Review: Hello Kitty Island Adventure Feels Complete on Switch

Typically when a game comes out on a new platform, Siliconera doesn’t review it again. After all, there are rarely differences that merit it. In the case of Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Sunblink did so much to the Sanrio game since its Apple Arcade debut that the Switch release genuinely feels like a bigger, stronger, and better Animal Crossing like game.

Part of that involves the campaign. It’s grown since its 2023 debut! Yes, core premise remains unchanged. Your custom avatar joined Sanrio mascots like Hello Kitty, My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, and Aggretsuko on a flight to Friendship Island so My Melody could open a shop there and others could relax. Upon landing, we find it’s deserted save for an unusual holographic being known as TOPHAT and green blobular characters called Nulls. The group decides to settle there and solve the mystery of the island. 

However, in the years since launch, Sunblink added a lot! New locations like Cloud Island and City Town appeared. More quests expanded the initial storyline, offering more to do with familiar Sanrio characters. Speaking of which, more permanent residents like My Sweet Piano, the Little Twin Stars Kiki and Lala, Wish Me Mell, and Usahana became permanent villagers alongside an array of potential visitors who can show up if you decorate cabins that meet their specific needs. Lots of events popped up! Basically, the world felt fuller and we got more ways to interact with folks, which made Hello Kitty Island Adventure feel more like Animal Crossing and like a larger experience. 

Said new regions are pretty great. When Cloud Island and City Town, as well as new folks like My Sweet Piano, showed up, they tended to add new items, cooking options, recipes, and capabilities. My Sweet Piano unlocked the ability to further customize furniture, which is great if you really get into the interior decorating elements present. (It almost makes Hello Kitty Island Adventure feel a little like Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.) Cloud Island takes you up into the sky for new gathering, new furniture, more quests, and cotton candy recipes. Once you get to City Town in the campaign, you gain access to the Imagination Cafe and its restaurant management elements. Not to mention, all regions in the game feel distinct and can be a lot of fun to explore as you search for crafting elements, so it’s just generally pleasant.

Images via Sunblink

Said exploring also feels so much better in Hello Kitty Island Adventure upon its Switch launch, and it isn’t just about the controller-based control scheme instead of virtual joysticks and touchscreen ones. A lot of quality of life adjustments came up between 2023 and this 2025 wider launch, with platforming feeling tighter and more accurate than before. Additional accessibility options, such a glimmer of light that can lead you to quest objectives if you enable it, don’t hurt either. A lot of quirks I experienced when playing through the game at the Apple Arcade launch, as well as limitations tied to only basic content being present at the time, are gone. It makes a huge difference!

I found it all also made it easier to appreciate and bond with the Hello Kitty Island Adventure characters in the Switch release, making it feel more relaxed like Animal Crossing. At launch, it could be a bit of a chore to find things everyone would like and get opportunities to interact with them. While part of it is probably due to now having coming up on two years of experience with the title, Sunblink clearly made adjustments in its many updates and patches that addressed potential frustrating points.

Image via Sunblink

These additions and changes also make Hello Kitty Island Adventure feel a bit more balanced. Quests appear at a steady rate, as do season events. The range of visitors, their diverse needs, and the number of cabins mean you can now gradually work on making Friendship Island homier at your own pace. There are still some errand simulator elements, since friendship with characters can be tied to giving gifts and will naturally go up when certain deliveries are made as part of questlines. However, since there’s so much to do now, you can avoid feeling inundated if you take your time as you play. It also means more puzzle options when going to different areas, and that you'll probably find it easier to get those Apple Slices needed to get your stamina up to properly climb and explore everywhere.

Playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure on the Switch after following it since its Apple Arcade debut means I got to see it grow, and this Animal Crossing style game improved since its debut. Sunblink put a lot of work in, both in terms of quality of life changes, additional quests, more events, and new content. I’d recommend someone play it more now than I did before.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available on the Nintendo Switch, PC, and Apple Arcade. It will also come to the PS4 and PS5. 

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