Miitopia
A role-playing game with customizable Mii avatars and life simulation elements.
Miitopia is a role-playing game from Nintendo, originally for the 3DS and later remastered for the Switch. The adventure takes place in a land called Miitopia, where every character—hero, villager, or villain—is a customizable Mii avatar. The story follows a party of Miis trying to stop the Dark Lord, who has been stealing the faces of the land’s people.
The game blends RPG combat with life-simulation elements. Players control a main Mii in turn-based battles, while the other three party members act on their own, guided by their assigned personality traits and character classes (called jobs). Between fights, the group stops at inns where Miis rest, eat, chat, and build relationships that affect combat—friendships unlock tag-team moves, while arguments can cause betrayal. The Switch remaster adds a horse companion and optional outings for Miis to bond further.
Miitopia began as an idea for an enhanced version of the StreetPass Quest games from StreetPass Mii Plaza. Producer Kouichi Kawamoto also drew inspiration from an NES RPG that let him customize characters. The goal was to make Miis feel more lifelike by having them fight and bicker without player input. The 3DS version launched in Japan in December 2016 and worldwide in 2017; the Switch remaster, co-developed by Grezzo, followed in May 2021.
Sales reached 1.22 million on 3DS by the end of 2022 and 1.79 million on Switch by November 2023. Critical reception was mixed: reviewers praised the art style and life-simulation aspects, often comparing it to *Tomodachi Life*, but found the story, combat, and hands-off gameplay repetitive. The Switch remaster’s extra customization options—like makeup and wigs—were widely welcomed.
- Developer
- Nintendo Entertainment Planning and Development (EPD), with assistance from Good-Feel
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Platforms
- Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch
- Release Dates
- Japan: December 8, 2016 (3DS); worldwide 2017 (3DS); Switch remaster: May 21, 2021
- Genre
- Role-playing video game with life simulation elements
- Sales
- 3DS version: 1.22 million copies by December 31, 2022; Switch version: 1.79 million copies as of November 2023
- Critical Reception
- Mixed reviews
Lore & Background
Miitopia was first conceived as 'an enhanced version' of the Mii-centric StreetPass Quest adventure games included within StreetPass Mii Plaza, a built-in application for the 3DS. Inspiration was also taken from producer Kouichi Kawamoto's personal experiences with character customizability in a Nintendo Entertainment System RPG. Having the Miis fight monsters and bicker amongst each other autonomously, without player input, was born from a desire to make them more lifelike. The game was developed primarily by Nintendo EPD, with in-game backgrounds, weapons, and clothing designed with assistance from Good-Feel. The core production team began relatively small but grew to approximately 30 in-house members alongside a number of third-party developers.
Reader's Guide
Miitopia is significant as a Nintendo RPG that emphasizes Mii avatar customization and autonomous party behavior, blending traditional turn-based combat with life simulation elements such as inn visits, relationship building, and feeding. Its mixed critical reception highlighted praise for its artistic presentation and life simulation aspects—often compared to Tomodachi Life (2013)—while criticizing its narrative, combat system, and hands-off gameplay as repetitive and lackluster. The Switch remaster, co-developed by Grezzo, introduced additional customization features like makeup and wigs, a customizable horse companion, and outings, which were received positively. Despite mixed reviews, the game achieved notable sales: 1.22 million copies for the 3DS version and 1.79 million for the Switch version. Its legacy lies in offering a unique, lighthearted RPG experience centered on player-created characters and their interactions, appealing to fans of Mii-based games and those seeking a less conventional role-playing game.
Did You Know?
- Miitopia was first conceived as an enhanced version of the StreetPass Quest games from StreetPass Mii Plaza.
- The game's autonomous Mii behavior was inspired by a desire to make the Miis more lifelike.
- The Switch remaster introduced makeup, wigs, a customizable horse companion, and outing tickets.
- The Dark Lord is revealed to be a common Mii possessed by a wisp called the Dark Curse.
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