I haven't owned an Apple device since the iPhone 4s, so when the Apple Arcade exclusives come and explode hugely like Hello Kitty Island Adventure last year, all I could do was look at my Pixel with a nostalgic sigh.
Fortunately, in this particular case, I no longer feel excluded from the cold – Hello Kitty Island Adventure is making its way to Switch and PC in 2025, with a release on PlayStation 4 and 5 following sometime after.
I need to have hands-on experience with the Switch version of Hello Kitty Island Adventure at Summer Game Fest while chatting with a member of the team Sunblink Entertainment, and what I experienced was a wonderfully pleasant moment. In my personal case, this is somewhat worrying.
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It's time for Switch Hello Kitty Island Adventure
First, the Switch has a timed console exclusivity. A nice feature of this port is that in addition to controller support, it is also fully playable with touchscreen input – in exactly the same way as the iOS version. The developer laughed when explaining this to me, saying that because of this it was also the easiest version to debug on, as he can just bring up the on-screen keyboard and type with it.
Their intention is to release it with full content parity with the iOS version, meaning my introduction to the island was fun and full of content from the iOS version. Gudetama event which began in May. I'm told that the updates that the iOS version sees every six weeks will continue and that those that arrive after the launch of these new ports will be available as DLC.
I was wondering how the whole thing would be monetized on these new platforms, given that the original iOS version is available exclusively as part of the Apple Arcade paid subscription service. They weren't really ready to talk about it in detail yet, only stating that it would be sold as a premium game for an upfront fee.
They promised that these ports would not feature any paid microtransactions or premium currencies, just like the original version did not. They will struggle to walk a tightrope in these decisions, as gamers are generally much more tolerant of having to progress slowly and steadily in “free” smartphone games than in paid console games, especially those with a full AAA price. label.
At the same time, a physical Switch release could blow up massively with a more casual audience or as a gift for young children, but the optics of pricing a retail smartphone game port are inherently complicated to navigate .
Having never played the original version, I can't really speak to what's new or different. It performed well, although its construction was unfinished and unpolished. At one point, I visited a store and was told that each player was allowed a daily random selection of items available for purchase. So visiting friends' islands to check out their store inventory is something you can do.
Having been obsessed with Like a dragon: infinite wealthit's the same Dendoko Island mode Earlier this year, I was curious if other islands could be visited while their owner was offline. The answer was unfortunately no, but I've been told that the host is free to do whatever they want in the game while you shop in their store, so that's something at least.
Now here's why I stated earlier that my pleasure in Hello Kitty Island Adventure during the preview session was worrying for me personally: I was obsessed with Animal Crossing: New Leaf on the 3DS. As, Really obsessed.
I was working as a manager at a games store when it came out, and with my customers and roommates also heavily involved in the game, it was truly the key thing my life revolved around, for a good two months. I still have very strong memories of the severity of the obsession when Animal Crossing: New Horizons When I landed on Switch, I had to make the right decision to stay away.
The best thing I can say about Hello Kitty Island Adventure is that even after only half an hour, I could feel him putting his adorable little claws inside me. This may also be the worst thing I can say about it, depending on your point of view (or, more pertinently, my partner's).
Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available now on Apple Arcade and will be released on Switch and PC in 2025, followed by PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
