Pokémon Pokopia: 10 Beginner Tips I Wish I'd Known Earlier

After getting to play all of Pokémon Pokopia early, I learned some tips that I'd love to pass on to anyone new to the game. This relaxing life simulation has players taking on the role of a Ditto that has transformed to look like its former trainer. Years have passed since humans were last on the planet, and most Pokémon are just waking from a long slumber to find the world around them in ruin.

I've been playing Pokémon Pokopia for over a week now, thanks to the opportunity I had to review the game for ScreenRant. I beat the main story of the game and have continued to play, and will continue for a long time, thanks to all the collectibles in the game and the plethora of spaces to decorate. Through this journey, I've discovered some tips that I think would have been useful to know going into it.

There's Easy Ways To Locate Pokémon When They Wander Off

Pokédex Search Option Or Use Honey

Often, you'll find yourself needing a specific Pokémon neighbor to help you with something. Whether that's having Scyther turn logs into lumber, or getting Timburr to take the lead in building a house, you will require Pokémon with specific abilities. Pokémon Pokopia offers an immersive, living world where the Pokémon living there will wander around the environment, interacting with others along the way.

Unfortunately, they tend to wander the most when you are needing them. Although the map doesn't help much, the game does offer ways to locate missing Pokémon. You can either open the Pokédex, select the needed Pokémon, and use the search function to track them down, or you can go to their home and use honey on it as a lure to bring them back home.

Once Pokémon Centers Are Repaired, Use Them

Replenishing Health, Trading With Pokémon, And 3D Printing

Professor Tangrowth seems to think that rebuilding the Pokémon Centers is a way to get the humans to return. While it doesn't seem to instantly end the game, the Pokémon Centers do offer useful benefits to players.

Once a Pokémon Center is restored, you can go inside to find a few things. First, there will be a collectible note that gives a little more insight into the story. If you have a Pokémon with the Trade ability, they may utilize the cash register inside and set up shop with a variety of items available for you to trade for.

To one side of the room, you can find a healing machine where, once per day, you can replenish all your PP for free. To the other side is a 3D printer. If you've taken a picture of an item you found in the game that you aren't able to craft yet, you can use that picture to make the 3D printer create it for you. Of course, it's pretty expensive to use, though.

Pay Attention If You Hear The Large Flying Pokémon Overhead

Watch Where It Drops Its Feathers

With your sound on, you may hear a distant bird flapping overhead. If you search the skies, you will likely see either Lugia or Ho-Oh flying past. Watch their progression, because they may drop valuable feathers.

Ho-Oh will drop a rainbow feather, which will need to be extinguished using the Water Gun ability. Meanwhile, Lugia will drop a silver feather that you will need to use the Cut ability on to stop a mini-tornado. Both of these feathers will be highly coveted by a certain greedy Pokémon hiding in Rocky Ridge.

Don't Be Afraid To Explore, Pokopia Has Many Secrets

You Can Always Teleport Home

One of my favorite things about games like Pokémon Pokopia is that there seem to be secrets everywhere you look. When you first start the game, the area seems fairly contained, but once you start smashing down walls, it opens up so much. In fact, there are a lot of special tunnels and even a mysterious mural hidden in that first area, not to mention everything you can find once you move on to other worlds.

One hesitation that can come up with exploring like this is the idea of getting lost. Using your Pokédex, you can always teleport home or to the Pokémon Center at any time, no matter how far you've traveled.

Work On The Quests For The Mysterious Building As You Can

Don't Forget About It Like I Did

On the beach in your first area, Professor Tangrowth will show you a strange building on a platform. The building seems to give you tasks to accomplish, many of which cannot be done until you've reached different levels of progression in the story.

I, regrettably, ignored this building for much of my game, but it will really help you out if you do try to accomplish these tasks as much as you are able to.

Find Magikarp And Help Them Out Soon

Magikarp Teaches You How To Jump

Very close to where the strange building is, you have a wonderful opportunity to build a habitat to bring Magikarp to your island. While many of the Pokémon may teach Ditto useful transformation abilities like spraying water or smashing blocks, Magikarp's lesson is a bit more basic.

I was annoyed at first, thinking that Pokopia doesn't allow your character to jump because of Ditto's limitations. Thankfully, our floppy fish friend Magikarp rectifies that and teaches you how to hop around, which speeds things up quite a bit when you need to climb up anything.

Build Your Own Houses Using The Ruins

You Don't Have To Rely On Building Kits

There are many building kits for various sizes of houses that the Pokémon in your area can help you build after you give them enough resources. Some of them may take only 15 or so minutes, while others may take until the next day. However, you don't have to wait for them if you want to get creative.

You will notice a lot of ruins of old human houses scattered around. Whether you want to scavenge these materials to use to create something brand new or work from a ruin to rebuild, making your own houses can be very rewarding.

As long as you have four walls, a floor, and a door, the game will show it light up in a sparkly outline, showing that it is a vacant house. Fill it with some furniture, and either you or some Pokémon can move right in.

Once You Unlock Cooking, Always Keep A Variety Of Cooked Dishes On You

At Least One For Each Power You Use Often

While working through Rocky Ridge, you'll be introduced to Chef Dente, who teaches you the art of cooking. These meals refill your PP, can be used for some habitats, but also hold special strength to power up your abilities.

For example, things like Hamburger Steak can make your Rock Smash ability much stronger, so you can break through walls and objects that you previously bounced off of, which also means you can gather new resources that are important for many crafting recipes. They only work for a certain amount of time, however, so you'll want to make sure you keep some of these foods in your inventory for when you need them.

Make Sure To Visit Dream Islands Every Day

Valuable Resources And Lots Of New Items And Recipes

Now and then, you'll find some large plush dolls that are absolutely adorable, but also serve a purpose. As long as you have Drifloon in any one of your areas, and they aren't busy with a building project, you can visit special Dream Islands.

Once per day, if you inspect one of these dolls, Drifloon will appear and ask if you want to go to a Dream Island. These islands are based on the doll you are inspecting, with each offering a different arrangement of resources you can find. Pikachu Doll, for instance, will have Drifloon bringing you to an Ocean Dream Island. The Ditto Doll will lead to a random island.

These islands not only include many resources to gather, but also have collectibles, crafting recipes, and items that you can get while you're there and bring back with you.

Progressing The Story Of Pokopia Unlocks Abilities

It's Worth It For More Than Just The Mystery

It may be tempting for you, as it was for me, to ignore the story progression and just decorate and play around in the first area you come to. After all, there's a lot you can do! However, if you push through and complete the story, then you will unlock many more abilities, recipes, and Pokémon that can make the whole experience richer for you.

Beating the game took me about 25 hours, and I know that now I'll play for hundreds more to see all that Pokémon Pokopia has to offer.