Pokémon Pokopia: Bubbly Basin Reviews Land With Mostly High Marks

Critics Largely Welcomed the New Underwater Area

Part One of the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass dropped this week, and the review scores are stacking up in its favor. Bubbly Basin, the underwater-themed new area added to the Nintendo Switch 2 title, has been making the rounds across gaming outlets, and the consensus leans positive, with a few mild caveats worth knowing before you spend.

Nintendo Life awarded the DLC 8 out of 10 stars, describing it as a solid opening chapter for the paid content. “The Pokopia Expansion Pass is off to a solid start with Bubbly Basin, with much-needed quality-of-life improvements, new Pokémon to find, and a refreshing new map to explore,” the site wrote, as reported in its own roundup published Monday.

The High Scores and What Drove Them

ScreenRant handed out a perfect 10 out of 10, leaning heavily on the sheer scale of what Bubbly Basin delivers. “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,” the outlet wrote, according to Nintendo Life’s roundup. ScreenRant also pointed to the 50 additional Pokémon added to the Pokédex, plus new cosmetics and items, as reasons the DLC earns its keep.

Game8 scored it 88 out of 100, calling Bubbly Basin “a charming DLC that greatly enhances the already smooth gameplay experience given by the base game.” The site acknowledged the story is “nothing to write home about” but credited the new crafting, building, and exploration content for picking up the slack. Game8 also noted that the DLC sets a reasonable standard for the two remaining packs still to come.

Where the Enthusiasm Gets More Measured

Polygon offered an opinion piece rather than a scored review, and its take had a bit more nuance. The outlet called Bubbly Basin a net positive for Pokopia, praising the vertical space and hidden nooks in the new map. But it raised a fair concern about pacing. “I just wish I could get to the sandbox joy faster after already spending 50 hours learning the ropes,” Polygon wrote, questioning whether each expansion will keep asking veteran players to work through tutorial-style quest chains for basic mechanics before the real fun opens up.

Game Informer shared first impressions rather than a finished review, noting that Bubbly Basin is aesthetically strong and appears to trim some of the wait times tied to construction projects compared to the base game. The outlet hadn’t finished the DLC at time of writing but called those early hours a reminder of why Pokémon Pokopia works as well as it does.

What Came Free Alongside the Paid Content

Worth flagging for anyone who owns Pokopia but has not yet decided on the Expansion Pass: a free Version 2.0.0 update launched at the same time as Bubbly Basin. That patch adds the new move Dive along with additional changes, according to Nintendo Life. You get the update regardless of whether you purchase the DLC.

For those already in, Part Two of the Expansion Pass is scheduled to arrive later this year. Part Three follows in 2027. Nintendo Life noted it will continue updating the review roundup as more outlets weigh in on Bubbly Basin, so the picture may get fuller over the coming days. Based on what is already out there, the DLC appears to justify its existence cleanly, even if long-tenured players might want to brace for another round of onboarding before the sandbox opens up.