Sometimes DLC is extremely simple. Fans want more of the game they love, and the developers provide this. Pokopia is a great example of this concept. The Bubbly Basin DLC is more of the game I’ve been hopelessly hooked on for months. Truly, what more could you ask for? Quality of life fixes? New mechanics? Well, good news. The devs also did those things. The DLC is, in fact, crammed with content sure to please most fans of the base game. It won’t change your mind about Pokopia, but we’re more about confirmation than conversion at this point.
You can read my full review of Pokopia here. It’s a little incomplete, as my true obsession with the game took some time to percolate. Between the release of the base game and the release of the DLC, I have not stopped playing the game for more than a few days. You can use this info to adjust my original score as needed. Bubbly Basin is more of the same content found in Pokopia. On the other hand, if you’ve been starving for another biome to clean up and stuff with Pokemon, then this DLC is a real godsend.
With the release of this DLC comes a critical new mechanic, Dive. Now, lakes, rivers, and oceans can be explored instead of carefully avoided. Indeed, the new biome – Bubbly Basin – is almost entirely submerged. You’ll find dozens of new Pokemon down there, tons of new recipes, new materials, and new places to explore. This place feels downright enormous. I spent multiple hours just running through the various caves, canyons, and crumbling ruins. It’s easy to get lost if you aren’t careful.
Like in the base game, physics are more of a gentle suggestion than anything too serious. You can put structures almost anywhere, as long as they were connected to the ground at some point. Plus, the new floating blocks make it even easier to put houses in random locations. And since all the Pokemon down there can swim, you never have to worry about houses being inaccessible. I mean, so long as they can physically get to the door.
One major flaw with the base game was storage. Your chests in one biome were stuck there, forcing you to travel frequently or carry everything with you at all times. Now, you can build a series of portals(?) that all connect to the same storage space. You can even carry one with you at all times, effectively doubling your inventory size.
Bubbly Basin proceeds at the same relaxed pace as the base game. You’ll always have something to do, true. But the thing in question is often waiting around for more habitat hints or recipes to appear. You can build whatever you like on your own time, which is lovely. But the prefab construction projects are frequently day-long affairs. There are always resources to harvest and hoard, projects in other biomes, and comfort levels to increase. But a hefty chunk of the major unlocks are on a steady drip-feed. When you’ve been playing for days, or even weeks, this adds up pretty quickly. But the DLC has a curious way of re-affirming how deliberate the pace is in Pokopia.
In the end, the Bubbly Basin DLC is a straightforward extension of the same gameplay loop that defined Pokopia. But that’s one of its great strengths. For the hardcore players who can’t put this game down, a whole new biome is a precious gift. The dive mechanic and the upgraded storage are lovely perks, but a huge new map to play around in? A new space to fill up with cute houses, crumbling ruins, and impossible temples? It’s everything I hoped for. This DLC won’t convert anyone to the cause. And if you were overwhelmed by your options, having a new biome certainly won’t help. But for the dedicated players, Bubbly Basin is a vital infusion of new content. If you’re already invested in the base game, you simply can’t let this expansion pass you by.
***A Nintendo Switch 2 code was provided by the publisher***
