Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream won't allow Mii and item sharing or any real online functionality at all, and I think I need Hugh Morris to cheer me up

Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream is officially arriving on both the Switch and Switch 2 this spring, but a bit of a damper has been put on fans' excitement regarding online features they expected to see after similar gems like Miitopia.

If you haven't yet heard, the Tomodachi Life sequel does not support online play, really. The game won't allow any screenshot sharing, first of all – something many folks looked forward to as, let's face it, showing off your silliest moments is what makes a game like Tomodachi Life so humorous (or should I say Hugh Morris?). Nintendo didn't want any "out-of-context scenes" to be "misunderstood," it wrote.

That's not all, though. Nintendo has also confirmed that Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream "does not feature any online communication features," period. That's, well, disappointing! This also pertains to Mii sharing, apparently, which is something fans loved doing in Miitopia – myself included.

On the official Tomodachi website, the company outlines as much. You can send over a Mii or an item via local play – but it won't stick around on your friend's device. Any and all Mii characters and items received via local communication cannot be given to other people permanently.

Honestly, it feels like a step down even from StreetPass on the 3DS. It's understandable that Nintendo wants to keep things SFW for all the minor players out there, but it arguably does kill some of the fun – and I'm not alone in thinking so. In fact, people are already trying to figure out how they can share Miis regardless of the rules.

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A recent Reddit thread on the matter sees its poster question "how Mii Sharing could work without online functions." They pitch an idea that reminds me of the fanmade Tamagotchi MixingMeets app I regularly use – have players (or perhaps even developers) "create a website like Miipedia, but instead of sharing access codes, it's used to share step-by-step instructions with pictures and even tutorial videos." It would be nice, wouldn't it?

Here's hoping Nintendo hears our cries for some (any, please) online functionality with our friends and delivers. I know that either way, however, Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream will be a banger experience – my fingers are crossed, anyway.

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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.

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