Hello Kitty Island Adventure Review (Switch, PC, & iOS)

Feeling stressed out after a long day? Perhaps the heavy MMO you’ve been playing has been whopping your ass a little too much? Why not take a break with Hello Kitty Island Adventure? Even if cozy gaming isn’t your forte, the gameplay is relaxing in the long run and might just be what you need to get back to your routine. Also, it might be a good alternative to Animal Crossing: New Horizons or Disney Dreamlight Valley, which fall into similar genres. However, there are differences in the execution of the gameplay that we’ll be diving into in our Hello Kitty Island Adventure review below.

Island Vacay

Hello Kitty Island Adventure didn’t take long to capture the hearts and minds of Apple Arcade users. It simply skyrocketed in praise and acclaim, thanks to its vibrant and colorful world. Since then, the game has received consistent content updates leading up to the recent launch on consoles. Fortunately, the frame rate drops and performance issues on iOS have been ironed out. Hello Kitty Island Adventure definitely runs smoother on the Switch and PlayStation. But even more so is the access to a wider audience who can now appreciate the delightful adventure of Sanrio’s greatest buds. 

For such an adorable game, it’s a little shocking that the story starts with a fight issue. Hello Kitty and friends are aboard a plane on their way to a tropical island. However, an issue with the flight forces them to parachute to safety. While a few of Hello Kitty’s friends land safely, the rest of the bandmates are dispersed all across the island. So, your task at hand becomes searching for your missing friends. Alongside bringing everyone back together, you also unravel a mystery on the deserted island, exploring different biomes and restoring the tourist destination to its former glory.

Give to Receive

As Apple Arcade users can tell, the story hasn’t changed in Hello Kitty Island Adventure’s console version. The premise and turn of events remain largely the same, unfolding via story quests. Often, you’ll discover new snippets of information via character dialogues. Each character is adapted from the Sanrio franchise, from Hello Kitty, My Melody, Keroppi, and more. However, the characters, along with their plot points, unlock gradually the more quests you complete. Unfortunately, you cannot transfer your progress from Apple Arcade to consoles, at least not at the moment. Perhaps it’ll be possible to do so in the future. 

In any case, the way Hello Kitty Island Adventure’s gameplay works is giving to receive. At the start, you have limited access to the island, characters, quests, items, and so on. However, the more story quests you complete, the more characters, quests, and items you unlock. But you can also choose to pave your own way. Rather than follow the story quests, you can explore the island however you want. It’s open-ended, allowing you to carve your own path. However, some areas will be locked based on your current level. To unlock new areas, you’ll need to collect special items scattered in the world that you can craft into valuables. These can be gifted to the characters you meet, thus raising your friendship levels. Consequently, the higher your friendship levels, the more quests and items you unlock.

Gameplay Loop

Soon, you’ll be in a gameplay loop that requires completing quests to earn rewards to gift friends to increase friendship levels and unlock more quests. This is usually the MO of games like these, except Hello Kitty Island Adventure does have some kind of structure. It’s somewhat more linear, thanks to the myriad quests you can take on. The quests vary anywhere from crafting a dessert to cooking a delicious meal. You have daily quests, too, ranging from taking a selfie with My Melody to brewing an item. At the heart of the quests, though, is raising friendship levels via gifting or participating in an activity together. 

You can raid a haunted house with another character, for example, or go fishing. These activities vary and unlock over time, too. From fishing to bug-catching and swimming, soon you’ll have access to more activities and things to do. However, the question remains whether the quests and collectathons grow repetitive and boring over time. Well, thanks to the different rewards and items you can collect in each quest, as well as the different characters and biomes you explore, the back-and-forth never grows boring. Whether completing the daily or friendship quests, Hello Kitty Island Adventure often finds a way to spice up the flow with something new. 

On Condition

Yet the level of engagement of Hello Kitty Island Adventure remains dependent on the level of challenge you’re looking for. Sure, you’ll head to the dungeons to mine valuable minerals and climb volcanoes to source for precious rewards. Ultimately, though, none of the quests or activities are difficult. If anything, most of the activities are already completed for you, and all you do is “come to collect.” Take decorating your home, for example. The house will already be built for you. So, all you have to do is head out to the world and scavenge for furniture to decorate your home with. The decoration mechanic isn’t complex, either. Simply placing items here and there. 

On the one hand, you can spice up decorating your home by decorating other homes to attract Visitors to the island. That way, your source of joy will be making the characters on the island happier. On the other hand, everything is tied behind collecting items that are simply exploring the map and picking up the object you need. It’s hardly complex or requires much thought processing, which can be a downer for some gamers. The same goes for the mining mechanic, in which you’ll head to the mines and find a character who has already completed the mining for you, and all you have to do is pick up the resources by the shore. 

Color and Spice

Hello Kitty Island Adventure ultimately makes your work easier. But that doesn’t mean that it lags behind in packing a ton of features. You do enjoy a lot of activities that keep you busy. The island is quite a massive place with a ton of areas and biomes to explore. At present, you can explore a Spooky Swamp, an Icy Peak, a Seaside Resort, a Merry Meadow, and more. Throughout the year, the game will change seasons accordingly, spicing up your playthrough. Moreover, with the live service, even more unexplored areas are bound to be added to the map. 

The characters also look charming and quite an adorable bunch. They all mimic Sanrio characters to a T, with some of your favorites featuring in the game. They even come with their unique personalities strewn into the quests, the areas in which they reside, and dialogue. A nice touch is the freedom to create and customize your own character. While the customization can use more features, as well as decorating your home, what’s presently available is engaging enough for a laidback gaming session.

Ultimately, Hello Kitty Island Adventure looks and feels oddly fitting for a lazy afternoon. It doesn’t rush you, nor does it demand that you wake up at 3 AM to get that rare special item. You have so much leeway to play the game at your own pace and still enjoy all of its benefits. With its vibrant and colorful aesthetic and simple gameplay mechanics, gamers of all ages can enjoy a blissful and cozy time, solo or with friends and family.

Verdict

Now that Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available on consoles and PC, non-iOS owners have no excuse not to dive right in. If you’re a fan of Animal Crossing and Disney Dreamlight Valley, in particular, you should have a blast chasing items and exploring the world. It’s quite a delight to discover new colorful biomes that introduce you to a new Sanrio friend. Over time, you can develop lasting bonds through gifting one another and going on missions together. But there are puzzles, too, you can enjoy, as well as activities like fishing and bug-catching. 

No matter your skill or expertise, Hello Kitty Island Adventure will always have something to keep you busy. Plus, its quests and activities often have a new twist, whether a new character, area, or reward. That way, collectathons or completing the quests never grow boring. Still, the game is designed to be simplistic. So, gamers looking for a challenge may want to look elsewhere. Hello Kitty Island Adventure is, ultimately, a “cozy” game in every sense of the word. It intends to brighten your spirits with color and delight. Even its story is light with the odd humor moments here and there. 

Hello Kitty Island Adventure launched on Apple Arcade in 2023 to positive acclaim. It’s now available on Nintendo Switch and PC from January 30, 2025. PlayStation 4 and 5 owners will have to wait a little longer, sometime in 2025.