Tomodachi Life

2013 life simulation video game

Original description from the source, not translated.

YEAR 2013

GENRE Simulation

PLATFORM Nintendo 3DS

ABOUT THE GAME

Tomodachi Life, known in Japan as Tomodachi Collection: New Life, is a 2013 social simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the second entry in the Tomodachi Life series following the Japan-exclusive Nintendo DS title Tomodachi Collection (2009). The game follows the day-to-day interactions of Miis, customizable avatars, residing on an island as they build relationships and request help with problems, all overseen by the player. Tomodachi Life is nonlinear, the player's only goal being to maintain their Miis' happiness. Much of Tomodachi Collection's staff returned to produce the sequel, including director Ryutaro Takahashi. The team sought to create a sociable and warm atmosphere within Tomodachi Life, wanting to inspire players to observe their real-world relationships more positively through the Miis. At the request of Shinya Takahashi, Nintendo SPD's General Manager, the game's art director, Mai Okamoto, reworked its visuals to achieve a "next-generation" feel. Tomodachi Life was initially released in Japan on April 18, 2013. Unlike its predecessor, Nintendo released the game abroad. American and Japanese developers worked to develop enhanced text-to-speech components for several years. Certain imagery native to Japan, currencies, and specific Mii animations were adjusted to better reflect foreign cultures; this stage of localization took over a year. Overseas editions were released on June 6, 2014, in North America and Europe; June 7, in Australia; and July 17, in South Korea. Tomodachi Life sold over 6.73 million copies worldwide by March 2025, making it one of the best-selling 3DS games. It received generally mixed reviews; critics praised its humor and overall charm but took issue with perceived repetitive gameplay and lack of user control. The inability for Miis to enter same-sex relationships was criticized by reviewers and became the subject of online controversy.

Source: Wikipedia CC BY-SA 4.0 — Tomodachi Life (video game) · retrieved October 19, 2026

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PROVENANCE

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