Nintendo has finally joined the mobile app world with its first new social app, Miitomo. It serves as kind of a mix between Facebook and Miiverse from the Wii U, where users socialize with friends in a virtual living room and ask each other questions. But can the app really replace all the social media apps that fill peoples phones?

Released on March 31, the free-to-play app allows users to create a Mii avatar from scratch or use an existing Mii from their My Nintendo account. Users then answer questions that will be shared to people on their friends list. Additionally, the app connects to Facebook and Twitter to find friends that are using the app.

Making your Mii is a simple process. The menus are easy to understand and functional with touch screen controls. There are enough body parts to create just about anybody out there. Also, there are a nice variety of clothing options. With the clothing shop updated regularly with new individual clothes and full outfits, users will keep coming back for the new looks.

Your Mii sounds like a robot at first, but by changing the pitch your Mii can sound more organic, even if the voice system is a bit awkward. My personal Mii sounds like a demon that has sucked some helium out from a balloon. His voice is absolutely ridiculous but every time he talks I just can’t help but to laugh out loud.

To interact with other Miis, a thought bubble will appear over the user’s Mii’s head with the face of your friend’s Mii. Tap the bubble and the answers from your friend’s Mii will appear in a speech bubble. The Mii will read the answer out loud and then you can heart or comment on the answer. Tapping on your Mii will allow you to answer questions that will be shared with your friends.

To purchase clothing from the shop, users can get Miitomo Coins by performing different actions within the app. If you listen to questions and answer them you get some coins. If you log in every day, the app will reward you with coins or Game Tickets. These tickets are used for the Miitomo Drop minigame or you can just use coins to play. You can earn additional clothing by playing the minigame, but what clothing you get is random.

You can also take photos of your Mii with the MiiFotos option in the app. You can change the background to any preset that is installed in the app, but you can also use photos that are in your phone. So you can use photos that are on your phone and put Miis in them. Then you can change the Mii’s body position, facial expression and size to create some absurd images. You can share them on your social media accounts like Instagram and Twitter, and even share them to friends in the app itself.

All things considered, Miitomo is an oddity in Nintendo’s line up. Being the company’s first mobile app, it does exactly what it needs to do: attract players for 15 or 20 minutes a day. But what the app offers doesn’t have the lasting power that other mobile apps have. If Nintendo intends for this to be a app that people will check every day to see what their friends are up to, they have missed the mark. As an app people will play with a few times a week, it’s honestly not bad.

– Featured image: Miitomo is Nintendo’s first step in the mobile app business. The app allows you to create a Mii and interact with your friends in-game. – Photo created by Nintendo Co.

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