Talk:Tomodachi Life

"Not to be confused with Tamagotchi"???

Umm?? This is not coincidentally called "Tamagotchi" as well. --180.72.66.61 (talk) 13:08, 31 January 2017 (UTC)

EDIT: Now as of 14 March, 2017, the use of the template Distinguish distinguishing Tamagotchi has been removed from the main article.
Reason: Both of the works are not extremely similarly named.
--180.72.66.61 (talk) 07:03, 14 March 2017 (UTC) (original thread poster)

Thank you for your thorough GA Review. I will address these issues in time. PerryPerryD Talk To Me 18:39, 17 June 2022 (UTC)

@PerryPerryD that was me before I had an account. I still agree the Tamagotchi comparison is strange, but you can add a new distinguish template if you want. WannurSyafiqah74 (talk) 08:01, 22 August 2022 (UTC)

I noticed the new distinguish template for another Tomodachi game. Wanted to point out that it was overlooked back at 2017, but hey, thanks for being considerate! Even if you were late. But frankly, I used to IP hop and act stupid, so... WannurSyafiqah74 (talk) 08:04, 22 August 2022 (UTC)

Songs list in Gameplay

I've been reverting the Songs list in the Gameplay section multiple times now for several reasons: it doesn't state any sources and it feels like a very minor part of the gameplay (although I haven't played this game, so if this is not the case, feel free to correct me on that), definitely not something that would need to stick out as much as it does currently. My reverts however have been reverted multiple times as well (without a specified reason), though, which is why I'm currently here.

I'm for the removal of this section since it only addresses (what I think is) a very minor part of the actual gameplay and because there are no sources stated to back up the information written, violating WP:V.

Even if the consensus becomes to keep that section (with or without sources), I feel like the bullet points should be inline with the text, since they stick out quite a bit. I also find the top sentence confusing as it states there are eight songs you can pick from, but only lists musical genres, not actual songs. Like I said, I'm unfamiliar with the game, so I can't really suggest a replacement for it, but I definitely think the sentence should be rephrased to avoid confusion.

In the greater context of the game, what songs the Miis can play is really minor, and here it's more akin to a list of unlockables, which Wikipedia should not be listing. I'm for excluding it from the article. --ThomasO1989 (talk) 14:38, 15 May 2019 (UTC)

Late reply but I was the one adding song lists, I wanted to match the Tomodachi Collection gameplay and it doesn't site sources. Gamerknowitall (talk) 18:18, 3 June 2020 (UTC)

More sources to dig your teeth into

Not only was Tomodachi Life so long ago, but its last parting coverage was the same-sex controversy, meaning that a lot of the other stuff is rather buried. That doesn't mean development coverage doesn't exist, it might just be hard to find. I found some more sources for ya:

The way I found these is through the overview pages offered by news sites (the ones listed came from Nintendo Life's]. It links to you every news post that references the game's name in it, and this should really help you find release timeline info and other development interviews. Take a look through these and see what else you can find:

Once you cram these other goodies in I'll give a specific look-through. You're off to a good start! Panini! • 🥪 00:13, 6 April 2022 (UTC)

Expanding legacy section

would this be considered notable enough to be included in the legacy section? a Tomodachi Life themed microgame is featured in WarioWare Gold, including a unique composition of the game theme
.huepow^talk 00:06, 13 May 2022 (UTC)

As long as you can cite it reliably, yes. PerryPerryD Talk To Me 14:34, 13 May 2022 (UTC)

Rewriting development section (Tomodachi Collection: New Life)

currently the section I wrote regarding the Japanese release of Tomodachi Life (Tomodachi Collection: New Life) is very heavily written like a timeline (refer to WP:PROSELINE) since many of the sources partially available in English relates to announcements (Nintendo Directs), and there are no english (or english translated) interviews that i could find. it's critical that this introductory paragraph for the development section includes interviews or further explanation regarding Tomodachi Collection: New Life in order to give background for the subheading "Western release".

there's an Iwata Asks interview regarding Tomodachi Collection: New Life which i'm assuming would be a very good resource into the development of the initial game. this could act as a bridge into the subheading and help the development section become more fluid. if anyone can reliably translate this then it would be greatly appreciated
.huepow^talk 02:33, 15 May 2022 (UTC)

