The Best Ways to Make Tomodachi Life More Challenging

Tomodachi Life is a lighthearted life simulation game that offers plenty of quirky fun, but for players looking to add an extra layer of challenge, there are creative ways to make the game more demanding. Whether you want to introduce difficulty in managing relationships, finances, or overall gameplay, here are some of the best ways to increase the challenge in Tomodachi Life.

1. Limit Food and Item Purchases

One way to make the game harder is to restrict the purchase of food and items. Normally, you can freely buy meals, clothes, and interior decorations, but setting a rule like only buying one item per day forces you to think strategically about what your Miis really need. This limitation will also make it tougher to keep your Miis happy and well-fed.

2. Control Relationship Building

Instead of letting relationships form naturally, create rules around friendships and romantic connections. For example:

• Only allow Miis to befriend or date someone after a certain number of interactions.

• Prevent Miis from dating until they have a specific number of best friends.

• Deny romantic relationship suggestions unless certain conditions are met (such as high compatibility scores).

These constraints will make relationship management more strategic and less random.

3. Strict Budgeting and Money Management

Earning money in Tomodachi Life is relatively easy, but to make it more challenging, impose strict budgeting rules. Some ideas include:

• Only collecting donations once per day instead of multiple times.

• Not accepting gifts or only using money earned from mini-games.

• Setting a maximum daily spending limit on food, clothing, and apartments.

By managing finances more carefully, you’ll need to prioritize necessities and plan spending wisely.

4. Only Accept the First Name and Appearance for Miis

Instead of customizing Miis to fit your ideal vision, challenge yourself by accepting the first randomly generated name, face, and personality the game provides. This adds unpredictability to your island and prevents you from optimizing Mii personalities to your liking.

5. Minimal Problem Solving

Tomodachi Life allows you to constantly intervene in your Miis’ issues, but what if you could only help with a set number of problems per day? By limiting how often you step in, your Miis will struggle more with their problems, which can create interesting and sometimes chaotic scenarios.

6. Enforce Role-Playing and Unique Rules for Each Mii

Assign different rules to different Miis based on their “lifestyle.” Some fun and challenging role-playing ideas include:

• A “Minimalist Mii” who can only wear one outfit and eat the same food daily.

• A “Gourmet Mii” who must eat the most expensive foods every day.

• A “Workaholic Mii” who must participate in mini-games daily to earn extra money.

This can add a layer of complexity to gameplay as you juggle different personal restrictions.

7. Challenge Yourself to Keep Every Mii Happy

Instead of allowing some Miis to feel neglected, make it a goal to keep every resident satisfied. This means attending to every problem they have, fulfilling all requests, and ensuring they have balanced friendships and relationships. This task becomes more difficult as your island grows.

8. Create a Survival Mode

To make the game more difficult, introduce a “survival mode” where Miis must meet specific requirements to stay on the island. If a Mii doesn’t eat for a certain period, fails too many relationships, or doesn’t receive a gift in a week, they must be deleted or replaced.

9. Random Event Challenges

To shake things up, use a random number generator or dice rolls to create unexpected events. Some examples include:

• Rolling a dice to decide if a random Mii gets a new apartment.

• Flipping a coin to determine whether you can buy food that day.

• Drawing a random challenge (e.g., “Spend no money today” or “Only interact with one Mii”).

This adds an element of surprise and forces you to adapt to unpredictable circumstances.

10. One Mii Per Household Rule

Normally, it’s easy to let Miis pair up and share apartments, making life more manageable. For a tougher experience, ensure that each Mii has their own apartment, increasing financial strain and making space management more of a challenge.

11. Limit Compatibility Testing

The compatibility tester can make pairing Miis easy, but to add difficulty, refrain from using it. Instead, let relationships develop naturally based on their personalities, which may lead to unexpected and sometimes chaotic outcomes.

12. Play with Permanent Consequences

A more extreme challenge is to set permanent consequences for your decisions. For instance:

• If a Mii’s relationship fails three times, they must leave the island.

• If a Mii gets too many dislikes on food, they are banned from eating their favorite meals.

• If a Mii reaches max happiness, they must be “retired” (deleted or moved out).

This adds stakes to every decision and makes the game much less forgiving.

13. No Gift Rule

Gifts make Miis happy and improve their moods, but avoiding them can increase difficulty. Try not giving out any gifts, interiors, or outfits to see how well your Miis cope with their default items.

14. Extreme House Rules

For a serious challenge, implement extreme rules such as:

• Miis can only eat one type of food per week.

• You can only spend money once every three in-game days.

• Relationships can only be formed after a week of knowing each other.

These restrictions force more careful planning and long-term strategy.

15. Time-Based Challenges

Set a time-based goal for your island, such as:

• Achieving a specific happiness level within a set number of days.

• Getting a certain number of couples married within a time frame.

• Reaching a financial milestone before a deadline.

These goals add pressure and make gameplay more focused and goal-driven.

By using these strategies, you can transform Tomodachi Life into a more challenging and engaging experience. Whether you’re enforcing role-playing elements, financial restrictions, or relationship rules, these ideas will push you to think differently about managing your island and Miis.