Pokémon Pokopia: Bubbly Basin DLC Review - Makes A Splash

First Released August 5, 2026 Systems Leave a Review Overview Score Published Aug 7, 2026, 2:07 PM EDT Explore Pokémon Pokopia's Bubbly Basin DLC with exciting new features and Water-type Pokémon, which add a ton of complexity to the game. Underwater levels in video games don't always have a great reputation, which made me a bit nervous for the Pokémon Pokopia: Bubbly Basin DLC, which was just released as Part 1 of the game's Expansion Pass. The Expansion Pass is a one-time charge that provides players with three content updates; the first and third of which add entirely new towns to the game. Not only is this a fantastic opportunity to expand on the game's content, but it brings players into new biomes, allowing for new Pokémon types. Pokémon Pokopia's cozy game mechanics and relaxed atmosphere already won me over when I first played the game, but could its DLC hold water? Bringing Ditto and their antics underwater to once again rebuild an abandoned human city and invite cute and clever Water-type Pokémon friends to move in, this DLC makes a lot of promises. Bubbly Basin Brings Us Back To Pokopia With A Splash Even without purchasing the Expansion Pass for the Bubbly Basin DLC, every Pokopia player will have received a free update that introduces the ability to Dive underwater. Heading to Bleak Beach, Professor Tangrowth directs Ditto to a new landmass where you find a hungry Manaphy. In exchange for giving them seaweed, they give you the Dive ability and encourage you to try it out. If you have purchased the DLC, you will then meet Popplio who leads you to the abandoned ruins of a town, which is known by our Pokémon friends as Bubbly Basin, but us human Pokémon fans may recognize it by another name: Cerulean City. Apparently, as the world was undergoing ecological destruction, this beloved city was submerged beneath the sea, and much of it has since been buried in sand. Just like whenever you enter a new area in the main game, this town has a Pokémon Center to rebuild and plenty of things to do to fix up the ruins of the city and build habitats for new friends. There are so many secrets to find, including treasure maps to follow, and new decorative items, clothes, blueprints, and more. If you've been playing the game already and have a ready supply of lumber, glass, and other building materials, it is a fantastic opportunity to dive into a new space, although the DLC could feel overwhelming if you are still tackling the other areas as well. For me, I was torn between exploring to find all the secrets hidden away, trying to figure out the new habitats to get as many Pokémon as possible, and building up beautiful water-themed homes. In fact, even now that I've finished the main story, I am far from being done with this overly-hydrated land. The Game Mechanics Here Work Swimmingly Anytime you take a game where the main character has been walking around on the ground and suddenly put them in the three-dimensional world of underwater, it can immediately make controls much more difficult, but, thankfully, Pokémon Pokopia makes it effortless. In fact, diving and swimming underwater was a pleasant surprise. The controls are very natural and easy to handle, particularly if you have finished the main storyline of Pokopia and received the secret endgame ability. In the water, if you don't hit any buttons, you just gradually float downward. Holding B lets you swim forward, or holding B and the trigger buttons will direct you up or down. If you want to float in a place to work on a building or its decoration, there's a simple button for that, too. Otherwise, all abilities work as normal. It was a bit comical to note which things from the above-ground world work or don't work under the waves. For example, if you want electricity, you can place a waterwheel literally anywhere underwater, and it will work. If you want to make soup or fry up some food, that won't work unless you go into one of the spaces where you are out of the water. But you can use a blender underwater, and a fire-propelled furnace to transform sand into glass somehow works fine while submerged. New Pokémon Are Adorably So-fish-ticated Although sometimes it feels like Pokémon Pokopia has far too many Pokémon to try to build homes for and discover, fans were quick to note the types that were missing from the base game. While we still don't have all our friends in the Pokédex in the game yet, Bubbly Basin unlocks 50 additional Pokémon, primarily Water-type. Like before, each of these allies will have their own abilities to help you with things such as construction, recycling, cutting, and more. Additionally, they have their own little personalities, desires, and opinions. Talking to each of these Pokémon and helping make their homes as comfortable as possible made me feel so immersed, like I truly was befriending these pocket monsters I have known for years. And if you really want your heart to be full, set Popplio to follow you as you sit down on a sofa. Seeing them curl up next to you like a pet is absolutely adorable. If You Liked Pokémon Pokopia, This Expansion Pass Is Seaworthy The sheer size of this area is breathtaking, and it feels as though there are secrets to find around every corner and behind every pile of sand. Add to that the 50 additional Pokémon that are added to the Pokédex, and all the cosmetics and items, and it is truly a large addition to the game. Part 2 for the Expansion Pass won't be as large, said to include mainly cosmetics and new features, and will arrive sometime in the later part of 2026. Then, in 2027, we will get Part 3, which promises yet another new town to rebuild. When you consider even just this first portion and the idea of another new town coming in Part 3, it feels as though this is a good deal to anyone who, like myself, is still loving being in this world. True, beating the main storyline of Bubbly Basin didn't take me too long. I finished it in a couple of evenings, but I am far from done with all the extras. There is so much to do, and so many Pokémon to find. Honestly, just the fact that even as I write this review, all I want to do is go back and play Pokémon Pokopia: Bubbly Basin should be enough to show how much I enjoy it.