Miitopia

Genre: Turn-Based RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Miitopia is a game that was originally released on the 3DS in 2017 and brought to the Nintendo Switch with enhanced visuals and character customization features in 2021. This game is a family-friendly Turn-Based RPG whose distinguishing trait is that it centers around the user-created Mii characters that started out as a major feature of the Wii console and continuing on through each subsequent Nintendo platform, including the Nintendo Switch… something I suspect many Nintendo Switch owners aren’t even aware of.

Really, that makes Miitopia’s existence in 2021 something of an anomaly. Nintendo rarely advertises the Mii features on the Nintendo Switch (they’re hidden away under the System Settings menu), and hardly ever makes use of them any more – they’re currently used in a grand total of six games – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe, Go Vacation, this year’s Mario Golf: Super Rush, and of course Miitopia. However, here they’re on full display as the central element of the game, with players able to cast any of their Mii creations (or characters they create on the fly specifically for the game) into any role – your party members, any of the game’s NPCs, and even the game’s main villain.

Miitopia on Nintendo Switch goes above and beyond the 3DS version of the game by allowing players to further edit the appearance of their Miis, adding more detailed hair and facial features. Players can also access Miis via a shared “Access Key”, because of course Nintendo can never make online connectivity simple. Players can also unlock costume pieces for their Miis by scanning Amiibo figures (players get costume pieces for select Nintendo characters, and in-game “tickets” for any other Amiibo figures that are scanned).

As one might expect from a game featuring Mii characters, the visuals here aren’t especially impressive, going for a simplistic 3D style that fits the simplistic style of the Miis. However, that’s not to say that it looks bad – the game makes use of some decent lighting, shadow, and reflection effects, as well as some nice water effects. I would say that this game probably does about as much as one could expect the game to do with the visuals without making it clash with the Miis. Also fitting but perhaps a bit more disappointing is this game’s soundtrack, which goes for goofy, comedic tones more than anything melodic or memorable.

When it comes to the gameplay, Miitopia is likely to be divisive, because it does some things that are really clever and compelling, but it simultaneously does things that are frustrating and that detract from the experience. At times, these two things are one and the same – simplifying the experience and making it user-friendly, while at the same time taking away player choice and making the game feel largely automated.

One example is exploration – players have a world map that’s closer to Super Mario Bros. 3’s maps than anything you’ll see in an RPG. Select a place to explore and your characters will walk it for you, no effort involved, save for choosing which fork to take when a path splits, choosing how to respond to various randomized events that happen along the way, and perhaps getting into a battle or two.

In combat, you’ll only ever have direct control over your main character, and the rest of your party will act as they please. When you stop at an inn, you’ll get an opportunity to spend your earned cash to upgrade your characters… but you have little control over how this works – rather, each of your characters points to an item they’re interested in, and if you hand them money they might buy that item… or perhaps just come back with a banana.

You do at least get to manage character relationships somewhat with some light “dating sim” elements – when staying in an Inn, you can choose which characters room together, and these characters form bonds that express themselves in battle… through random buffs that players also have no control over.

There is at least the appeal this game has in allowing you to customize your adventure by selecting which characters are going to be in what roles. As previously mentioned, this game makes a lot of good use out of these Miis, letting you set up situations where Hank Hill and Chun Li are in a loving relationship, Miss Piggy begs you to seek help for her son, Batman, and your adventuring party of Albert Einstein, Gordon Ramsey, Ron Swanson, and Darth Vader are on a quest to fight the evil Sigmund Freud… or whatever other wacky combination of characters you want to toss into the mix. You even get a few chances to further customize your experience – when my warrior, Inigo Montoya, was asked by Jean-Luc Picard what his war cry was, I of course had to respond with “Prepare to die.”

Having said that, while you’re out questing on the road, it seems like many of the quips and comments your characters make are not only completely randomized, but don’t even seem to be responding to each other in any way that makes sense. It’s all just noise spit out of a randomized list, which is a bit disappointing.

Okay, so here’s the thing, if you’re looking to teach a young child how to play an RPG, Miitopia may very well be a great introductory game to the genre. I could see this game being considered “baby’s first RPG” because of how user-friendly and automated everything is. Unfortunately, that also means that the moment the player wants something with a little more depth and substance, they’re simply not going to find it here. This game is cute, and the progression here is steady enough to keep the player interested. But players overall have very little utility over how their party acts in battle, how their equipment is upgraded, and other things that are generally a given in other RPGs. Because of this, while I think Miitopia is an enjoyable experience, its extremely shallow nature makes it hard for me to give it a full-hearted recommendation.

tl;dr – Miitopia is a family-friendly Turn-Based RPG that lets players put the user-created Mii characters into various roles in a simplified, streamlined experience with some light Dating Sim elements. Unfortunately, this streamlining takes away a lot of player choice and leaves the game a really shallow experience. Younger and inexperienced players looking to try their first RPG may find this to be well-suited to them, but more experienced fans of the genre will likely be frustrated with how limiting this game is.

Grade: C+

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