When it comes to Nintendo Switch games, we’re in a bit of a holding pattern. Nintendo’s next console is right around the corner and new releases for its old one have stalled as a result. We expect Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A to be the system’s last games, but we’re only getting ports of a few older games until then. If you’re used to getting a big new Switch game every month, you might find yourself a little restless for the next few months.
Thankfully, third-party publishers are doing their part to fill that gap. This week, Switch owners just got what might be one of its last must-own games thanks to Hello Kitty: Island Adventure. The life sim is the closest thing you’ll get to a new Animal Crossing game on the Switch. Considering that Nintendo has no games of its own scheduled to launch until March, this is the next best thing.
Originally released as an Apple Arcade exclusive in 2023, Hello Kitty: Island Adventure takes the idea of Animal Crossing but replaces Nintendo’s characters with Sanrio favorites like My Melody and Kuromi. It’s a match made in heaven that has supposedly paid off for Apple, as the company claims that it’s one of the service’s most popular games. With it now widely available on Nintendo Switch and PC (with PlayStation and Xbox launches to come), it’s easy to see why.
On its surface, Island Adventure is a fairly standard genre game. Players can buy clothing, catch fish, bake treats, and decorate cabins just as you can in Animal Crossing. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, even if it’s mechanically lighter in places. Updates over the past two years have added significantly more content to the game, though, and that’s all available in the new port.
What makes Island Adventure memorable is where it departs from its inspiration rather than copies its notes. While it’s a life sim at its core, it’s also a small-scale open-world game. In between daily tasks, players explore an island filled with different themed biomes, from a spooky zone to an underwater area. There are story quests to complete in each area and even Breath of the Wild-esque puzzle shrines, collectibles, and time trials scattered through the world. It’s somewhere between Animal Crossing and Infinity Nikki.
There are even features here that the next Animal Crossing game could stand to borrow. For instance, Island Adventure takes a more involved approach to villager interactions than New Horizons. It features a bond system, where players can increase their standing with each NPC by bringing them gifts and completing quests. That’s a step up from Animal Crossing’s flatter approach to characters that doesn’t quite make them feel like neighbors so much as friendly faces that spit out one-liners. It’s clear that Sanrio cares about its characters and wants to make sure they feel like friends with their own distinct personalities, not visitors who interchangeably move in and out of town on a whim.
If that all sounds great, remember to keep your expectations in check. This is still a game that was designed with mobile in mind, even though it’s coming to consoles. The platforming shrines tend to revolve around unremarkable box pushing puzzles and the core social loop is built to tease players into logging in day after day. It can get repetitive after a while, which led me to bounce off the original release eventually once it felt like I was logging in every day to collect the same few resources and bake the same pies.
Even with some limitations, Hello Kitty: Island Adventure feels right at home on Nintendo Switch. It’s a kind-hearted game filled with soft visuals, cute characters, and approachable gameplay. You’d think that Nintendo itself made it. It’s a cozy little delight that should keep you warm until Nintendo’s much anticipated April Switch 2 Direct.
Hello Kitty: Island Adventure is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, and iOS via Apple Arcade.
