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Pokopia and Tomodatchi only look like sandboxes at first glance. They are far more directed. They're not a perfect square with you in the middle. They're a star shape with you in the middle.

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I genuinely don't understand the relevance of the square vs. star map layout - does that matter or is there an analogy I don't understand?

It’s not literally the map of the game: it’s about what the player can do.

A square means total freedom. A star means freedom to choose guarded experiences with internal choices.

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