After Japan getting the VIP treatment in getting it first, Miitomo is now available to the rest of the world (well, in selected regions anyway). I must have spent the best part of Yesterday and this morning, niggling away at all of its features, testing them out, customizing my Mii, scavenging for those “All Important” Platinum Points that can unlock downloadable goodies in the newly launched rewards program My Nintendo. The points can be used to redeem rewards like Exclusive Mii Outfits, Discounts on games in the Nintendo eShop and even whole games themselves like Twilight Princess HD that will be available until October 1st, so there is still plenty of time to accumulate enough points (1000 Platinum Points to be precise) to acquire it if you have your desires set on it. If not there are other games that are available for the Virtual console like Metroid Fusion. Anyhow, playing Miitomo is one of the benefits to get Platinum Points but what about the app itself?
In a way, it is Nintendo’s answers to the Social Network and with over 3 Million downloads in less than 12 hours since launch which is a pretty good way for Nintendo to break into the Mobile gaming market. Miitomo allows you to create your own Mii representation of yourself (or not). You will then have to give them a name and the type of voice they may have, not to mention their own personality. Your Mii will then communicate with other Mii’s and share your answers with them to questions you have been asked during your play. The questions themselves can be relatively simple like “What’s your favourite food?” to a bit more in depth like “If you were to go on holiday, where would you go and who with?” Answering these questions can net you some Platinum Points so it is well worth answering them if there is something you quite like on My Nintendo. You can visit your friends “Home” and interact with them by listening to stuff they have heard or be asked questions that can refer to you or them.
The game itself is quite fun to play with but it is fairly limited in what it can offer. You can change clothes and buy new clothes in the shop which, you can purchase using the in-game currency Miitomo Coins. The coins can be earned by doing little tasks like adding friends, answering questions and leaving comments. Some clothes can be unlocked by playing a game of risk known as “Miitomo Drop.” The name of the game is to drop a Mii through the game and if it lands on a prize pad, it will collect the reward. Miitomo Drop can be found in the shop menu, with various different clothes themes on offer. You can also win candy which you can use to bribe your friends reveal certain answers to you. The real highlight of this app is Miifoto. You can take pictures of your Mii and friends in a variety of poses with plenty of different expressions. You can also add stickers and change the background from one of the pre-sets to an image from your own mobile gallery. You can then save and share the result with your friends in Miitomo and other Social Media.
Now, I know I have mentioned My Nintendo quite a few times before even though this review is only on Miitomo but the two are very interlinked as a lot of your actions in Miitomo can be rewarded in My Nintendo. So if you have got a Nintendo account or are playing Miitomo, it is a good idea to link it up to My Nintendo to put all your hard work to good use. If you are looking to download this app, you can install it free via Google Play for Android and The App Store for iOS. Though I have not experienced any problems with the app myself, there have been reports of the app crashing or not opening, especially on Jailbroken or Rooted phones
Without further ado, it is time for the Pros & Cons:
Pros:
It’s free to download and currently not pushy about micropayments (Not like a certain pink bunny that runs Nintendo Badge Arcade)
Plenty of fun and is simple enough to understand and follow.
Completing certain actions reward you with points and in-game coins which you can use to redeem rewards like games, DLC and discounts in My Nintendo and also purchase clothes for your Mii in Miitomo.
Anyone with a Smartphone can download it.
Cons:
Currently quite limited to very few activities and minigames to add to the entertainment value.
Some people are experiencing problems with opening the app or the app keeps crashing.
Could do with an option to ‘customize’ the home to make it more individual and homely.
I don’t think there are any more real pros and cons to list. It is great fun to play with but without more activities added to keep the game fresh, I have a bad feeling it may get quite stale very quickly.This is Nintendo’s first Real Mobile app and there is always room for improvement. However, that is just my opinion and now it is time for you to make your own.
Until Next Time, Keep On Gaming!