Please remember that JPWiki and ENWiki have different guidelines :) PerryPerryD Talk To Me 02:36, 15 May 2022 (UTC)

"Tomodachi Life(Nintendo 3DS)" listed at Redirects for discussion

The redirect Tomodachi Life(Nintendo 3DS) has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2023 May 25 § Tomodachi Life(Nintendo 3DS) until a consensus is reached. Steel1943 (talk) 05:59, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

spd

nintendo spd1 was renamed to nintendo spd7 so why not put it as spd7 Superspongis (talk) 18:05, 17 July 2023 (UTC)

Do you have a reliable source that states this? ThomasO1989 (talk) 18:10, 17 July 2023 (UTC)

It is not exact.

There was a merge of Entertainment Analysis & Development (EAD) and Software Planning & Development (SPD) divisions, but only in 2015.

The resulting division, Enternainment Planning & Development, has a group n°7 (EPD7, and not SPD7), but the game Tomodachi Life was already released. Manga31 (talk) 16:45, 18 July 2023 (UTC)

Series name

Despite each game in this series having different suffixes after "Tomodachi", the series has apparently been referred to officially as the Tomodachi Life series. Which name should be used? SleepDeprivedGinger (talk) 20:00, 28 March 2025 (UTC)

It’s not really true that each entry has a different subtitle. All three begin with “Tomodachi Collection” in Japanese, and both the second and third entries begin with “Tomodachi Life” in English. The first entry’s name is only different in English since it was never localized. (Rhythm Heaven is a similar case: the first entry is called “Rhythm Tengoku” since it was never localized, but “Rhythm Heaven” is still the name of the series, and in Japanese the inconsistency isn’t there.)

That said, it has been called the “Tomodachi” series officially, too. However, I would argue in favor of calling it the “Tomodachi Life” series since that name has been used more recently in a far more prominent source, and it reflects the names of both localized entries (it isn’t “Tomodachi: Living the Dream”). 136.47.203.94 (talk) 22:24, 30 March 2025 (UTC)

I'm willing to go by the first paragraph, as per WP:COMMONNAME. However, I'm not exactly sure how to prove which out of the two has been used the most. Perhaps mentions from reliable citations?

I'm not too sure about the second paragraph though; unless I'm missing something, "it reflects the names of both localized entries" feels contradictory, as that better describes "Tomodachi" more than anything else. SleepDeprivedGinger (talk) 14:54, 31 March 2025 (UTC)

As far as the common name goes, I imagine there isn’t much info on that for the time being, but seeing as we now have two localized entries, both of which use the “Tomodachi Life” name, I imagine that will be the common name going forward, though I understand if it might take some time to be able to demonstrate that.

Not sure what you mean by my last sentence being contradictory, though. Both localized entries use the “Tomodachi Life” name in English, which I suppose means that they use “Tomodachi” as well, but official usage seems to indicate that “Tomodachi Life” will be the standard series name going forward. 136.47.203.94 (talk) 00:01, 2 April 2025 (UTC)

Your arguments make sense, and I have nothing else to add. Therefore, I'm okay with "Tomodachi Life" being the final answer unless any other users want to add anything. Should we wait a while before making the changes, in case anyone else wants to reply, or should I/we start the process immediately? SleepDeprivedGinger (talk) 12:49, 2 April 2025 (UTC)

I was about to start making the changes, beginning with renaming the category, but the topic and renaming doesn't align with WP:C2 (not to mention I've never moved/renamed a category before so I have no idea what I'm doing). SleepDeprivedGinger (talk) 13:25, 4 April 2025 (UTC)

GA review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Tomodachi Life/GA3. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: TheBrickGraphic (talk · contribs) 23:06, 6 February 2026 (UTC)

Reviewer: Cukie Gherkin (talk · contribs) 18:45, 7 February 2026 (UTC)

Infobox

• Developer unlisted outside of infobox
  • Found a TheGamer article that mentions Nintendo SPD. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• A lot of the team is only in the infobox and uncited; is there truly no information regarding any of the directors, for instance?
  • Incorporated director informaiton into Development, now titled "Development and release". Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• NA release date is only in lead and infobox
  • Added source detailing its North American and European release date. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)

