'Hello Kitty Island Adventure' is cute, but...

Just like any other little girl, I have been in love with Sanrio characters since I can remember. From little jewelry to hair accessories to wallets, Hello Kitty and company were an essential part of my childhood.

Well, not just childhood - I am still very much obsessed with my all-time favorite Sanrio character, Pochacco. He's the cutest thing in the world and must be protected at all costs. Sweaters, sweatpants, phone accessories, miniatures, plushies - I have a Pochacco in every corner of my place and, he's also become my friend in the recently released video game Hello Kitty Island Adventure.

Of course, the day my two also-very-grown-women besties found out about this game coming to consoles, we all decided we'd play together, so preorders were made. When I sat down to play the game, Young Cam was crying out of joy because the game starts you out not just in an airplane (I'm an aircraft fanatic, don't judge me), but you're on that airplane with the Sanrio crew - including Pochacco.

Of course I spent time talking to every single character and then jumped out of an aircraft (which was a little PTSD-inducing because of... 2025 in general so far) and safely landed onto the island. Then, after a little introduction, the quests start and you're kind of left to your own devices. The point of the game is to make friends with the Sanrio characters as friendship levels unlock specific perks and explore the island while helping everyone by solving puzzles.

I admit I haven't spent a giant amount of time playing the game, and it's because it isn't really doing it for me. I know, I know - I'm sad about it too.

I know I said I'm disappointed, but let me explain.

The game is adorable, and it's super cozy. The crafting is cute, the characters are absolutely adorable and very true to their already-established personalities, and though very time consuming but the point of the game, making friends with the characters makes your inner child smile.

HKIA has very much the same vibes as Animal Crossing and Dreamlight Valley, but I felt it was very underwhelming and pretty glitchy for some reason. For example, the controls for changing what item you hold in your hands is a little finicky and it was really annoying to try and get the menu to circle around to what I needed when it kept disappearing if I didn't follow the path of the menu just right. Little things like that just kept building up for me as I played.

I'm also having trouble wanting to return to the game. I adore Animal Crossing: New Horizons - I've logged around 500 hours since it was released (I even remade my entire island after failing to back up my original one before upgrading from a Switch Lite to an OLED one). I really enjoy Dreamlight Valley but it also suffers from the same annoyance I find myself feeling with Hello Kitty Island Adventure: everything literally feels like a chore, especially with friendship being the main thing. Constantly having to shower your friends in gifts gets pretty repetitive and boring, honestly.

When it comes to the graphics - the game is adorable in every way. Pretty pastel colors, adorable characters and animals, and cutesy establishments surround your as you make your way around the island.

Official Pixigonal Rating for Hello Kitty Island Adventure: 5/10

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is cute and entertaining, but might be a bit more fitting for the younger crowd. Their attention span and enthusiasm aren't as drained from their soul yet.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is now out for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows, iOS, and MacOs.