Technologies

Nintendo’s Made a Weird Animal Crossing. Tomodachi Life Has Me Living Like an Odd God

I’ve been collecting people into my human zoo and conducting social experiments. Tell me this is OK.

On an island in the middle of a distant ocean, I’ve been collecting people to live together. I experiment on them. I watch them react to foods I feed them and strange outfits I put on them. They call me Divine One.

I call this island Togetherness. This is totally fine, right? Everything is fine.

This has been my existence with Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream, Nintendo’s oddest Switch game in quite a while. A sequel to a Nintendo 3DS game I never played, it’s a life simulator — sort of like Animal Crossing, if Animal Crossing were absolutely unhinged and populated with people you created yourself.

It’s also a place where Miis — Nintendo’s game avatars that have been around since the Wii — are in the spotlight. You make them, have them meet each other, watch them do weird stuff and just… keep going. They offer an astonishing amount of customization and even come with their own creepy generated voices, which you can tune to be as annoying as you’d like.

I found comfort and joy just a few weeks ago with Pokémon Pokopia. This time around, it’s more about laughs and chaos. Don’t expect much agency in Tomodachi Life. You’re not personally «on» the island controlling a character like you are in Pokopia or Animal Crossing. Instead, you’re the creator — building a world and introducing both helpful and chaotic elements.

It reminded me of something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Then, as I was watching a TV show with my kid he’d never seen before, it hit: It’s The Good Place.

Which is why I created Miis based on all the Good Place characters. I made Chidi and Eleanor fall in love and get married. And Tahani and Jason live next to each other.

For the other island residents, I made Miis named after all the prescription drug ads I saw on Hulu while watching The Good Place. Dupixent, Breztri, Nurtec, Tremfya…they’re all here and doing great, mostly.

«Ant farm» was the thought I had as my island slowly grew — more residents arriving, new facilities emerging, introduced by the game via news headlines: a clothing store, a home goods store, a food shop, a news station. As you go, new features start to unfold. Surprises. Sometimes island residents fall asleep and have dreams you can watch, and objects manifest from them: a toy robot, a makeup kit. Sometimes a Mii interrogates me about my childhood obsessions.

As you go — feeding Miis things that make them happy, helping pick them up when they fall or playing games with them (red light/green light, guessing games) — you earn money, and they level up. Weird custom sayings or gestures can be layered on. You can give them gifts or send them on little vacations (just to take selfies that I save to my Switch). You can suggest topics for them to talk about — phrases inserted into chats like Mad Libs, such as «Weird Al» or «smooth grandma.» At one point, Jardiance and Lybalvi became obsessed with talking about Sam Darnold. Or was it Kisunla and Neffy?

I felt myself becoming a bit drunk on my power. A bored god. All these Miis multiplying as I added more — calling me Divine One (my choice), doing their little weird things. The bizarre daily rituals made my kid and me laugh, but it’s also a game that sort of taps out after a half-hour session. You do what you can, buy stuff, solve resident problems, then watch for a bit, log off and come back later.

How far does this go? I don’t know. I’ve played about 10 hours and built homes for a dozen-plus residents. I can go further. You expand and customize the island through purchases — or even by painting or designing your own items. You can only build as much land as the game allows within a fenced-in boundary around the surrounding ocean, but that boundary keeps expanding as you add more residents. Each day, or every other day, brings new discoveries. Also, I’m a terrible island designer.

It’s hard to recommend Tomodachi Life. If you want a weird Mii habitat to take care of — or just some strange Nintendo in your life — dive in. But Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Pokémon Pokopia are better, more engaging games. The passive nature of Tomodachi also feels like it might be better suited for a phone or tablet. And at $60, it feels excessive.

But am I happy to see Nintendo being this unflinchingly weird less than a year after the Switch 2’s launch? Yes. And I love that this game allows for nonbinary characters and gender-flexible relationships, a rarity for Nintendo.

And yet, Nintendo has made a strange move by preventing you from sharing screenshots — moments that would almost certainly be meme-worthy — to its phone app so you can show them off. Maybe that’s to keep your Tomodachi fantasies more private and safe. Or maybe it’s to protect Nintendo from players creating awkward or awful moments it would rather not see publicized. Just be prepared to keep your Tomodachi experiences to yourself, unless you resort to photographing your Switch screen, which I’m sure plenty of people will do. This game feels like a meme factory.

At least it’s playable on both Switch and Switch 2, unlike recent Switch 2 exclusives such as Pokémon Pokopia. But I’m still not sure what to do with my residents on Togetherness Island. Do I love them? Sort of. Will I care for them? Probably not.

