You'll be able to "level up your friendship online" on Hello Kitty Island Adventure for the Switch

Hello Kitty Island Adventure for the Switch has just been revealed as part of the Nintendo Direct presentation, but we got to learn all about the game last week at the Summer Game Fest Play Days in LA, when we chatted with game director Tom Blind, as per captured in the interview below, that we kept secret until now.

"Hello Kitty Island Adventure is what we call a cozy game", the head of Sunblink tells Gamereactor viewers, "which means low stress, kind of like casual, just have a good time kind of experience, but we've also mixed it with adventure gameplay so there's an open world with lots of like puzzles and quests and various types of kind of adventure gameplay to engage in so it's kind of a mash-up of two different genres that I think clicks really well together".

Speaking about the more adventurous side to the game beyond its life sim aspect, Blind describes how there are 8 unique biomes to explore, and even "a mystery across the entire island about why it was abandoned and fell into disrepair; and so you are on a quest to try and fix everything up and discover the true secret behind the island and why it is the way it is. And so by meeting the characters and exploring these biomes you're able to continue that quest and solve the mystery".

Regarding the more social aspect of the life sim, friendships are built through gifting presents, decorating spaces, baking recipes, collecting critters, or fishing. Sublink commits to a "no microtransaction" policy, as well as to releasing more characters, mini-games, and story bits.

Which characters will you get to befriend in Hello Kitty Island Adventure for the Switch?

Despite being able to create, customise, and put clothes on your own player character in the Sanrio universe ("we have cats, dogs, birds, bunnies and even more specie types"), you will but of course meet both Hello Kitty and a good number of her friends and family, including but not limited to:

• Hello Kitty the cat, who's always friendly and helpful.


• Tuxedosam the penguin, who always knows the latest trends.


• My Melody the rabbit, manager of the island's gift shop.


• Badtz-Maru the penguin, who wants to solve the island's mystery.


• Cinnamoroll the puppy, who can fly and deliver stuff around the island thanks to his large ears.


• Kuromi the rabbit, who's into writing and into spooky things.


• Pompompurin the golden retriever, who loves eating ice cream and taking a nap.


• Chococat the, ahem, cat, who is the king of crafting.


• Keroppi the frog, who's into preserving nature.


• Pochacco the dog, who loves sports and the different activities and challenges the island has to offer.


• Hangyodon the fish, the failed comedian.


• Pekkle the duck, who loves dancing and singing and therefore wants to restore the Dance Hall in Gemstone Mountain.


• Aggretsuko the red panda, who can't escape her stressful day-to-day.

Yes, you read right. The Aggressive version of Retsuko, who became famous after the Netflix show, will also make a stellar cameo "and she may or may not do some of her metal karaoke at certain points during the game", Blind teases in the video.

Online co-op available on Nintendo Switch's Hello Kitty

But besides these characters fans know and love, you can actually share the experience with a friend IRL thanks to the online multiplayer feature on the Switch (offline local co-op won't be available). According to the director:

"So the game is actually fully multiplayer, you can invite a friend at any time into your game and they can participate in all the different activities with you, from playing minigames to collecting items, they can even set up their own space on your island and decorate it in their own way. (...) Just like with the Sanrio friends in the game, you can also level up your friendship with your real-world friends, so when your friend comes into the game you participate in activities together, build up a friendship level and unlock rewards and abilities with each other. So for example when your friend has joined your island you might be able to move faster throughout the world or collect items together and get duplicates of those items because you leveled up your friendship enough to do that".

Timed exclusive to the Switch, later available on PlayStation

When it releases next year on Switch and PC, Hello Kitty Island Adventure "will contain all the content that already existed on iOS" for over 100 hours of playtime. The game will remain exclusive to the Switch in 2025 in terms of consoles, to then be later released on PS5 and PS4.

Play the full interview above to learn more about puzzle types and to watch some brand-new Nintendo Switch gameplay. Here's the full Nintendo Direct trailer as well: