingly annoying
  14. astonthemad
    Oct 20, 2014
    6
    I must say it intrigued me for about 4 days. I made my town and added people but then I realised....Is that it?
    The concept of this game is good fun but not for a very long time because it simply gets boring.
    When I got it I was super happy and then I'm like I want more than going to a house looking at their cat ,buying groceries and waiting ages to level up to unlock more things. It    I must say it intrigued me for about 4 days. I made my town and added people but then I realised....Is that it?
    The concept of this game is good fun but not for a very long time because it simply gets boring.
    When I got it I was super happy and then I'm like I want more than going to a house looking at their cat ,buying groceries and waiting ages to level up to unlock more things. It needs more attractions.    … Expand
  15. TSW
    Oct 29, 2014
    7
    People might say it's weird to have your girl friend marry Mario's creator. Some might say that having Armin and your mother marry it's demented and sick. well they can be quiet. Buy this game
  16. dkxcalibur
    Nov 5, 2014
    7
    I would not call Tomodachi Life much of a video game. It's a time waster life sim, but it's really good at this. It's very funny at times and it's cool to jump on and update all the Miis living on your island; but when it's all said and done, there's no end or ultimate goal that you're trying to accomplish; you're merely playing with Miis and putting them in funny situations. TheI would not call Tomodachi Life much of a video game. It's a time waster life sim, but it's really good at this. It's very funny at times and it's cool to jump on and update all the Miis living on your island; but when it's all said and done, there's no end or ultimate goal that you're trying to accomplish; you're merely playing with Miis and putting them in funny situations. The street pass function is good, and I would say that this is better in this then other games. When two Miis have a baby, the baby grows into a child and can then travel to other people's islands via street pass. You also receive new clothing items via street pass.… Expand
  17. AbsurdReviews
    Nov 29, 2014
    7
    Tomodachi Life is an engaging game that enables endless creativity. You can create anybody you like, and simply sit back and let the drama unfold! I enjoyed playing this game, and I intend on playing it for a whole lot longer.
  18. Mariofan
    Jul 3, 2015
    6
    This game is okay. Can get boring at times, but still good. The graphics are okay. The compatibility tester was trash. The island is cool. The food, clothing, and interiors are mostly awesome. Tomodachi Life is overrated, but it is still a good game. I would say it's worth getting.
  19. Captain_Heropon
    Mar 4, 2017
    5
    Truth be told, I only got this because of the funny and crazy screenshots I saw of the game. It's fun for awhile, taking care of your Miis and whatnot, and including them in some neat activities. However, after awhile it just sort of feels like a chore. The fun fades away and everything turns out to have a lackluster feel once you know how everything and everyone works. Nothing new happensTruth be told, I only got this because of the funny and crazy screenshots I saw of the game. It's fun for awhile, taking care of your Miis and whatnot, and including them in some neat activities. However, after awhile it just sort of feels like a chore. The fun fades away and everything turns out to have a lackluster feel once you know how everything and everyone works. Nothing new happens and a lot of the things the Miis do can be annoying and have no base. This would be more fitting as an eShop sort of game. It's truly unfortunate, and there was some potential in it, but it's just not that good. Getting this game may be tempting, but trust me, it's really not worth it.… Expand
  20. RoboElle
    Jun 23, 2016
    7
    I see a lot of potential in Tomodachi Life. Its spell is the comedy, and it successfully pulls out the unusual side of life outta the hat! It did lack in variety regarding some aspects, but I didn't tire of it as quickly as I thought. I thoroughly enjoyed making girl bands and typing in their lyrics!
  21. TazmilyKoala
    Sep 21, 2016
    7
    Tomodachi Life is an odd game to say the least. It has a relaxing feel with a quirky tone. It loves to crack jokes and, I'll admit, I smiled at quite a few of them. The music is ear-bleedingly catchy, you'll be humming the main themes until you die. The visuals are good enough, nothing spectacular but passable. As for gameplay, you populate an island with your Mii characters and watch asTomodachi Life is an odd game to say the least. It has a relaxing feel with a quirky tone. It loves to crack jokes and, I'll admit, I smiled at quite a few of them. The music is ear-bleedingly catchy, you'll be humming the main themes until you die. The visuals are good enough, nothing spectacular but passable. As for gameplay, you populate an island with your Mii characters and watch as they make friends, fall in love, and get into all sorts of wacky antics. For the first few weeks of playing this game, you'll be hooked! Everyday you'll be checking back on your island, expanding it and helping out the locals. But after those precious first few weeks, enjoyment takes a nose dive. Every once in a while you'll see something new and smile, but other than that it's the same thing over and over and over again! After a while, it just loses its charm. One day, you'll set it down and never really play it again. Unlike Animal Crossing, where there's new things to do everyday Tomodachi Life provides you with things to do, and unlocking them and using them the first few times is the fun part. After you've unlocked everything, there's no reason to keep playing. In conclusion, you'll be bored with Tomodachi Life after the first few weeks but I can't deny that charm before then! If your really curious, give Tomodachi Life a look but if you want a deep and expansive life simulation game you won't find it here (If you really want something like that for the 3DS I personally recommend checking out Animal Crossing: New Leaf)… Expand
  22. TJ_of_Carolina
    May 29, 2019
    7
    I can understand why some would say this game runs out of activities fast but I had fun with it. Part of it is making your own fun by adding Miis from various shows/games/movies or miis of famous people or politicians and watching them interact.
    The comparison to Animal Crossing isn't very accurate although they likely have similar demographics. In Animal Crossing you have decent control    I can understand why some would say this game runs out of activities fast but I had fun with it. Part of it is making your own fun by adding Miis from various shows/games/movies or miis of famous people or politicians and watching them interact.
    The comparison to Animal Crossing isn't very accurate although they likely have similar demographics. In Animal Crossing you have decent control over events and control a character directly, in Tomodachi Life you are a disembodied character that oversees, caters to, and kind of parents multiple characters and what happens is random. One similarity is the quirky cultural localizations    … Expand
  23. GrimStomper
    Sep 3, 2019
    7
    This is one of those games you can pick up after not playing for a while and get hooked to it. There is a lot of things to do in the game and the dialogue is funny.

    Over time the problems get repetitive and you suddenly run out of things to accomplish and do in the game, so after a while you start to get bored and stop playing it. When you pick up the game again, however, it becomes    This is one of those games you can pick up after not playing for a while and get hooked to it. There is a lot of things to do in the game and the dialogue is funny.

    Over time the problems get repetitive and you suddenly run out of things to accomplish and do in the game, so after a while you start to get bored and stop playing it.

    When you pick up the game again, however, it becomes fun and it's like the first time you've played it.

    If the game got constant updates that added more into the game to extend it's replay value; then I would've given this game a higher score.

    Nonetheless, the game is still very fun to play and is a nice, casual game to play; especially on a rainy day.    … Expand
  24. CadBaneBadName
    Aug 20, 2019
    7
    Tomodachi Life is a fun game but it's ultimately not a replayable game. That doesn't mean it's a bad game. It just needs a little more to keep things interesting for a long amount of time. Because once you've done everything there's really nothing left to do but start over. And even that can be a little boring. This is not an average game, But it's not a great game either. I would say It'sTomodachi Life is a fun game but it's ultimately not a replayable game. That doesn't mean it's a bad game. It just needs a little more to keep things interesting for a long amount of time. Because once you've done everything there's really nothing left to do but start over. And even that can be a little boring. This is not an average game, But it's not a great game either. I would say It's definitely a good game. Sadly after playing it several times ove it gets stale and leaves me wanting more.… Expand
  25. RalphcCiurczak
    Nov 27, 2021
    7
    +Unique take on simulation games
    +Some funny moments
    +Uses miis,so no big deal for gamers
    +Great time waster

    -Kinda lacking in some aspects
    -Voices are computerized
    -Pain to unlock stuff
    -Not in depth as The Sims games
  26. Erick561
    Jun 11, 2020
    7
    Tomodachi Life is a game where you run your own island. Its quite a nice time with plenty of features that you can unlock and new events happening. With that being said, no game is without it's flaws. The main issue is that the events repeat over and over a lot. To be honest, I cannot think of any other things I didn't like about this game. I'd love to see a fleshed out sequel to this onTomodachi Life is a game where you run your own island. Its quite a nice time with plenty of features that you can unlock and new events happening. With that being said, no game is without it's flaws. The main issue is that the events repeat over and over a lot. To be honest, I cannot think of any other things I didn't like about this game. I'd love to see a fleshed out sequel to this on the switch.

