Hello Kitty Island Adventure

Last updated
Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Hello Kitty Island Adventure cover.png
App icon
Developer(s) Sunblink
Publisher(s) Sunblink
Platform(s)
Release
  • iOS, macOS, Apple TV
  • July 28, 2023
  • NS, Windows
  • January 30, 2025
  • PS4, PS5
  • 2025
Genre(s) Adventure, Platformer, Life simulation
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a 2023 video game. Based on the Hello Kitty brand, it was released for Apple Arcade on July 28, 2023. A version for Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows also released on January 30, 2025, and a version on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 will be released later in 2025.

Contents

Gameplay

Hello Kitty Island Adventure takes place on an island inhabited by Sanrio characters. The gameplay involves adventuring and puzzle solving, with new areas being added regularly. The quests involve 3D platforming with occasional puzzles, with many new quests unlocked by becoming better friends with the Sanrio chracters. Optional quests include platform time attacks, house furnishing and Gudetama photography.

Development

Hello Kitty Island Adventure was developed by Boulder-based game studio Sunblink entertainment. In an interview with TouchArcade, two of the employees, Chelsea Howe and Tom Blind, stated that they wanted a game that combined cozy simulators such as Animal Crossing with more exploration based gameplay. [1]

Critics and fans noted that the game shares its name with a fictional one that Butters Stotch from South Park mentions playing as part of a gag in the 2006 episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft", which became an Internet meme used as shorthand to refer to a casual game. Sanrio later used the meme in practical jokes. [2] However, the game was stated to not be associated with or a tie-in to South Park. [3]

Release

The original game was released on June 28, 2023 as an Apple Arcade exclusive.

In the June 2024 Nintendo Direct, a version for Nintendo Switch and Windows, as well as PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, were announced, set to be released in 2025. [4]

Reception

According to review aggregator Metacritic, the game received "generally favourable" reviews based on 13 reviews. [5]

It was awarded Apple Arcade Game of the Year at the 2023 App Store Awards. [6] It was also nominated for Best Mobile Game at The Game Awards 2023, [7] as well as Mobile Game of the Year and Family Game of the Year at the 27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hello Kitty</span> Fictional character by Sanrio

Hello Kitty, also known by her real name Kitty White, is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio. Sanrio depicts Hello Kitty as a British anthropomorphized white cat with a red bow and no visible mouth. According to her backstory, she lives in a London suburb with her family, and is close to her twin sister Mimmy, who is depicted with a yellow bow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanrio</span> Japanese entertainment company

Sanrio Company, Ltd. is a Japanese entertainment company. It designs, licenses, and manufactures products focusing on the kawaii ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories, which are sold worldwide, including at specialty brand retail stores in Japan. Sanrio's best-known character is Hello Kitty, a cartoon cat and one of the most successful marketing brands in the world.

<i>Jurassic Park</i> video games Video game franchise

Numerous video games based on the Jurassic Park franchise have been released. Developers Ocean Software, BlueSky Software and Sega produced various games in 1993, coinciding with the first film, Jurassic Park. In 1997, several developers, including DreamWorks Interactive and Appaloosa Interactive, produced various games for nine different platforms to coincide with the release of the film The Lost World: Jurassic Park.

Arika is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It was formed in 1995 by former Capcom employees. It was originally known as ARMtech K.K, but was later named Arika. The name of the company is the reverse of the name of the company's founder, Akira Nishitani, who along with Akira Yasuda, created Street Fighter II. Arika's first game was Street Fighter EX. It was successful and was followed up with two updates, and its two sequels Street Fighter EX2 and Street Fighter EX3. In 2018, they released a spiritual successor to both Street Fighter EX and Fighting Layer, titled Fighting EX Layer. From 2019 to 2021, Arika collaborated with Nintendo to create the battle royale games Tetris 99, Super Mario Bros. 35, and with Bandai Namco for Pac-Man 99. Arika is also known for the Tetris: The Grand Master series, the Dr. Mario series, starting with Dr. Mario Online Rx, and the Endless Ocean series.

<i>Taiko no Tatsujin</i> Video game series

Taiko no Tatsujin is a Japanese video game series created by Namco. In the games, players simulate playing a taiko drum in time with music. The series has released games for the arcade and for console and mobile platforms including PlayStation 2, Advanced Pico Beena, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows, iOS, Android and Japanese feature phones.

<i>Cinnamoroll</i> Japanese media franchise based on manga from Sanrio

Cinnamoroll is a character series created by Sanrio in 2001, with character designs from Miyuki Okumura. The main character, Cinnamoroll, is a white puppy with chubby and pink cheeks, long ears, blue eyes, and a tail that resembles a cinnamon roll. He starred in his own manga series, an anime movie, and various animation shorts.

