The first DLC pack for Pokémon Pokopia has dropped, and one of the game’s biggest limits – any amount of water greater than depth 2 – is now an invitation. Pokopia is going to the depths, and while I was sceptical at first, it’s actually become my favourite place to play the game.
The gameplay mechanics of being underwater are top-notch, but does the amount of content provided justify the price?
To access the town of Bubbly Basin, you will first need to learn how to dive below the water. The new dive technique is included in the free update that launched alongside the DLC. Going underwater is available for everyone; getting to Bubbly Basin is only for those who purchase the DLC.
Learning the dive technique is not an easy feat either, unless you have been diligent about getting your towns to an Environmental Level 5. Once you get Bleak Beach to Environmental Level 5, you will need to swim out to an island Professor Tangrowth points out using Lapras’s transformation to surf. Here you will meet Manaphy, and after giving them 5 seaweed to help them get their strength back, Manaphy will teach you the dive technique.
Going underwater is quite easy. You will automatically use your Dive technique when you begin to sink below the surface. Use RB to swim up and let go to sink down. If you want to sink almost instantly, simply spin the left control stick. You can also float in place underwater by holding ZL.
To unlock Bubbly Basin, head back to the Pokémon Center in Bleak Beach and talk to Popplio. After a brief discussion, Popplio will invite you to his town to clean it up and make it feel like new. You will swim out directly behind the Pokémon Center and dive down when you see a little underwater mound of sand. Here you will find the gate to Bubbly Basin, but it is locked. Popplio will ask you to figure out how to open the gate. Simply scan your Pokédex, and the gate will open, paving the way to Bubbly Basin.
Bubbly Basin is an entire town and area to explore, and is the same size as all the other towns you’ve visited up to this point in the game. The underwater world does have some dry elements as you surface inside caves; one specific cave has a small hot spring and the Pokémon Center that you will need to fix up.
The deeper you dive, the darker it becomes. Getting caves lit up deep below the waves was a decent challenge, and a requirement to unlock specific Pokémon.
I wasn’t sure how many new Pokémon to expect when Bubbly Basin released, but I sure as heck did not think that number would be 50. In the grand scheme of things, where there are 1000s of Pokémon, 50 doesn’t seem like that many. That said, finding all of them by establishing brand new habitats wasn’t a cakewalk; getting each one felt really good.
Obviously, like any Pokémon fan, I do have my favorites. I loved that we got starter Pokémon like Totodile and Popplio, as well as original Pokémon like Horsea and Seadra. There is also a brand new ability called Scrub, which allows certain Pokémon to clean dirty items, such as the pearls you will find all over the ocean floor.
Remember the first time you found Creative Mode in Minecraft, and you could just float around and do whatever you wanted? That’s how the new dive mechanic feels in Pokémon Pokopia. Instead of climbing over large mountains and building up platforms where necessary, I can simply swim, which makes traversing Bubbly Basin so incredibly easy.
This might be a personal gripe, but getting from A to B on any of the game’s numerous areas is my least favorite part of Pokopia. That’s all fixed here, as moving throughout Bubbly Basin could not be easier.
I also love the ability to build mid-air – er, water, I guess. New buoyancy blocks allow you to construct houses and other items; no need to anchor them to the ocean floor. This has allowed me to build up my town vertically, adding a ton of houses for my Pokémon in a tight space.
Bubbly Basin is about as close to a perfect DLC launch as Nintendo can get. Pokémon Pokopia is already a fabulous game that has provided me over a hundred hours of fun; my playtime on Bubbly Basin alone is nearing 30 hours.
Yet, I can’t help but be annoyed by the way this DLC is being released. Nintendo has planned three DLC launches for Pokopia: Bubbly Basin, which was released on August 5, 2026, and two future DLC launches in late 2026 and in 2027. The 2027 DLC promises to be yet another town to explore, while the late 2026 releases will come with a lot of new cosmetic items and options for players.
The problem is the pricing. You either purchase access to all the DLC, not fully knowing what will be coming in part 2 or 3, or you purchase none of it. There is no way to just purchase Bubbly Basin. You either pay 34.99 USD (49.99 CAD) for everything, or get nothing at all.
From a consumer standpoint, this sucks. I might not care about Pokémon Pokopia when part 2 and 3 of the DLC launch, which means I’m effectively paying 34.99 USD (49.99 CAD) for one DLC pack which is not worth it.
Thankfully, I am invested in this game and will be excited to try all the DLC regardless of when it gets released.
As I noted above, I think Nintendo did a great job adding a ton of content to the game with this first release. Only time will tell, though, if the price tag is worth paying.
Adam has been writing about video games since 2014 and board games since 2018. If he's not rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs or Toronto FC, he definitely has a controller in his hand - probably playing on a Nintendo platform - or is sitting at a table playing a board game. Adam also has firm opinions on a few key topics: there are much better board games than Settlers of Catan, and Nintendo doesn't need to compete with Sony and Microsoft.
