Five Entirely Amusing And Wacky Things You Can Do In Tomodachi Life

Nintendo’s quirky life simulation game has provided endless amusement for many of the gaming giant’s fans across the world since its release. But when it launched in Japan last year, western media outlets reported on a glitch that seemingly enabled users to create same-sex relationships and marriages. But this wasn’t the case and Nintendo promptly set the record straight.

However, the publisher was plunged into hot and soapy water again, denying those relationships would exist in the game, after the title was announced for North America and Europe. To put matters to rest, Nintendo issued a formal statement clearing up the controversy and said they would strive to put same-sex relationships into a sequel, if there ever is one.

For those who haven’t picked up the title yet, are still on the fence, or have tossed it aside because its original shiny appeal got dull far too quickly, here are five things you can do or see in Tomodachi Life that will spark up a giggle-fest, making you grin from ear to ear. And if MNN’s top five list isn’t enough, you can always check out our review for the critical jargon, here.

1. Edit All In-Game Songs to Cheesy ’80s & ’90s Pop, (Especially If You Hate It)
   

Since Tomodachi Life is equipped with a song editor, this is simply mandatory. And given that it’s one of the rare things you can physically do in-game other than persistently feed your miis ruined meals just for the fun of it, it makes for a golden experience. Grab the lyrics to those one-hit wonders from pop bands you can never remember the names of, write down the chorus from Denmark-based band Cartoons’ “Witch Doctor”, Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” and Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”. Heck, if you’ve not rick rolled your miis yet, eyebrows will be raised. This is expected of you.

Better yet, create a celebrity mii of Rick Astley and have him sing his own song back to you in heavy metal, complete with backing dancers of your choice, preferably in different coloured hamster outfits. You won’t regret it.

2. Create a Celebrity Lookalike Mii with the 3DS Camera
   

   

Aside from creating your parents, partner and best friends, celebrity miis are the next best thing to filling up your apartment complex quickly (and in style). Tomodachi Life gives you both the creative freedom to experiment with different personalities and voices, but it also allows you to take pictures of people to reflect what they should look like in-game. It doesn’t always work, however – trust me.

When Hollywood actor Zac Efron looks more like a plump wide-eyed Augustus Gloop from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you know the game’s algorithms are out of kilter. But using the 3DS camera against a celebrity’s picture is highly recommended, if only for the endless amusement. It’s so terrible, you can’t help but laugh.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what Augustus Gloop looks like, then you can check out the lovely image below. No, honestly, he looks better than Zac Efron, albeit without the chocolate smears. He’s man candy. Actual, man candy. Get out your golden ticket, girls!

3. Find a Mii Who’s In Love And Crush Their Dreams
   

   

This is so mean, it’s certainly not recommended in real life – don’t do it kids. But for in-game experimentation it’s just so easy to adopt the archetypal movie villain and crush every miis’ dreams. Find a mii who’s in love and, when he or she asks for help, tell them to act desperate. So when their poor little faces crunch up with a mix of horror and sadness, you can sit back, relax and begin rubbing your hands together while murmuring “excellent” in your best Mr. Burns’s voice. Bonus points are rewarded to all those players who make their loved-up mii ask out a currently betrothed male or female. The reaction is simply too good to spoil here.

In the gallery below, you can find Peeta Mellark declaring his love for Lacey with his act of desperation. But despite him receiving a horrible, gut-wrenching rejection, he’s not about to give up. In fact, he’s decided to buy Lacey a present from his own savings – that’s a big deal considering he’s only a baker’s boy and life in the Capitol was pretty tough before he moved to Estel Island. Meeting Lacey on the beach, he’s seemingly stretched his bread-making skills and delivers pancakes for his crush.

Either Lacey has an allergy for pancakes, or she really can’t stand poor Peeta as she rejects him for the second and final time. He’s at breaking point now. His pancakes didn’t quite rise to the occasion. Better go back to making bread, Peeta, heartbroken though you are.

4. Create a Mii Band Using Only Animal or Fruit Salad Costumes
   

   

And name it Pet Shop Cocktails, Muttley Crue, Frozen Chimps – or another ridiculous but well-punned name. This one only works with careful and strategic planning, unfortunately. Make sure you’ve got a number of animal and fruit costumes to hand; the panda suit available from the game’s demo, a banana suit, hamster, chick, cat and guard dog costumes, strawberry hats etc.

Consider your band line-up of assorted miis – maybe Rick Astley’s a convenient shoe-in if others don’t make the cut – and then dress them in their colourful outfits. Edit the lyrics so they sing a song that reflects your band name and watch the drama unfold. It might just turn into a parody of Mungo Jerry’s “In the Summertime” from Just Dance.

5. Send an Odd-Looking Explorer into the Real World
   

   

Bored with sending relatively normal looking miis as explorers into the real world via StreetPass? Good. Let’s start making the oddest ones we can think of, but no rude ones please; Nintendo fans are better than that.

Back in the days of the Wii, when it was all fresh-faced and new to the gaming industry, owners could recreate all sorts of designs for miis either for fun or competitions. Downloading the winning entries would allow players to keep them in their mii plaza forever – so why not break out your creative skills and try making a Snorlax on a mii’s head, the Mona Lisa, or Futurama’s Zoidberg? You can see my own (terrible) attempt at the latter above. Mii creation is not my forte.

Once you’re done with editing your explorers, send them out into the StreetPass world with a greeting, eg: Snorlax blocks your path! or Zoidberg’s trademark, “whoop whoop whoop!” Now, if only you could make him dance with it.

What other crazy antics have your miis performed in Tomodachi Life? Let us know your favourite moments in the comments below.