Five months. That’s all Pokémon Pokopia needed to cement its place among the better Pokémon spin-offs released over the past decade. When I reviewed the base game earlier this year, I praised it for finally embracing an idea many Pokémon fans had quietly dreamed about for years: a world where living alongside Pokémon was just as important as battling them. Instead of chasing another Gym Challenge or yet another regional Pokédex, Pokopia borrowed the building mechanics of games like Minecraft and Dragon Quest Builders and asked a much simpler question: “What if rebuilding the Pokémon world was the adventure?”, and it turned out to be a remarkably good question. Thanks to Emmanuel, my good friend and Pokémon Pokopia enthusiast, for helping me shape this review with his insights.
You can find the original right here:
Review: Pokémon Pokopia
Bubbly DLC
Five months later, most players have probably already made up their minds. Pokopia’s gameplay loop isn’t for everyone, mainly because building games never are. By now, you’ve either happily spent dozens of hours constructing villages and habitats, or you’ve realized somewhere along the way that this particular blend of Pokémon and block-building simply isn’t your cup of tea. If you’re still reading, chances are you’re part of that first group, and Bubbly Basin knows it. It doesn’t waste any time trying to convince newcomers, the first DLC feels like a reward for the players who never really stopped building in the first place. More importantly, it arrives alongside Update 2.0, an update so substantial that calling Bubbly Basin “just DLC” almost feels unfair. I’ll be renaming it to Pokopia 2.0, and you’ll see why after reading the next few segments.
Before we even reach the expansion itself, the free update deserves recognition. Universal storage accessible through the new PokéPod dramatically reduces inventory management; bulk transfers eliminate countless unnecessary menu interactions; and relic identification can finally be performed in batches rather than one painstaking item at a time. Small changes? Absolutely. But they’re exactly the sort of improvements that reveal a development team willing to listen to its community rather than simply moving on to the next piece of paid content. Even rebuilding Pokémon habitats has become significantly more forgiving, preventing one misplaced block from accidentally breaking an entire settlement. None of these additions are particularly glamorous, yet together they make returning to Pokopia feel noticeably smoother than it did at launch. It’s the kind of update veteran players immediately appreciate. The real headline, however, lies beneath the surface, quite literally. Let’s dive in.
Underwater hell?
For decades, underwater levels have carried an unfortunate reputation within gaming. They’re often slower, more restrictive, and remembered as mandatory detours instead of highlights (looking at you, Donkey Kong and Sonic). Bubbly Basin somehow commits the ultimate gaming heresy by making underwater exploration more enjoyable than exploring on land. The moment you unlock diving early in the expansion, movement simply clicks. Swimming feels fluid, responsive, and wonderfully natural, allowing you to effortlessly hover at different depths while constructing buildings from angles that would be impossible above ground. Rather than constantly fighting gravity, you’re given complete freedom to position yourself exactly where you want to be. The result is surprisingly liberating. In fact, there were moments where I genuinely preferred building underwater to working on the surface, something I never expected to say before starting this expansion. It would be easy to dismiss Bubbly Basin as “the underwater DLC”, because it isn’t. It fundamentally changes how you think about building, thanks to buoyancy.
Following a brief introduction featuring the Mythical Pokémon Manaphy, you’re introduced to Bubbly Basin, an underwater city that long-time Pokémon fans will quickly recognize as a clever reinterpretation of Cerulean City. I love how the developers slowly reveal every nostalgic reference by scattering familiar landmarks throughout the environment, rewarding observant players with subtle nods to the original Pokémon games. Nugget Bridge, the Bike Shop, and the Cerulean Gym quietly emerge beneath years of neglect, encouraging players to become detectives as much as builders. There’s something immensely satisfying about slowly piecing together where you are instead of having the game simply tell you. Just as importantly, Bubbly Basin avoids falling into the trap of becoming a restoration checklist. Certain buildings clearly call for repair, while large portions of the city intentionally remain open to interpretation. It never just insists on a single correct solution, the game encourages creativity, allowing players to decide how this underwater version of Cerulean should ultimately look. That freedom perfectly complements the building philosophy that made the base game so compelling. Because in the end you’re not recreating someone else’s world, you’re helping shape your own.
New mechanics
The accompanying story wisely follows the same philosophy. Much like the main game, Bubbly Basin introduces its new mechanics gradually, allowing players to dictate the pace of progression. Objectives remain clear, hints are readily available, and there’s never any pressure to rush towards the ending. If you suddenly decide that today’s goal is building an underwater amusement park instead of continuing the story, the game simply shrugs and lets you get on with it. Likewise, newly introduced Pokémon can be integrated into your settlements whenever you choose rather than according to a strict progression path. That flexibility remains one of Pokopia’s greatest strengths. It’s easy to overlook just how refreshing it is to play a game that genuinely trusts its players.
Of course, a Pokémon expansion lives and dies by its Pokémon. Thankfully, Bubbly Basin doesn’t disappoint, and neither did it disappoint me (as a huge water Pokémon fan). Roughly fifty additional Pokémon make their debut throughout the expansion, and while I won’t spoil the full roster here, the selection feels carefully curated rather than randomly assembled. Water-types naturally dominate the lineup, yet there’s enough variety to ensure almost every player will find a new favorite. If Squirtle never quite became your companion of choice in the base game, the expansion quickly introduces alternatives such as Popplio, Totodile, and, yes, Mudkip, the internet’s favorite blue amphibian (and mine as well), still refuses to fade into obscurity. The newcomers aren’t merely cosmetic additions either. Several Pokémon introduce new utility abilities that meaningfully improve resource gathering. Shellder makes collecting seashells dramatically easier, while Cloyster’s pearls finally gain a practical gameplay purpose instead of existing as little more than decorative collectibles. It’s a subtle but important design decision. New Pokémon don’t simply expand the Pokédex; they do a deep dive into the gameplay possibilities as well, and looking back, that’s ultimately why Bubbly Basin succeeds. It would have been easy for the developers to release another biome, another handful of Pokémon, and call it a day. But no, they looked at the entire game.
Conclusion
Update 2.0 smooths away many of the rough edges veteran players had learned to live with. Bubbly Basin introduces one of the most enjoyable traversal mechanics in the game while proving that underwater environments don’t have to slow the experience down. The new Pokémon aren’t simply fan service, but meaningful additions that support both creativity and progression. Most importantly, the expansion never loses sight of what made Pokopia special in the first place. It isn’t about catching them all; instead, it’s about building a world worth sharing with them. And yes, that was true five months ago; Bubbly Basin simply offers you an even better world to build in. If this is what Pokopia 2.0 looks like, I genuinely can’t wait to see what Pokopia becomes next.