Lead

• The lead should be expanded; for example, the same-sex relationship controversy should be explained in the lead, and the third paragraph could be expanded to include a line about the fact that it now allows players to choose their Miis' sexualities
  • Added the following sentences:
    • "The game was initially released as Tomodachi Collection: New Life on April 18, 2013 in Japan. Unlike its predecessor, Nintendo sought to rerelease the game overseas, and undertook major localization efforts to appeal to differing regions. Under the title Tomodachi Life, it released on June 6, 2014..."
    • "An inability for Miis to have same-sex relationships was widely criticized by reviewers and the subject of online controversy."
    • "Among other customization additions, the player now able to manually select their Miis' sexualities, permitting same-sex pairings."
  • Let me know if these read well. TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
    • These read well - Cukie Gherkin (talk) 21:10, 11 February 2026 (UTC)
• The date info should be tweaked. Namely, the second and third instances of 2014 should be removed, like this: "The game was released on April 18, 2013 in Japan. It later released on June 6, 2014 in North America and Europe, June 7 in Australia, and July 17 in South Korea."
•  Done.
• Note that a punctuation should follow release info; i.e. "June 6, 2014, in North America"
•  Done.

Gameplay

• "in a dedicated menu" Unnecessary detail
  • Removed. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• Section should discuss the fact that the game operates on the 3DS' internal clock
  • @Cukie Gherkin: The only semi-reliable sources I could find discussing the clock feature is TheGamer article "Games That Are Set To Real Time" and the GameRevolution review For the former's section pertaining to Tomodachi Life, it doesn't actually mention the clock directly; it kind of seems to skirm around it as if the title of the article is the sole context? ("...the opportunity to live their best lives in real-time") For the latter, all it says is that Tomodachi Life has "less of a dependency on the system clock" than Animal Crossing. I could try to find a first-person Nintendo source that discusses this; would that be appropriate?
    • I can take a look myself in a bit - Cukie Gherkin (talk) 21:10, 11 February 2026 (UTC)
    • Having looked, I didn't find anything to verify this (and I dug pretty deep). @TheBrickGraphic: I think using primary sourcing to verify the clock's function is fine in this case. - Cukie Gherkin (talk) 21:29, 11 February 2026 (UTC)
      • Added the following: "Time on the island passes parallel to that set on the 3DS' internal clock." Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 23:06, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

Development

• Section is too light, especially when there is sourcing on development (which can also verify key people):
  • Expanded the section using the interview you provided. Let me know if aything reads awkwardly or should be cut. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
    • Update: I found a Nintendojo article (considered reliable per WP:VG/S) that discusses Tomodachi Collection's development and mentions the fact that a worldwide localization of the game was considered by Nintendo. However, it was ultimately scrapped because the text-to-speech software employed for the Miis mechanically could not replicate English phonemes, being built solely for Japanese; changing the software itself felt too extreme of an alteration, so the localization plan was scrapped. I find this very interesting and something that should definitely be noted in this article's Development section, but I'm having trouble as to where exactly. Should it go into the first paragraph discussing the early development of Life, since that's where Collection is most referenced? Or the "Localization" section because the source, well, discusses an attempt to localize a former Tomodachi game? It's minor, but I'd like your input on this if possible. TheBrickGraphic (talk) 02:53, 9 February 2026 (UTC)

      I think localization is fine for it, because whether the series would be localized doesn't really influence development Cukie Gherkin (talk) 21:12, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

      • Added. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 23:06, 11 February 2026 (UTC)
• "Hinting directly at an overseas launch for the game" appears to be original research, I'd suggest dropping all of this: "A release for Tomodachi Collection: New Life to other regions was heavily considered during and after the game's release in Japan. On January 29, 2014, Satoru Iwata told The Wall Street Journal that "the company is now working on the right balance of localizing Japan-oriented games just enough so that foreign audiences can enjoy them", hinting directly at an overseas launch for the game."
  •  Done.
• "formally releasing" I'm not sure what formally is meant to imply
  • Removed "formally". Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• While the Computer and Video Games source identifies Sakamoto as the Super Metroid director, I think that's not really sufficient to mention his work on the Metroid series.
  • Removed "...best known for his work on the Metroid series..."
• Should say when it launched with the Sea Green 3DS
  • Added source detailing its North American and European release date. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• WP:HOWEVER
  • Removed. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• Inconsistent use of U.S., United States, and North America
  • Replaced with "North America" in all instances. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• I feel like promotion makes more sense before the release info since it took place chronologically
  • Restructured the entire section to the best of my ability; let me know if anything seems amiss. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)