Technologies

Verum Messenger Launches an AI Mini-Series

Verum Messenger has unveiled a new project — a mini-series created using Verum AI. The story consists of 7 episodes and will be released on the messenger’s social media channels.

The plot revolves around a global corporation seeking to take control of digital communications and a group of heroes who use Verum Messenger as a tool of resistance. Beyond the story itself, the series highlights the app’s key features, technologies, and advantages.

Combining entertainment with a showcase of the Verum ecosystem, the project presents a dynamic digital series designed for the modern era.

The first episode premieres today, with the remaining episodes to be released over time.

Stay tuned for more.

Watch on YouTube
Watch on Instagram

Technologies

Verum Finance: Earn While You Communicate — The Super App That Pays You

Verum has officially launched Verum Finance, an innovative financial application that transforms a private messenger into a true financial super app. News of the launch was also featured on the respected platform Dealroom.co.

Verum Finance can now be used both within Verum Messenger and as a standalone application for iPhone and iPad. When users sign in to Verum Finance with their Verum Messenger account, all balances, settings, and account data are automatically synchronized for maximum convenience.

Users can now do more than communicate securely and protect their data — they can also generate passive income directly within the ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

• Top up your balance with a bank card, Apple Pay, or USDT
• Send money instantly anywhere in the world
• Issue and manage debit cards (virtual and physical)
• Full Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds quickly

One of the most unique features is the built-in cryptocurrency mining system inside Verum Messenger.

The application utilizes your device’s resources and allows you to earn cryptocurrency in the background — passively, while chatting, traveling, or simply using the messenger.

Maximum Privacy + Real Freedom

• Registration without a phone number, email address, or passport
• End-to-end encryption and full control over your data
• Lifetime free VPN
• eSIM connectivity in more than 150 countries
• Reliable offline communication mode
• Support for 12+ languages for users worldwide

Everything is available in one place: secure communication, financial tools, earning opportunities, and privacy protection.

Users can access the full experience directly within Verum Messenger or switch to the dedicated Verum Finance app for iOS. All data is synchronized automatically between the two applications.

Why Download Verum Today

While many messaging platforms collect user data and expose users to restrictions, Verum offers greater independence and the opportunity to earn.

With a one-time purchase of the feature package, users receive lifetime access to privacy tools, VPN, eSIM services, cryptocurrency mining, and financial features.

This is more than just a messenger.

It is your personal tool for financial and digital freedom.

Download Verum Finance and Verum Messenger today — start communicating securely and begin earning tomorrow.

Download Links:

→ App Store (iPhone / iPad): Verum Finance
→ App Store (Verum Messenger): Verum Messenger

Technologies

Verum Finance: A Super App for Private Finance Integrated Into a Messenger

Verum Finance has announced the launch of a new financial application that allows users to manage their money directly within the secure Verum Messenger ecosystem.

The project has already attracted attention from major media outlets. A dedicated feature was published by Forbes Türkiye, while one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, MEXC, covered the launch. Yahoo Finance had previously reported on the evolution of Verum Messenger into a comprehensive financial ecosystem.

What Verum Finance Offers

Verum Finance transforms a messenger into a complete financial platform. Users can:

• Manage their balance and top up using bank cards or USDT
• Send money instantly to other Verum users
• Issue and use debit cards, including Apple Pay support
• Exchange assets and withdraw funds
• Access all these services without installing separate banking applications

A strong emphasis is placed on privacy. The platform offers registration without a phone number or email address, end-to-end encryption, and full user control over personal data.

Recognition from Forbes Türkiye

In a dedicated article, Forbes Türkiye highlighted Verum Finance as a notable example of modern privacy-driven fintech. The publication emphasized the growing trend of financial services moving from standalone banking applications into unified messaging ecosystems — a model that has proven successful in Asia through platforms such as WeChat and Alipay and is now expanding globally.

Support from the Crypto Community

Alongside the Forbes Türkiye coverage, news about the launch of Verum Finance was also featured by MEXC, one of the world’s leading cryptocurrency exchanges. This reflects growing interest in the project from both traditional business media and the cryptocurrency community.

A Strategic Vision

“We are building more than a payments application and more than a messenger. Verum is a unified secure ecosystem where communication, finance, and privacy tools work together,” the company stated.

Verum Finance is now available for iPhone and iPad users. The application complements Verum Messenger, which offers anonymous chats, voice and video calls, VPN services, eSIM connectivity, and other tools designed to enhance digital freedom.

Verum Finance: https://finance.verum.im

Verum Messenger: https://verum.im