Hello Kitty Island Adventurehas made waves in the simulation genre that could serve as thrilling inspiration for theAnimal Crossingfranchise. After all, fans and critics alike have speculated that the highly anticipated Nintendo Switch 2 could debut with a newAnimal Crossingtitle. Regardless of whether the franchise’s next game releases with the new console, it’s clear that Nintendo needs to offer more to gamers with the nextAnimal Crossingtitle,as the franchise’s many competitors, likeHello Kitty Island Adventure, offer new and exciting takes on well-established gameplay in the simulation genre.
Not every simulation game that has followed inAnimal Crossing’s footsteps has the exact same gameplay as the franchise. Though hit features like theMuseum are not present inHello Kitty Island Adventureby name, the Sanrio-themed simulation game does have its own equivalent to the feature. While expandingAnimal Crossing’s Museum could drive Blathers a bit bonkers, players would be ecstatic if the franchise’s next title followed in the footsteps ofHello Kitty Island Adventure.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure Lets Players Go One-on-One with Critters
Rather than donating creatures to a Museum,Hello Kitty Island Adventureplayers send any Critters they are lucky enough to catch to the Nature Preserve, located in Spooky Swamp. Critters are on display at the Nature Preserve and placed in one of five rooms based on where they were caught: Bog (Spooky Swamp), Seaside (Seaside Resort), Reef (Rainbow Reef), Gemstone (Gemstone Mountain), andVolcano (Mount Hothead). Players can also donate a select few Critters to the Merry Meadows Critter Corral and the Cloud Island Critter Corral, though they only accept Critters from their titular regions. Most Critters fall into the same species as the various animals that can be donated to Blathers’ Museum, like bugs, sea creatures, and amphibians.
However,Hello Kitty Island Adventurelets players interact with Critters much more than theAnimal Crossingfranchise. WhileAnimal Crossingdoes allow players to take insects to their home instead ofgiving them to Flick to create modelsor donating them to Blathers, much to his relief, these insect displays are fully considered pieces of furniture. Compare this toHello Kitty Island Adventure’s version of Critters, which can be placed in interactive terrariums. While this doesn’t equate to having Critters as full-on pets, these bare-bones interactions are still a bigger offering thanAnimal Crossing’s.
Animal Crossing Should Make Blathers Bug Out
Further interactions with bugs, fish, and sea creatures in thenextAnimal Crossingtitlewould be a small expansion that could pack a big punch. With Blathers’ hatred for bugs, implementing interactive terrariums in the Museum specifically would be the perfect gateway for more comedy in the game. Perhaps players could chase Blathers with bugs or players and Blathers could feed the various creatures on display at the Museum. There are plenty of funny moments in theAnimal Crossingfranchise, but players would certainly love more.
Introducing new creatures to the Museum,inspired byHello Kitty Island Adventure’s offerings, is yet another route Nintendo could take. As mentioned previously, most Critters in the Sanrio-themed simulation game are in line withAnimal Crossing’s creatures, butHello Kitty Island Adventurealso features birds in both its PC and console versions, with more birds accessible in the Apple Arcade edition of the game.Hello Kitty Island Adventure’s player avatars are notably animals, compared toAnimal Crossing’s humans, with one optional animal being a bird.
IfHello Kitty Island Adventureis comfortable having both Villagers and Critters classified as the same animal,Animal Crossingcould do the same while avoiding species already present in the game, like eagles and owls. There are plenty of featuresAnimal Crossingcould take inspiration from when reviewingHello Kitty Island Adventure, but its version of Critters would not only make players generally happy, but peel with laughter over Blathers’ dismay.