    7/10 Might play again    … Expand
  27. Eduardo3DS
    Oct 31, 2020
    7
    I bought this game a few years ago, It kind of gives me sims vibes but not really, what you do in this game is that you create characters and give them apartments, from there on you can give them food, give them a costume and interact with them quite a lot! Also you can visit the other places to do more things like in the hat store for an example, you can buy a hat for your mii! I think itI bought this game a few years ago, It kind of gives me sims vibes but not really, what you do in this game is that you create characters and give them apartments, from there on you can give them food, give them a costume and interact with them quite a lot! Also you can visit the other places to do more things like in the hat store for an example, you can buy a hat for your mii! I think it gets a bit repetitive though, not a bad game overall!… Expand
  28. nintendofan721
    Apr 5, 2023
    7
    A life simulator involving your mii characters is an excellent and unique idea, and this is a goofy fun game. You can populate your island with miis of yourself, your family and friends, celebrities, and anyone you can think of. You can feed them, give them clothes and apartment styles that suit them, and much more. They can form relationships with each other by becoming friends, gettingA life simulator involving your mii characters is an excellent and unique idea, and this is a goofy fun game. You can populate your island with miis of yourself, your family and friends, celebrities, and anyone you can think of. You can feed them, give them clothes and apartment styles that suit them, and much more. They can form relationships with each other by becoming friends, getting into fights, falling in love, getting married and even have little mii babies. The game takes place in real time, and there are some events that happen depending on when you’re playing such as frisbee, rap battles, and a mii RPG. You can give miis songs to perform and change the lyrics to them, which even allows you to make your miis swear which I f*cking love… well, there is a filter but it can very easily be bypassed. The game however, has it’s fair share of problems. The biggest one being there really isn’t that much to do. It’s super fun at first but after a while, it feels like you’ve seen everything and the same dialogue is repeated over and over and over again. Another huge problem is that miis are able to fall in love with their real life siblings which is extremely wrong. There should have been an option to make miis related to other miis besides you. Same with 18 year olds dating 80 year olds… disgusting. Another thing is that the fights get super annoying. They’re funny at first but after having had the game for a while, every time you turn it on there’s like 2-3 that break out at random, and it’s driven me to the point where I don’t bother with them anymore unless it’s a pairing I care that much for. Overall it’s a fun, quirky experience but gets very repetitive after a while. I would love for there to be a sequel on the switch with way more content!… Expand
  29. CyberPhoenix1
    May 17, 2022
    6
    I give Tomodachi Life, a Mobile Tycoon Game/10

    It's fun at first, the idea of looking after an island of your own characters or whatever is fun! But eventually there is a point where you've seen everything and forget about it. And while you can do things such as send your Miis to space, it is an absolute grind to get there. Not to mention, you could just look it up. Like a Mobile    I give Tomodachi Life, a Mobile Tycoon Game/10

    It's fun at first, the idea of looking after an island of your own characters or whatever is fun! But eventually there is a point where you've seen everything and forget about it. And while you can do things such as send your Miis to space, it is an absolute grind to get there. Not to mention, you could just look it up.
    Like a Mobile Tycoon Game, Tomodachi Life is a grind at its core.
    The only other game I can recommend alike this game is Wildermyth for the character creation, but it's more of a serious tactics game.    … Expand
  30. BigManReviewer
    May 3, 2023
    7
    It's fun, but it did get pretty stale after 2 or so weeks. .
  31. Cer2xrafa
    Aug 7, 2023
    7
    Un juego divertido, no es para estar largas jornadas de juego, pero es un juego entretenido y poco más, no destaca nada, excepto el genial uso de los miis.
  32. bigeli
    Jul 7, 2023
    7
    We need a switch sequel.
    We need a switch sequel.
    We need a switch sequel.
    We need a switch sequel.

Awards & Rankings

29
#29 Best 3DS Game of 2014
4
#4 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2014
13
#13 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 52 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 30 out of 52
  3. Negative: 0 out of 52
  1. Gamer.no
    Aug 21, 2014
    50
    Tomodachi Life tries to be fun, and it sorta is. The problem is that it only lasts for an hour or three, and then the magic’s gone forever.
    Read full review
  2. Gamer.nl
    Aug 19, 2014
    60
    There is plenty to philosophize about regarding Tomodachi Life. It’s an alienating product of its own time: we’re dealing with a game where the player is forced, passive-aggressively, to take the role of voyeur. But as a game, Tomodachi Life is never really fun. Tomodachi Life is no more than a stiff repetition exercise that is intriguing, yet kind of boring.
    Read full review
  3. Official Nintendo Magazine UK
    Aug 8, 2014
    80
    Stop reading and play: you'll have more fun if you don't know what's coming. [Aug 2014, p.68]
See all critic reviews »