Reception

• Remove Metacritic score and GR score from the prose; additionally, I would suggest removing GameRankings, as consensus has been in favor of only using it in the event that it is either drastically different or the only aggregate available.
  •  Done.
• WP:HOWEVER
  • Removed. Y
• "about 404,858" should just be the number since it's likely the exact sale figure
  •  Done
• It being one of the best-selling 3DS games is unverified
  • Removed the mention altogether in both Reception and the lead. There was a citation to the claim in a past version of the article, but it was a Nintendo primary source that didn't feel necessary to me. Now though, I don't think it being a best-seller is super important to mention anyway. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• "Most critics" is this the case? Looking at the review template, it seems like most of the critics cited in the article aren't being cited for the humor. Suggest "Many critics" instead.
  •  Done.
• The way things are structured makes it a little weird since the article introduces a Nintendo Direct for a third game having same-sex relationships before confirming that a Nintendo Direct confirmed the existence of a third game. I would consider moving this info down into "Sequel".
  • Ah, I see what you mean. Just moved it down. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• Review box is pretty large; guidelines for inclusion says that only 10 reviews should be featured so as to not make it so dominating.
  • Reduced to 13; this was about as much I could do since most of them are incorporated into the prose. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
    • On second thought, I figure not every review in the prose needs to be in the table. Just removed USgamer, Joystiq, and GameTrailers. Y 22:58, 8 February 2026 (UTC)
• Stars should not be used in the review box; swap with their equivalent number rating
  •  Done.
• On the review box, for removing sources, I suggest removing the Official Nintendo Magazine source, Edge source, and GamesTM source, as none of them are used in review prose. Also, remove the Pocket Gamer source and Nintendo World Report source since they are cited outside of the review box, but not for reception.
  •  Done.

Images

• Image looks good, but the infobox squishes the gameplay screenshot down pretty far.
  • Admittedly this was a concern of mine when I first replaced the original gameplay screenshot, but I was also worried about a potential MOS:SANDWICH situation if I changed the picture's position to the left. Do you have any suggestions for how to go about this? After expanding the article in accordance with your comments the picture does seem to look less awkward. TheBrickGraphic (talk) 14:57, 8 February 2026 (UTC)

    With the lead expansion, this shouldn't be an issue anymore - Cukie Gherkin (talk) 21:09, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

Spotcheck

• "By continuously adding Miis and completing miscellaneous objectives, additional buildings, shops, and attractions throughout the island become unlocked. These include food and clothing vendors, an amusement park, observation tower, café, and other venues that Miis can occasionally visit in their own time." In spotchecking the Destructoid source (and the other sources to verify the content it did not check), none of them mention a cafe
  • Added the Nintendo Life review, which mentions the cafe. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 23:06, 11 February 2026 (UTC)
• Looks good
• Is there a better source to say that it's text-to-speech?
  • Found a VG427 source that outwardly calls it "speech synthesis"... surpised I didn't find this sooner. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 23:06, 11 February 2026 (UTC)
• Looks good, except for the review box, I noticed it's not cited in the reception section. I'd suggest removing it from the review box and adding back in one of the ones you removed that is used in the reception prose or finding a way to work this review's reception into the prose.
  • That's weird, just incorporated it into the prose. Y TheBrickGraphic (talk) 23:06, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

Nominator Comments

• @Cukie Gherkin: All comments have been addressed. TheBrickGraphic (talk) 23:06, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

  Everything looks good. As a recommendation if you ever bring it to FAC, I would look into Japanese RSes, as Yoshi's New Island's FAC faced difficulties for lacking a Japanese perspective on the games. You can use my source searching tool to find some of these RSes. - Cukie Gherkin (talk) 23:22, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

  Oh, thanks! TheBrickGraphic (talk) 23:27, 11 February 2026 (UTC)

Peer review

Tomodachi Life

I've listed this article for peer review because I am aiming to nominate it for FA status sometime soon. This would be the second FA nomination connected to the Tomodachi Life series, the first having been this game's predecessor, Tomodachi Collection (2009). All comments are appreciated!

Thanks, TheBrickGraphic (talk) 17:14, 7 August 2026 (UTC)