We are in peak cozy game season!
If there is one thing that cold weather and rain is good for, it’s playing a cozy video game. For ‘cozy gamers’ and Sanrio fans, the long-awaited release for Hello Kitty Island Adventure is finally here. After originally releasing in July 2023 for Apple Arcade, the game has recently been released for both Windows and Nintendo Switch as of January 30th, with future plans to be released to Play Station 4 and 5 later in 2025.
Not only does the game contain the loveable Sanrio characters, but also unique puzzles and tasks for players to complete in hopes of leveling up their friendship and building better island homes.
Now in terms of other ‘cozy’ games, the clearest comparison you can make here is Animal Crossing. Both games feature an island with visitors and friends players can level up to be closer to, items to be collected to craft, bake, or cook, as well as houses to be decorated.
Additionally, both games are based on ‘real time’, but each of them use it differently. Animal Crossing matches the time in the game to your own time zone, meaning if you play at night, it will also be night in the game. Instead, Hello Kitty Island Adventure goes continuously through day cycles in the game, but certain factors can only be done once per day in real life.
For example, players can only collect the items on their island and give three gifts to friends once each day (Unless using flower bouquets, but we’ll get into that later).
In the actual review aspect, there were some parts of the game that I felt were done nicely. My friends who I spoke to about the game all felt like they did not care for it in the beginning, but soon grew quickly to love it.
Of course, an obvious plus is the adorable Sanrio characters, but what I enjoy the most is how calming the game can be. While ‘cozy’ games are meant to of course be cozy, some games are borderline stressful with either their fast-paced style or boatloads of tasks.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure gives the player enough to do each day without getting bored, while not feeling overwhelmed by all of the requirements.
Additionally, my friends and I’s personal favorite part was going around taking pictures of the loveable egg, Gudetama for a task. As silly as it sounded we spent a good hour going back and forth sharing our photos with him.
Of course, on the other hand, there are a few parts of the game that players might find frustrating.
For one, similarly to Animal Crossing, players use tools such as a net, snorkel, pickaxe, and more throughout the game, however in Hello Kitty it does take quite a while before you can access all of the tools.
On top of that, for those who love the decoration side of ‘cozy’ games, Hello Kitty seems to be lacking. There is a house for players and multiple houses for visitors that can each be decorated, but the controls are more limited than other games.
In addition, it does not seem like the island itself is able to be decorated (However my progress in the game is limited, so maybe there is more to that further on.)
To sum up, if you love Sanrio or are a big fan of these kinds of games, I would highly recommend it (I’m slightly addicted) but just know that like all games it does have its quirks.
If you plan to give it a shot but maybe are not ready to purchase, consider checking out some gameplay videos, but give it a fair amount of time to see if it grows on you.
My personal hope is that it will keep its similar style to Animal Crossing, by having seasonal events (such as their current Lunar New Year one) and add-ons to bring new features to the game. Hello Kitty Island Adventure will more than likely be my personal game of the year.