What parents need to know
Note: This text is a review of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass (the paid add-on content), not the base game. If you want to read our Pokémon Pokopia review, it’s here!
After the astonishing success of Pokémon Pokopia since its release in March 2026 (it’s the second best-selling game on Switch 2 after the unbeatable Mario Kart World!), we shouldn’t be surprised to see Nintendo and developer Omega Force offer us additional paid content to extend our adventure.
This expansion pass is divided into three parts. The first part, Bubbly Basin (Fonds-Bulleux in French) has already been released. The second part is scheduled for the end of 2026, while the third part is promised for 2027.
For this first third of the expansion pass, we are offered to visit and restore the city of Bubbly Basin, formerly Cerulean City (Azuria in French). Following the natural disasters that hit the world of Pokémon, the city was almost completely flooded, and its ruins are under water. Luckily, you soon meet Manaphy, who teaches you how to dive, allowing you to explore the seabed without running out of air.
So you can explore and build underwater, in Bubbly Basin but in the waters surrounding the base game towns as well.
This new area does not come alone; It comes with new quests, 50 new Pokémon to befriend, and a host of new items and scenery to build the environments of your dreams.
At the time of writing, it is unclear exactly what parts 2 and 3 of the expansion pass will contain. We do know, however, that the second part will not offer a new city, unlike the third part which will offer us a seventh and final city.
Details
Level of experience required
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Evaluation
To understand the details of the story and some instructions, you will have to know how to read a minimum, but the whole thing remains quite simple.
It’s hard to say at the moment. The expansion pass is very expensive, but we don’t yet know enough about the content to really know if this price is justified or not.
Local game modes
Single player mode.
Online Game Modes
We can visit our friends’ cities, receive them in our own, or collaborate online with our friends.
Expansions/Add-ons (DLC)
It’s the extension!
Our opinion
Pokémon Pokopia was a wonderful surprise at the beginning of the year, and the charm still works. It is with pleasure that we found the world of Pokopia and all its inhabitants, each cuter than the next.
The new diving system adds a lot of depth to the game, if you’ll pardon the pun. It is now possible to create impressive underwater environments, and it’s nice to be able to move the aquatic Pokémon from the base game that didn’t really seem to have a place on dry land (we think of poor Magikarp, condemned to hop on the ground…).
Dive controls take a little time to get used to, but once they are remembered, it is easy to get to grips with, and you can build with a freedom that has never been seen before. It’s also very nice to be able to use our new powers anywhere in the world of Pokopia, i.e. also in the base game cities.
Bubbly Basin is quite comparable to other towns in the base game, and you can expect to spend as much time there as you would in Withered Wasteland or Bleak Beach.
However, as is often the case with Nintendo these days, the central question will be that of price. This extension pass is expensive; at $49.99 CAD, we could offer you a host of complete games of extraordinary quality, far beyond what a DLC offers. As we do not yet know the content of parts 2 and 3 of this pass, it is difficult for us to recommend or not to buy it. Part 1 alone does not justify the fifty dollars requested.
Do you trust the developers of Pokopia enough to take the risk of buying the pass right away? Or would you rather wait until all the content is known before making your choice? Both options are completely valid.
For our part, we can’t wait to get back to the world of Pokopia. But at $50, it’s really better to take the time to enjoy it.
