Pokémon Pokopia v2.0.0 adds shared storage and underwater orientation aids

Pokémon Pokopia's free v2.0.0 update will ship with a shared storage container and a set of underwater orientation aids when the game's first paid expansion arrives on August 5, according to a hands-on preview published by the Japanese magazine Famitsu.

Famitsu played an in-development build of Bubbly Basin, the first of three parts in the Pokémon Pokopia expansion pass, and its account covers both the paid content and the free update that accompanies it. The August 5 release date for Bubbly Basin was announced previously; the Famitsu piece is the first detailed look at what the update itself contains.

A container that follows the player

The free update adds a special container that can be placed in several towns and whose contents are accessible from any of them, regardless of where an item was originally deposited. Famitsu reported the container holds 140 slots. The stated intent is to remove the need to fast-travel between towns hunting for a stored item, a problem for players whose storage boxes are scattered across the map.

Underwater comfort options

Bubbly Basin moves a substantial part of play below the surface, and the developers have added visual indicators intended to help players who lose their bearings or experience motion sickness while diving. Famitsu described a frame around the underwater view and an icon fixed at the centre of the screen, both there to give a stable point of reference.

Movement underwater also changes. Abilities other than Dive remain usable below the surface, and a blender obtainable in Bubbly Basin lets players make smoothies that power up the Surf move. Once upgraded, Surf gains a speed boost and the ability to destroy underwater blocks.

New Pokédex entries

Famitsu confirmed four Pokémon joining the Pokédex with Bubbly Basin, which players can befriend and build habitats for:

• Diglett
• Golisopod
• Stunfisk
• Sharpedo

The base game already grants the Dive ability and allows underwater travel, but registering these species requires the expansion, as they inhabit Bubbly Basin itself.

Bubbly Basin is the first of the expansion pass’s three parts. Players who do not buy it still receive the v2.0.0 update, including the shared container, at no cost on August 5.