Miitomo Preview (Japanese App Store)
In October 2015 Nintendo’s brand new smartphone game was revealed to the world: Miitomo. Initial thoughts were mixed, even from me. The common consensus was that the app was just a toned down version of Tomodachi Life for your portable device. Well, the app just came out in Japan and I got my hands on the English version of it. So, what is Miitomo?
Well Miitomo isn’t exactly like Tomodachi Life, in fact, it’s (mostly) completely different. The game is based around answering questions your Mii gives you. These questions are completely random and you can answer them as seriously or as humorous as you want. The questions are then sent to anyone you add as a friend, and end up in their activity feed. With each question you answer, you earn Miitomo coins. This in app currency allows for you to purchase different accessories and costumes for your mii, also you can use this currency to play Miitomo drop. This small mini game has you drop your mii to try to get them to land on a platform with a clothing item on it.
Clothing and accessories plays a big role in the app, anytime one of your friends visits you, they will be able to view your style and questions you’ve answered. Clothing also raises your style level, going up a level will reward you with a title for your mii and a prize. Prizes can be game ticket, which lets you access Miitomo drop without paying 500 coins.
Sharing questions and style isn’t the only thing that Miitomo has to offer, if you wish, you can take a Miifoto. Miifoto allows you to take a picture of your mii using highly customizable tools. You can change your mii’s pose, expression and background! You can save them to your camera roll or share it with the world.
Miitomo is a free app, but there are microtransactions for coins. These just make your shopping easier. But besides that, Miitomo is fully free to play.
Miitomo is a solid first app for Nintendo on smartphone devices. However, the app’s success will be determined by the traction that it needs to get. The app needs to build a strong user base to be a viable social app, and Nintendo has laid down a solid foundation for that to happen.
Miitomo is currently available in Japan, with an international release coming shortly.
This article has been guest authored by pending Games Review writer Chris Gustin. Once Chris has been put into our system, you should see more from him under his own author heading!