Sanrio has a menagerie of characters in the Hello Kitty universe. Some may have found more fame than others. For example, many of us may know Kitty, others may know Retsuko from the Netflix series Aggretsuko, and others may still recognize Kuromi if you’ve walked into a Hot Topic store in the last 10 years. But that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the larger Sanrio universe. Even I can’t claim to know all of the adorable characters in the universe. But that’s alright, because I can get to know what they look like very quickly in Hello Kitty Party Land.

Since going hands on with a demo of Hello Kitty Party Land at NYCC, I knew this was going to be a sugar rush in all the best ways. Even during that hands on time where I played three mini games I could see that this game was exactly the brightly colored pick me up that would bring joy. There are quite a few reasons why, so let’s dive right in.

This Isn’t That Other Multiplayer Game

It would be easy to try and say that Hello Kitty Party Land is just a Mario Party but skinned with Sanrio characters. At first glance, it may seem that way, but there actually is more than that. On the surface level, it is easy to say, “Well, isn’t this just characters running around a board and earning points?” While this is a component of the game, the real joy of Hello Kitty begins before this.

When you first launch the game, you get to customize your personal character who will spend time in the world. After you’re satisfied with your basic look, you then get to choose a friend to spend time with. Don’t worry, you aren’t fully locked into just this character, as you’ll get to swap in the plaza as well as each time you turn on the game.

You also get to explore the world a bit beyond just playing the mini games. Kitty and friends are more than happy to see you arrive by boat, and you get to start seeing all there is in town. Want to go straight to the games? You absolutely can! Want to spend some money on new clothes and accessories in the mall? Feel free. Want to just hop right into taking pictures with your pal? Also an option. And what would a nice relaxing game be without a bit of farming and fishing along the way as well? This is already an area where Hello Kitty Party Land is looking to do more and be more than whatever other game you may be considering.

You’ll want to do a bit of everything as part of the fun of Hello Kitty Party Land is also collecting stickers to complete your collection. The stickers will remind you who you have met as well as who is still out there waiting for you! There are many pages of stickers and if you’re not sure how to find them, by hovering over the outline, you’ll get a hint on how to unlock this sticker. It’s a nice touch to break up what could easily become minigame fatigue.

Okay, right, but what about the board game?

Alright, alright, if you must know, yes, you do run around a board in one area of the Hello Kitty Party Land. However, you aren’t competing against your friends. You’re all working together to achieve a goal. It’s nice to see a game where it isn’t all about ensuring you end up with the most coins or have people land on trick spaces. It removes the stress of mini games, as you’ll all be working collectively. In truth, I found this to be one of the most refreshing aspects of Hello Kitty Party Land. I love a bit of competition, but there is something satisfying about being able to relax even just for a bit.

While I didn’t have a chance to play with friends, I actually didn’t have any complaints about this. Mostly because the computer controlled characters were actually fairly good to play with. They didn’t get in the way too often; they didn’t make it harder than it needed to be. It felt like the computer actually did want to help with the task at hand. This felt great as I was concerned there would be too many times when they didn’t work with me. While that’s not to say they were perfect, more often than not, it felt incredibly collaborative.

Since everyone is working together, when you open up a board, you’re given a turn limit and a goal. And it isn’t just the mini games on the board that get you what you need to successfully complete this within a time limit. There are even mini mini games that occur at the top of the screen when you find characters who need help or have a task for you. I love that the mini mini games happened at the top of the screen because that meant the game never really paused. We’ve all played those games where the turns take too long, and you lose interest. You don’t have to worry about that here because the game continues to progress.

Can I Play The Games Elsewhere?

Yes! This is another aspect that I really enjoyed about Hello Kitty Party Land. You didn’t have to just play the board game mode in order to try out all of the mini games. There is also one place that can be a little bit competitive.

If you want to be a bit more competitive with the pals, you can play mini game bingo! Select mini games and once you successfully complete them, you get a number. The more mini games you all complete in the allotted time, the more numbers you get. Whoever gets the most bingos at the end will get bragging rights if you’d like to play that way. There really isn’t a negative to this, it’s another way of earning some coins to spend at the mall. But if you need something that feels slightly competitive this is probably it.

