Developed by Glumberland, Ooblets is a quirky farm life simulator that lets players take things slow as they explore the enchanting land of Oob. The game has been available through early access since 2020, and it received its official launch in September this year. Reception to it thus far has been positive, suggesting that the game will live comfortably alongside Pokemon even after Scarlet and Violet launch in November.
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The Similarities Between Ooblets and Pokemon
Ooblets has found itself compared to Pokemon frequently, mainly because the two franchises do share a few common elements. Most notably, they both involve discovering and collecting different cute critters. Pokemon has its titular monsters, while Ooblets has players collecting ooblets, which are small, plantlike creatures. Pokemon typically hatch from eggs, but ooblets are grown from ooblet seedlings which are planted and cared for.
Both games also feature plenty of exploration, which often leads to gamers meeting strange and memorable characters. Each Pokemon game introduces a new region for players to explore, and along the way, they meet Trainers stalking routes, Gym Leaders who provide tough battles, and even criminals such as Team Rocket who are intent on using Pokemon for selfish reasons. Early games from the series had players going up against rivals, but more recent entries place a greater emphasis on friendship instead.
Ooblets takes place in the land of Oob, which has several regions to explore. Players start in friendly Badgetown, though they eventually get to see places like Port Forward, Nullwhere, and Bunglebee Mines, which all have new critters to discover. Ooblets encourages gamers to make friends with the various zany characters they meet. One of the first characters players cross paths with is Mayor Tinstle, who is a colorful figure with a heart of gold.
Ooblets Does Not Try to Be Pokemon
Although there are some similarities between the two games, Ooblets carves its own path, and its aims differ from Pokemon’s. Since Pokemon Red and Blue, Pokemon has always had a competitive spirit to it – Trainers raise their teams to be better than any other, and the aim is to defeat even the toughest opponents through strategy or strength. These competitive elements leak into the online multiplayer aspects of the game where players from around the world test their skills against each other.
Ooblets goes a different route, and while players do have their ooblets competing against others, it lacks much of a competitive edge when the creatures are doing dance battles. Instead of lodging violent attacks at each other, the creatures instead try to pull off the best dance moves, making the entire experience far more wholesome than warlike. Furthermore, the game places a huge emphasis on its life simulation aspects. Players have to conserve energy and sleep to replenish it, and it takes a laid-back approach to gameplay, much like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley.
There is plenty to do in Oob, as players can go fishing (known as sea dangling) or they can purchase clothes to customize their character. There are also plenty of missions to complete, which allows gamers to find out more about the friendly townspeople, as well as the ooblets that run around. Gamers will also find themselves farming frequently, though it is always a relaxing experience.
Ooblets is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox One.
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