Two years in the cycle of gaming trends can feel like a very long time, and it’s hard to believe it’s been that long since Hello Kitty Island Adventure parachuted onto Apple Arcade.
At that time, Sunblink’s cozy take on Sanrio’s most beloved (and marketable) characters was a novelty on a couple of levels—for existing at all, for being a decent run at Animal Crossing‘s life sim crown, and for being an exclusive for Apple Arcade. iOS’ platform still has few true exclusives or console-quality games to call its own (and even fewer now), and Hello Kitty Island Adventure offered something substantial to a wide audience.
Two years later, all the bright colours and whimsy are headed to PlayStation 5. I revisited Sunblink’s island getaway on console and found that all the charm is still intact—but making it more universally accessible is both a good and a bad thing.
On Apple Arcade, Hello Kitty Island Adventure was a big fish in a small pond.... Read more