By Mariah Mendoza
Ranger Reporter
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a game made and sold by Nintendo, and is the updated version of the original game, Tomodachi Life, released on the Nintendo 3DS console in 2013. Living the Dream was released on April 16th, 2026, and includes an island where players can customize and interact with their “Miis,” a name given to all of the characters in the game.
In terms of gameplay, the customization is incredible and gives players freedom to make quite literally everything from customized pets, food, items and even houses. It can also customize Mii’s faces and make them more creative. However, there’s no layering in the game, like in Miitopia (another Nintendo game that involves Miis), so you have to be careful where you place certain lines and shapes, or else it will be a hassle to edit. In addition to this, despite looking good, the face paint can look weird when the Miis are doing certain reactions, like winking or frowning.
One of the downsides I noticed pretty quickly is that you can’t take the time to raise baby Miis because they grow up in a quick montage and can either become an islander or “move away” the same day they’re born. I never experienced the baby Miis in the original version, but nonetheless, I would love to watch my Miis raise their babies over a week in real time, at least. In addition, the Mii babies will inherit their parents’ face paint if they have any on. The good news here is that it doesn’t look awful and actually translates well onto the offspring.
Another downside I noticed is that although there’s no filter and I’ve been having a blast making my Miis say the foulest phrases, it also affects the kid Miis. They will start learning those phrases and saying them, and there’s no way to prevent them from saying certain phrases or interacting with certain custom items.
I’ve noticed how users have complained online about the island population going down from 100 Miis in the original Tomodachi Life to 70 in Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, but it can get hectic really quickly with all the Miis wants and needs. Having a vast amount of characters on my island is fun, but it can get overwhelming really quickly.
To conclude, the game seems to be a massive hit with the general population, including the ones who waited thirteen years for another Tomodachi game. “Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream” seems to have its quirks, and it took out some of the features of the original game, but overall, I am just happy that Nintendo has come out with another version that everyone can enjoy.
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