The Switch’s newest game is the next best thing to Animal Crossing

digitaltrends.com:

When it comes to Nintendo Switch games, we’re in a bit of a holding pattern. Nintendo’s next console is right around the corner and new releases for its old one have stalled as a result. We expect Metroid Prime 4: Beyond and Pokémon Legends: Z-A to be the system’s last games, but we’re only getting ports of a few older games until then. If you’re used to getting a big new Switch game every month, you might find yourself a little restless for the next few months.

Thankfully, third-party publishers are doing their part to fill that gap. This week, Switch owners just got what might be one of its last must-own games thanks toHello Kitty: Island Adventure. The life sim is the closest thing you’ll get to a new Animal Crossing game on the Switch. Considering that Nintendo has no games of its own scheduled to launch until March, this is the next best thing.

Originally released as an Apple Arcade exclusive in 2023, Hello Kitty: Island Adventure takes the idea of Animal Crossing but replaces Nintendo’s characters with Sanrio favorites like My Melody and Kuromi. It’s a match made in heaven that has supposedly paid off for Apple, as the company claims that it’s one of the service’s most popular games. With it now widely available on Nintendo Switch and PC (with PlayStation and Xbox launches to come), it’s easy to see why.

On its surface, Island Adventure is a fairly standard genre game. Players can buy clothing, catch fish, bake treats, and decorate cabins just as you can in Animal Crossing. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, even if it’s mechanically lighter in places. Updates over the past two years have added significantly more content to the game, though, and that’s all available in the new port.

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