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After my first 30 or so hours with Pokemon Pokopia, I started to realize where gaps in terms of available characters, furniture, and knowledge existed. It seemed some types weren’t showing up as prominently, for example, and I wondered why we didn’t have any cow, sheep, horse, or farm type characters even though there countryside elements and crops. I figured DLC would explain it. Now that the first Bubbly Basin Pokemon Pokopia add-on is here, it absolutely does while also offering more insights into what went on in the game.
Editor’s Note: There are some spoilers regarding the story of Pokemon Pokopia below.
In Pokemon Pokopia, dilapidated and weather disaster-struck versions of cities in Kanto act as the different biomes and areas our Ditto restores. While Bleak Beach did serve as home to some water types, Bubbly Basin is the water type home. Understandable, given it is designed to work with the new Dive ability added for everyone and takes place underwater. There are over 50 newcomers, and they are all the type that make total sense to be limited to this new location. While of course we’ve seen the water starters and their evolutions added her on ground, you’d expect characters like Carvanha, Corsola, Horsea, Inkay, Luvdisc, and Wiglett to be at home under the sea. I appreciated the new area as a home for some other characters I felt bad about forcing into homes on land too, like Magikarp. So from the start, it’s great to see these extra Pokemon that are perfectly suited for that specific region and finally get the environment they deserve, while filling a niche that otherwise wasn’t covered in the main game.
From there, the furniture options in Pokemon Pokopia Bubbly Basin are very good. There’s a lot of “Marine” stuff, as expected, with a whole collection that consists of things like a chest, dresser, chair, closet, sofa, and table that have that look and matching building block elements. But it goes beyond that. For those of us who have been building our own little storefronts with the cash register and counter items, there are now actual shop display cases to enhance those spots. The ornate furniture line includes some Asian-inspired pieces that look great as-is or when repainted. I love the interior door and sleek steps for modern architecture builds. We also get 12 new posters, which I love since I appreciate those extra decorative options for walls.
But what I like most is how Nintendo, Game Freak, and Omega Force are very in-our-faces about Bubbly Basin being Cerulean City in Kanto. There’s no debate. The layout matches. The Bike Shop, while in need of restoration, is still there. There are multiple references to Misty both in terms of her gym, outfit, and human records. What’s also wonderful is how it does continue the main story. The thing is, it does so in a way that feels supplemental to the existing human records in the base game. So even if someone wouldn’t pay to access the new area, it isn’t like they’re missing important additional story beats. But if you did get invested in some of the NPCs and referenced human characters, it’s really helpful if you wanted to learn a bit more about a certain professor and such.
I do wish there was a little more to the Deep Sea sections of Pokemon Pokopia Bubbly Basin. These are deeper and darker areas that require lights to explore. It’s an expanse that might provide some interesting exploration and building opportunities for some. But aside from a certain find, I didn’t find it as exciting as I could have. Even though the Boosted Lapras and its Rock Smash element might be handy in some circumstances, it didn’t feel like as big of a deal.
Bubbly Basin is helpful to Pokemon Pokopia as a whole thanks to it adding quite a few new Pokemon, furniture recipes, and a handy extra biome. There’s some lore that really fits the scenario well too while also driving home details about Kanto in this timeline. I wish the Deep Sea element had a little more oomph to it. But as a whole, it’s a large new area with a lot to do and collect.
Pokemon Pokopia and the Bubbly Basin DLC are both available on the Switch 2.
