animal crossing new horizons vs. hello kitty island adventure review

two weeks ago, I started both games at the start of my break. I dedicated hours every day to each of them. they have a lot of similarities and both games were slow at first. now I have a clear favorite: hello kitty island adventure. here’s my reasons why (warning there are spoilers!!) :

♡ hello kitty (HK) is just all around cuter. in animal crossing (AC), i’m still mostly unlocking kinda ugly furniture with a camping theme. I figured out how to paint furniture pink, but not everything can be painted. the mermaid items are cute, but I’ve only been able to craft two so far. meanwhile in HK, I was just debating moving from a haunted swamp to a cherry blossom meadow, when I unlocked a pastel star island

♡ my similar next point is that HK feels more like a dream world, while AC is closer to the real world. the swimming in AC is relaxing, but HK takes it to the next level and transforms you into a mermaid. i’m actually kind of annoyed at my AC villagers - their personalities feel more like caricatures of annoying people you’ve met in person, like a passive aggressive old lady or a hipster. while my HK villagers are familiar characters who you finally get to befriend

♡ HK feels better to play. HK has so many little dopamine rushes. leveling up a friendship, sharing a cute moment with your friends, exploring a new part of the island - all give little rushes of excitement. meanwhile, AC is more steady. i even felt a little stressed about how to structure my AC island and it’s been tedious. I’m expecting to overhaul my whole island when I have more unlocked. while HK is easier to organize since your backpack has limitless space, and cabins are already placed in perfect locations

♡ HK is more interesting. there’s a storyline and you have to complete quests. there’s also more variety, with mini games and lots of cooking possibilities. while in AC, it still feels like the initial grind of the same boring activities each day. collecting things in HK is more fun since you have to run around different terrains of a larger island, while in AC it’s more like swimming laps for an hour with mostly the same critters spawning. the new islands you can visit in AC are still not much different from your own. the dialogue in AC can be tedious to read through too, like you have to click through several pages of the same dialogue each time you donate to the museum

my plan is to keep playing both games because I want to build my dream island in both. in AC, i’m expecting to eventually unlock more items I can use to tediously craft my ideal cute island. i’m anticipating it being a lot of work and time to get every detail right. in HK, I already love how my island feels. I’m expecting to complete quests (and even game updates) to unlock more cute friends, and eventually perfecting all the details of their cabins

I initially had a hard time trying to choose which game to get. the reviews I found online leaned toward AC, but my heart said HK. now I know that if I had to choose, I would pick HK! I hope this review helps other gamers in a similar bind