The trailer for Pokémon Pokopia‘s upcoming DLC teases many exciting things, but the cozy game may have even more surprises in store. Based on some newly-released artwork, it seems the Pokémon spinoff will introduce even more features and monsters that haven’t been formally announced yet. And if fan speculation is to be believed, the life sim may soon incorporate one of the best features from the main games as well.
Retailers posted a single piece of artwork on Tuesday that kicked off a firestorm for Pokopia fans. The image is small, but there are a number of noteworthy details.
Although Snubbull didn’t appear in the trailer, this artwork suggests the pink dog will make an appearance in one of the two upcoming content drops. The end of the original trailer also briefly shows Manaphy, but this artwork is our first clear look at the legendary Pokémon.
Another thing fans will pick up on are the accessories. Pokémon in the artwork are shown wearing cosmetics such as ties, wings, and hats. Presumably, the full DLC will have many more customization options.
The final detail worth mentioning is the inclusion of sparkles. Perhaps it’s just a background detail, or the developers are reusing the animations shown while the player speaks to happy Pokémon. One theory posits that these sparkles imply that Pokopia will finally incorporate alternate Pokémon colors—or shinies. Pokémon players will spend many hours in the main games trying to capture shiny variants, so their inclusion in Pokopia would be a big deal.
One argument against this theory is that Pokopia doesn’t duplicate any monster: every species in the game is only found once. If shinies do come to Pokopia, they may not be color variants of existing Pokémon but entirely new creatures. Another possibility is that Pokopia will use costumes to transform existing characters into shinies.
What is known for certain is that the new underwater content sounds massive. One of the new drops, Bubbly Basin, is already playable. Pokopia also recently received a patch that improved Pokémon conversation and added the ability for follower Pokémon use objects like chairs or beds alongside the player.
Pokémon Pokopia’s free update gives fans a taste of Winds and Waves
A paid expansion pass also introduces a ton of new underwater content for the life sim
