A few weeks in the past throughout Summer time Recreation Fest I used to be lucky sufficient to get my arms on Sunblink Leisure’s Hey Kitty Island Journey. Initially launched on Apple Arcade again in 2023, the sport went on to rave critiques and accolades from followers. With its cozy life sim vibes, Island Journey appeared like it will be an ideal match for Nintendo Change. After giving it a go, I’m blissful to say that it’s wanting like this will probably be a really worthwhile addition to Change’s software program library that even seasoned gamers will wish to probably hold a watch open for.
Let’s get the elephant within the room out of the way in which, first—sure, in passing Hey Kitty Island Journey does bear some resemblance to Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons. You’re on an island paradise residing your greatest life whereas making pals with cute animal neighbors. That, nonetheless, is about as superficial because the similarities get. There’s much more occurring in Island Journey than shaking bushes for some coconuts. Sure, it is a sport that’s meant to be stress-free, however there’s a hidden layer of problem proper there within the title: it’s additionally an journey!
The demos begins issues off with making a customized character. This avatar has all of the requisite cutesy Sanrio vibes one would anticipate—cartoony options, colourful garments, and so forth. One factor Sublink’s model supervisor Chelsea Howe informed me was that the design crew could be very aware of providing gamers a variety of totally different physique sorts to customise their avatar with. Given the big selection of character shapes within the Sanrio universe (I’m you, Tuxedo Sam), they needed to replicate that in Island Journey. It was good to see gamers given the possibility to create their very own character that may genuinely slot in with Hey Kitty and pals.
Island Journey begins off with the participant character, Hey Kitty, and an entire menagerie of different Sanrio pals together with Keroppi, Badtz-Maru, My Melody, and lots of others, all being stranded on an island oasis. The sands are smooth, the ocean waves light, and the solar plentiful, however there’s a smattering of bother combined in. Some companions are usually not accounted for and it’s as much as the participant to hunt them out. It’s right here that the enjoyable begins, as gamers should now got down to comb the island for the lacking by finishing a variety of totally different duties.
Admittedly, many of those duties will sound acquainted to life sim followers. Accumulate objects and goodies and provides them as items to neighbors with the intention to strengthen bonds between them. Numerous characters have retailers that they run, like Badtz-Maru and his comedian e book stand, as an example, and Hey Kitty together with her bakery. The retailers and actions related to the solid all match with the characters’ established personalities. Pochacco, for instance, is a sports activities nut, and his first interactions with the participant are centered round getting them lively on a quest to take pictures of hidden Gudetamas all around the island. It’s a pleasant contact for longtime Sanrio followers and likewise helps to serve the extra sensible perform of creating the bevy of characters distinct from each other.
The place Island Journey differentiates itself from different cozy life sims is within the titular journey side of the sport. The opening tutorial section is pretty normal by way of fulfilling fetch quests for neighbors, however issues take an intriguing flip when Chococat wants energy for a gate blockading entry to a different a part of the island the place their pals are trapped. Out of the blue, I discovered myself diverted right into a temple-like location the place I needed to resolve a easy puzzle to proceed. Admittedly, I didn’t know something about Island Journey earlier than making an attempt the demo at Summer time Recreation Fest, so I used to be legitimately stunned when this a part of the sport started to unfold. It was the proper break that helped to shake issues up.
It wasn’t essentially the most sophisticated problem, admittedly, nevertheless it was pleasing to interact with and supplied a pleasant break from the extra normal fare of a life sim sport. Nonetheless, the elements of Island Journey that skew extra conventional do it properly. The island was pleasing to discover; very fairly with its flowing waters and flowers and sandy seashores all all through. The in-game clock sees day flip to nighttime, and I used to be informed that a variety of totally different occasions and actions happen relying on the date and time. There’s additionally a useful information in place that may assist youthful and less-skilled gamers full targets by main them from level to level.
The construct I performed was nonetheless within the midsts of being custom-made for Change, so there was somewhat confusion on my half when the sport was prompting me to do sure issues and it felt just like the button I used to be anticipating to press, properly, wasn’t the proper one. Finally these small wrinkles will probably be ironed out and I’m truthfully not all that involved. I’d additionally prefer to level out that with a sport so wealthy with customization choices, from garments to furnishings and so forth, some could be frightened about mounting DLC prices. Howe assured me that there will probably be no microtransactions in Island Journey and that each one updates are free. With a lot promise, it’s good to listen to that after gamers purchase the sport it’s theirs to take pleasure in with none strings to connect. I think that a lot of you’ll really feel the identical when it lastly involves Nintendo Change subsequent yr as a timed console unique.