Is Hello Kitty Island Adventure Worth The Price On Switch And PC?

After being confined to the Apple Arcade service since 2023, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is finally making its way to the Nintendo Switch and PC on January 30, 2025, with a PlayStation release later in the year. This will make the game available to a much wider audience, as not everyone has access to an Apple product, no matter how much they like the idea of the game. As a mobile game at its heart, it may not offer as much content as similarly priced games, but for fans of the cozy genre, it could still be worth it.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is a cozy game that in ways feels similar to Animal Crossing, but with the familiar Sanrio characters and a variety of regions and quests. Players can design their character and explore the island, including high in the clouds and deep in the ocean. There are puzzles to solve, critters to catch, and various things to bake, craft, and more, in addition to befriending the other island inhabitants. The game even has multiplayer, although players can only visit those on the same platform types as they are on, with no crossplay support.

Cost Of Hello Kitty Island Adventure Vs Apple Arcade

Standard And Deluxe Versions Of The Game Are Not Cheap

Despite many in the cozy gaming community being excited about the announcement of Hello Kitty Island Adventure coming to other platforms, particularly the Nintendo Switch, the cost of the game seems to have caused some hesitation. Currently, the game is available for preorder in a standard version for $39.99 and a Deluxe Edition for $59.99 on Switch and can be wishlisted on Steam, where it is expected to be priced the same.

For someone who expects to play the game for a long time, this is a good deal compared to the cost of Apple Arcade, which is currently $6.99/month. Although it should also be considered that Apple Arcade offers many more games than just Hello Kitty Island Adventure, which could add more value to the monthly subscription unless someone is only paying for it for this one game.

Of course, the biggest issue with Hello Kitty Island Adventure being only available on Apple Arcade is that not everyone has an iPhone or other Apple products to be able to use with Apple Arcade. Therefore, coming to other platforms will allow Hello Kitty to be played by a much wider audience of fans who were previously unable to experience it at all.

Doesn't Offer As Much Content As One Might Expect

Reports State Nothing New Will Be Added For Console And PC Versions

According to reports announcing the console and PC releases of Hello Kitty Island Adventure, there does not appear to be anything new being added, but rather just a direct port of the game from its mobile version to be compatible on these systems. It will not feature crossplay for multiplayer over different platforms, and no additional regions or content are being added to the experience other than what people currently playing the iOS version already have, which many current players on Reddit feel is simply not enough to justify the cost of a full game.

Similar to Animal Crossing, there are many daily quests to do in the game, and it has a unique blend of ideas and gameplay mechanics that are a lot of fun. Since it launched in 2023, the game has had updates and events every three to six weeks. Unfortunately, items and rewards that were included in these past events, such as the Spooky Celebration, Under the Sea Celebration, and more, will require the more expensive Deluxe Edition to be purchased in order to receive on Switch or PC.

Thankfully, even for those who do not purchase the Deluxe version, there will continue to be new events with rewards and other updates coming. In an interview with developers of the game, they confirmed that "We'll be continuing to update and support the game as long as people are continuing to play and enjoy it, we've got a two-year plus roadmap"

Designed As A Mobile Game, It Has Limitations

A Very Fun Game, But Lots Of Grinding Too

As a mobile game, Hello Kitty Island Adventure includes a lot of things that require waiting for a considerable amount of time, including daily resources to be refreshed and a daily gift cap for giving things to other characters. Of course, these ideas aren't completely different from many cozy game mechanics, but it can be disappointing to people who want to do more in a day.

The biggest problems that people are worried about seem to be how well the ports will run on Switch and PC, and the fact that the multiplayer mode will not be very useful when, for example, Switch players cannot play with those who are still playing on iOS. The cozy and relaxed atmosphere does not need an in-depth story, as Animal Crossing shows, but at a $40 or $60 price, players expect more than they have seen on mobile.

What Hello Kitty Island Adventure Needs To Be Worth The Price

New Content, Cross-Platform Multiplayer, And More

The promise of continued updates and a roadmap of events and new content certainly helps alleviate some of the concerns regarding the price of the game, but there is still more that could be added to help make it worth the cost. Adding crossplay support for multiplayer mode is certainly a big issue that needs to be addressed. New quests or adventures alongside the release, even if also available on mobile, could also be more tempting.

Additionally, if there were a way for current players to have their progress transferred to the other platforms, it would encourage more people to make the jump. Having the benefit of so many games available on an Apple Arcade subscription makes the one-time purchase on Switch harder to take for those who already subscribe. Perhaps including some unique clothing or furniture items for each platform release would help, or simply lower the cost to a more reasonable amount.

For many Sanrio fans, or cozy gamers who do not have access to iOS and Apple Arcade, the price will likely not discourage them from purchasing the game. The adorable graphics, relaxed experience, cute and familiar characters, and ongoing events could easily make this the next Animal Crossing replacement. There is a large portion of the gaming community who is already playing on Apple Arcade, however, who would not only have to pay to purchase the game on another system but would lose all their current progress in the game.

Ultimately, it comes down to a personal choice and budget constraints, but many are hoping that the Steam and PlayStation versions of Hello Kitty Island Adventure will be at least a bit lower priced.

Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube, Nintendo Store, Steam, Apple Arcade, Efficient_Promotion3/Reddit