"Make Love, Not Warcraft" is the eighth episode in the tenth season of the American animated television series South Park. The 147th episode overall, it first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on October 4, 2006. In the episode, named in a play on words after the 1960s counterculture slogan "Make love, not war", Cartman, Kyle, Stan, and Kenny enjoy playing the popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft. When a high-level player goes around killing other players in the game, they start playing the game every day to try to stop him. The episode was written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. In 2015, he and co-creator Matt Stone listed it as their third-favorite episode of the series.

<i>Hello Kitty Online</i> 2008 video game

Hello Kitty Online was a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role playing game active from 2008 to 2017, developed by Sanrio Digital and Typhoon Games. The game is tied to the SanrioTown website, where players are required to register a free account.

<i>Apron of Magic</i> 2010 collectible card cooking video game

Apron of Magic is an arcade collectible card cooking game developed and published by Examu. The game was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Sanrio and features various characters from the Sanrio Company, including ones from the anime series. The game was released in Japan on July 26, 2010 and has been into several revisions during its release. Starting with the revision in 2012, the game is tied to both the Jewelpet and Arcana Heart franchises.

Apple Arcade is a video game subscription service offered by Apple. It is available through a dedicated tab of the App Store on devices running iOS 13, visionOS, tvOS 13, iPadOS 13, and macOS Catalina or later. The service launched on September 19, 2019.

<i>Shantae and the Seven Sirens</i> 2019 video game

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is a 2019 platform video game developed and published by WayForward. It is the fifth game in the Shantae series, following Shantae: Half-Genie Hero (2016). The game follows half-genie Shantae on the tropical Paradise Island, which she must explore to rescue other half-genies kidnapped by the eponymous Seven Sirens. The game was released via Apple Arcade for iOS in September 2019, for macOS in October 2019, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in May 2020, and for PlayStation 5 in March 2022. The game was released on Android and re-released on iOS by Crunchyroll as part of its Games Vault offerings in November 2024.

<i>Baldo: The Guardian Owls</i> 2021 action-adventure game

Baldo: The Guardian Owls is an action-adventure video game developed and published by NAPS team. It was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, as well as iOS and macOS through Apple Arcade. The Switch version of the game was scheduled to be released first in summer 2020 as a timed console exclusive, but the game was indefinitely delayed in September of that year. The game was released on August 27, 2021.

<i>Little Orpheus</i> 2020 adventure-platform game

Little Orpheus is a 2020 adventure-platform game developed by The Chinese Room and published by Sumo Digital. The game was released on Apple Arcade on 12 June 2020 for iOS, macOS, and tvOS. Ports for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S were released by subsidiary label Secret Mode on 13 September 2022.

<i>The Pathless</i> 2020 action-adventure video game

The Pathless is an action-adventure video game developed by Giant Squid and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released for iOS and macOS via Apple Arcade, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Windows in November 2020, and was later ported to the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S in February 2023.

<i>Grindstone</i> (video game) 2019 puzzle-adventure game

Grindstone is a 2019 puzzle video game developed and published by Capybara Games. The game revolves around the player completing levels by clearing enemies using attacks. It was originally released for macOS, iOS, and tvOS through Apple Arcade on September 19, 2019. Its Windows release was exclusive to the Epic Games Store, until 20 of June 2022 when the game was released on Steam.

<i>Little Kitty, Big City</i> 2024 adventure video game

Little Kitty, Big City is an adventure video game and debut release from American indie developer Double Dagger Studio. The player assumes the role of a cat lost within a city, with the main objective of making its way back home. It was released for Nintendo Switch, Windows, the Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X/S on May 9, 2024.

<i>Disney Dreamlight Valley</i> 2023 life simulation video game

Disney Dreamlight Valley is a 2023 life simulation adventure game developed by Gameloft Montreal and published by Gameloft. The game has players tend to a magical valley populated by various Disney and Pixar characters who previously underwent a curse that caused them to lose their memories of their lives in the valley.

<i>Cozy Grove</i> 2021 video game

Cozy Grove is a 2021 life simulation game developed and published by Spry Fox. It was released on iOS, macOS and tvOS through Apple Arcade in March 2021, alongside versions for consoles and Windows in April 2021. The player character, a Spirit Scout, is tasked with soothing restless spirits.

References

  1. "An Interview with Sunblink's Chelsea Howe and Tom Blind on 'Hello Kitty Island Adventure' – TouchArcade". 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  2. Diaz, Ana (2023-07-10). "A South Park meme is now a real Hello Kitty game". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  3. Parrish, Ash (2023-07-14). "Hello Kitty Island Adventure is real but has nothing to do with South Park". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  4. Zollner, Amelia (2024-06-18). "Hello Kitty Island Adventure Is Coming to Switch and PC in 2025, and Cozy Game Fans Rejoice". IGN. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  5. "Hello Kitty Island Adventure critic reviews". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  6. "Hello Kitty Island Adventure wins Apple Arcade Game of the Year at App Store Awards". GamesHub. 2023-11-30. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
  7. Makuch, Eddie (December 7, 2023). "All The Game Awards 2023 Winners Revealed". GameSpot . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  8. "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Hello Kitty Island Adventure". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences . Retrieved August 8, 2023.