Not many publishers still release first-party games for an old console once a shiny new one hits the public. Yet here is Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, a 2026 title made for the Nintendo Switch 10 months after the Switch 2 hit the shelves. Despite being almost 10 years old, the Nintendo Switch is still kicking, and Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a delightful, unhinged addition to the already great selection of the best Switch games.
But, despite how much fun I’m having with it, its core mechanics and controls have exposed a very real and gut-dropping truth: It’s time for an upgrade, folks.
Moving forward
Double trouble
The best Nintendo 3DS games to play for a little retro blast from the not-too-distant past
Now, I’m not normally one to shout about getting a new console. In fact, I was one of the last people to get a Nintendo 3DS in my friend group, convinced that the 2011 handheld’s “3D” novelty feature was a gimmick and that my regular old DS worked completely fine. I am, however, a cozy gamer at heart, and once I saw the first trailer for the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Pokemon Pokopia in 2025, I caved and bought the new system immediately.
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Just like with the 3DS, I was convinced that I’d never use the Switch 2’s fresh “mouse controls” for the Joy-Cons as I handed Ninty my cash. But, I was wrong. I use the mouse controls every day now, and playing Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream without them has me going through withdrawal and wishing that this was just a Switch 2 game instead.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Switch 2’s mouse controls, essentially, they let you turn your Joy-Con’s into a PC mouse, when you have a flat surface available (they also work on your thighs if you are lazy like me and can’t be bothered to move the coffee table in your lounge).
Being able to quickly click a feature, and have more control when you drag or aim, is a game-changer for life sim fans that want to customize. After trying them out in Pokopia I’ve become an expert builder, and designing new clothes and patterns has never been quicker thanks to their integration in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch 2 Edition too.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, being a Switch game that is simply playable on the Switch 2, does not support these controls. However, the whole premise of the game is creating and customizing. The iconic surreal life-sim revolves around you making avatars known as Miis, and then working to fulfil their wishes and crushing them in the odd mini-game. In many ways, it’s almost like watching a weird cartoony fishbowl of your creations, as they fall in love, fight with each other, and even get depressed.
On top of making Miis, Living the Dream goes one extra step further in pushing you to customize. As I mentioned in my glowing Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream review, in order to get the most out of the game, you’ll have to create, and likely spend most of your time in the paint tools, designing clothes, treasures, or, in my case, recreating Sanrio characters as pets to gift my Miis.
Needing pointers
The Switch era feels like it’s officially over
Going from the stable mouse controls of the Switch 2 to using a mix of the overly sensitive thumbsticks or my fingers in order to freehand a Hello Kitty design for my Miis is frustrating because I know how convenient it could be.
Sure, I could try to order a compatible stylus for the Switch, but I also know that I wouldn’t have to if this were just made for the new console. Some of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s mini-games are also a pain to play with a controller; one asks to click things floating around your Mii’s head before the timer runs out, and trying to control your cursor with thumbsticks again will have you wishing for a stylus or mouse.
On top of controls, I’ve also gotten used to the crisper image of the Switch 2, the improved textures, and I can’t stop thinking about how much better my creations would have looked if the title wasn’t being held back by the limitations of hardware that is almost a decade old at this point.
When we talk about the differences between Switch and Switch 2 games, a really clear example is Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. The Switch 2 upgrade of the latest mainline Pokemon RPGs vastly improved performance, from being able to spawn in more Pokemon, improving textures, and giving us the experience that we were essentially missing back during the game’s launch.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream’s performance isn’t poor, but I still can’t help but feel like it could be better. It does seem flatter visually, and all the customizable textures for things like buildings and clothes just don’t have the level of polish that Nintendo have now made me more accustomed to with its new console.
Now, for clarity, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is, in my opinion, still an amazing game that I recommend to all Switch players in the life-sim space. But, playing it in tandem with the likes of Pokopia really showcases the old console’s age and that now is the right time to say goodbye to it.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is a game that I fully believe could have been even more spectacular if it had all the freedom that the upgraded Switch’s hardware allows. It’s still a joy and very much worth your time if you love strange and whacky life-sims. But, it also feels like a step back compared to all the exciting things Nintendo has recently released. The Switch era feels like it’s officially over, and rather than mourning it, my unhinged Miis have helped me realize that I should be excited for all the upcoming Switch 2 games on the horizon instead.
Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream would have stood among the best Switch 2 games, if only it had been given the chance…