You can also just try out all of the different mini games in the mini game selection at the game park. This is also a good way to help you unlock stickers for your sticker collection. When it comes to the board game and the bingo game it’s very random what mini games you’ll get and this selector solves the issue. There are plenty of ways to find the games to play without struggling through the randomness of the game, choosing your next game for you. This was also something I really appreciated, especially when trying to find certain characters to get their stickers. It’s also a great way to play the games you loved without being bogged down by other aspects of the core game loop.

Slice of Life Vibes

Enjoy time at Sky Farm where you can just enjoy some time farming, fishing, and catching bugs. If you want something more exciting, you can also go into the mines. This is a nice break from the playing of mini games if you want to just enjoy something less exciting than the constant mini games. However, they are slightly mini games of their own. For example, the fishing mini game that occurs when you fish appears in the upper left screen while your friend cheers you on. It’s quick and simple and successful fishing means you earn more coins to spend on cute outfits and accessories at the mall. You didn’t think these cute outfits were free, did you?

Sometimes the slice of life is a bit more chill. It could be just finding areas on the map where you and your pal can just sit and perhaps take a few photos. It’s actually a good reminder that Hello Kitty Party Land can be played at your own speed, however you like. Just want to take the cutest brightest pictures? Then go for it. Want to run around collecting stickers from new friends? Do it! There’s almost no wrong way to play Hello Kitty Party Land. Except to well, probably not to play it.

It’s not just about the game play, though; it’s also about the fashion. You earn so many coins for playing games and you need somewhere to spend them. While your avatar does start with a basic outfit, you can also go into the different themed stores in the mall to find new outfits. This also makes it feel like you and your friend, be it Kitty, Kuromi, or anyone else, are out and about together.

Again, as silly as it sounds, there’s something fun and even nostalgic about moments like this. When is the last time you and a friend just went to the mall to shop for a new outfit? A new accessory? Hello Kitty Party Land is feeding on that brightness, joy, and nostalgia in so many ways to allow for players to just have a good time. The outfits aren’t badly priced either so you could get one of everything eventually!

Run Ins Happen Anywhere

Games don’t just happen in the small game park area. Occasionally you’ll get invited to play a bit of hide and seek in the main area. It’s just like running into friends at the park and deciding to spend time together. Again, it’s that nostalgia of a simpler time gone by. It’s also a fun way of finding new characters and using the drone camera that you get. It reminds you to look everywhere on the map and sometimes you also get some very cute pictures for using the different angles. These also allow you to find some additional stickers to add to your sticker book.

The hide and seek isn’t overly difficult either, as long as you know who the characters you’re looking for are. This was actually what made it slightly difficult for me, but once I found the first one the rest were easy to find.

In addition to these games, you could go to the Creative Labo and run into characters there who will give you a few different ways of enjoying your time. Whether you’re making music or trying to solve experiments using match three style of games, it’s all too easy to find yourself really loving the time on Party Land. I made some music with Melody’s help and let’s just say, she made me sound good. I earned new hairstyles when my experiments blew up, and had many more laughs than I expected.

Final Thoughts

Even though I knew I would enjoy this, I had a lot more fun with it than I anticipated. I knew it would be cute and I knew I’d have fun recognizing characters, but the game truly surprised me. I found myself wanting to pick it up sooner than expected. Even after trying out each board, multiple mini games, and wandering around with different characters, it felt infectious. I’m actually excited to play it with friends as more friends purchase the game. When I visit family, instead of breaking out something competitive, it’ll be a great change of pace.

Is this going to redefine this genre? Probably not. Is it for everyone? No, it’s not. But if you like games that bring people together, that don’t have everyone ready to compete with each other, and that just bring a bit of sugary goodness, this is definitely one to pick up.

Gamer Social Club would like to thank Bandai Namco for the Switch 1 Review Code. Hello Kitty Party Land is out now for Nintendo Switch and Switch 2.