Being a fan of Nintendo devices for some time means I was there when Nintendo introduced their Mii when the Wii was released. As many new Wii owners, I too had Wii Sports included in the package. And met the Mii while they were playing tennis, with lots of Mii’s watching on from the stands, their little heads bobbing back and forth.
Think Tomodachi with Fighting Incorporated
Ever since then I hugely enjoyed games where Mii played the leading role. Collecting Streetpass hits and seeing the little green light blinking indicating a total stranger had found my gates in my 3DS. Tomodachi Life, where my Mii are still happily living their life ( I do hope they have found a way to feed themselves!). And the Streetpass games that where added later on to the 3DS.
Another game on the 3DS was Miitopia: an RPG fighting monsters with the ultimate goal to defeat the evil final boss. The game features any Mii you want it to: want to cast your manager in the role of the evil overlord, you can. Or have your friends fighting alongside you in battles, no problem. Essentially, Miitopia has a lot of elements of Tomodachi Life coupled with fighting.
Help People Get Their Faces Back
Mii is a turn-based RPG where you go on an adventure with your Mii friends to help the people get their faces back. Yep, you read that right, their faces. You see, the Dark Lord Stan has stolen them and put them on monsters, for you to fight. The reason? Eh, not sure really, but does an evil person need a reason?
Anyway, once you defeat the monster, the face flies off, back to its owner. And you of course get rewarded. The fighting is pretty standard for an RPG: you have stats for HP, MP, Attack, Magic, Defence and Speed. Support items that look like a pepper shaker are sprinkled on the Mii to heal their HP or MP.
In the field, the party moves along at their own pace, no need for your direction. The remarks they make while trekking through the dungeon are funny and often have nothing whatsoever to do with the quest. For every battle there the option to replay the battle, no need to hit the record button yourself.
The Mii’s you use in the game have different personalities: like kind, energetic, dopey, stubborn, carefree, cautious and cool. You can creative your own Mii to use, or choose one from you Switch friends. At the time of my gameplay I couldn’t select any of my friends yet, so I used the standard roster.
In the demo, there are 6 different jobs to choose from with various roles and outfits to match. Warrior, Mage, Cleric and Thief do ring a bell, but there are some more unlikely roles too. Like Pop Star, in which case that team member will rouse the team with boundless energy and unites them with song.
And a chef that cooks up cures and stirs trouble in equal parts with a trusty frying pan. Makes me think of Samwise Gamgee who fought the cave troll with a frying pan! I chose the latter.
Forming Tight Bonds
Aside from the fighting there’s more to Miitopia. The idea is to develop a relationship between the Mii’s in your team. Of course battling together forms a bond, but so does sleeping in the same room at the inn where our heroes rest their weary head.
If a relationship evolves, they even give each other gifts and can even take a hit in battle for their loved one, showing off! In the morning you feed them, and try to figure out what kind of food they like best, as it will influence their stats.
But aside from fighting and bonding, there’s more to do in the game. When you’ve found a game ticket, you can use it to play arcade games, like Roulette. Or you can collect tickets to go on an outing together. The money earnt can be used on items, like in this case a leather armor for Link.
In the menu you find option to use in making your Mii extra special, for now I’ve unlocked make-up and wigs. I think that is one of the areas where people will have a blast with Miitopia: creating the most awesome characters!
Conclusion
Miitopia will not be for everyone. You have to like the quirkiness of this game, of the kind that only Nintendo can bring. And one thing: why don’t the Mii have feet?
I must say the shenanigans of my little YvoCaro make me smile, while the fighting isn’t too intense and nicely turn based. It’s good to note that if you play the demo, all progress will be carried over to the full game.
A very special addition to the Nintendo Switch, and hopefully one that signals the return of the Mii!