There’s nothing quite like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and there probably won’t be for a while, but that doesn’t mean we can’t chase the highs presented by the idyllic and cozy escapes of that wonderful game. That’s kind of at the heart and soul of what Hello Kitty Island Adventure does. It might not be on the level of ACNH, but it sure did make us feel ways that Nintendo’s island life sim did when we were enjoying it back in 2020.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure puts you on a vacation to a distant tropical island, joined by many of the Sanrio characters. While you build your own avatar (your own Sanrio character one might say), the familiar faces among the crew are Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, Keroppi, My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, and Tuxedo Sam, just to name a few. Things are going swell till your transportation to the island crashes and the Sanrio cast finds that this vacation island isn’t quite in as good of shape as they expected.

The Sanrio gang plans to make the best of it, though, and they ask for your help in making this vacation flourish. That means going around the island, fixing it up, finding missing Sanrio characters, and befriending them to learn more about how to help make this tropical island the best it can be. That means exploring the island little by little, engaging in fun little puzzles and platforming, crafting various tools, fishing, decorating vacation houses, and exchanging gifts with your friends.

The joy of Hello Kitty Island Adventure is in its ridiculously chill nature, the volume of things to do, and the very accessible stop-and-go pace at which you can do them. Nothing in this game takes terribly long to accomplish (though some projects could take some time as you gather the materials). It was never hard to go fishing, exchange some gifts, solve a friend quest, and then come back to the game later to do more. That play loop works out delightfully on a mobile platform where we’re often gaming on the go.

Animal Crossing and Sanrio characters seemed like it might be a match made in heaven, and after playing Hello Kitty Island Adventure, we can confirm that it is. It’s deliciously sweet, utterly wholesome, and always a chill good time with the positivity of the Sanrio cast - a must-have if you have a subscription to Apple Arcade. That makes Hello Kitty Island Adventure our Modojo @ Shacknews Mobile Game of the Year 2023.

Be sure to read over the rest of the Shacknews Awards in our Year of the Games: 2023 feature.