Hello Kitty Island Adventure has been the star of the cozy gaming show for many Animal Crossing fans waiting for a new entry in the series. Now, Hello Kitty and friends are headed to a brand-new, free-to-play mobile game called Hello Kitty Friends Match. The game, which was recently announced, has already soft-launched in a few regions, with the full release date set for next month. Here’s what we know about this latest Hello Kitty video game so far.
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Hello Kitty Friends Match is a mobile game and will be available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. In fact, developer LINE games announced today that the game has already soft-launched in Canada and the Philippines. So, Sanrio fans in those regions should be able to download the game right from their app store. For those in other areas, Hello Kitty Friends Match is currently up for pre-registration, so you can get a reminder when the game is ready to download in your region.
The exact release date hasn’t been officially confirmed, though the Apple App Store currently lists a May 15th release when accessed from the U.S. The official press release says the wider launch of Hello Kitty Friends Match will occur in “the first half of the year,” so it is likely to be soon, if not that exact date.
For gamers not in Canada or the Phillipines, we’ll need to wait a little longer to puzzle it out with Hello Kitty and friends on mobile. That said, those who pre-register with LINE games will get special rewards in the form of exclusive costumes. The exact costumes haven’t yet been revealed, but interested players can pre-register on their preferred app store to get them on launch day.
Hello Kitty Friends Match Gameplay Details
The free-to-play mobile game features several fan-favorite Sanrio characters, including Hello Kitty, My Melody, Kuromi, Cinnamoroll, and more. In other words, familiar faces for gamers who’ve been enjoying Hello Kitty Island Adventure. It will require you to turn your phone to landscape mode, where you’ll explore the colorful setting of Dreamland. Gamers will complete matching puzzles to collect star power and rebuild the magical land, all with the help of Hello Kitty and friends.
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Alongside the puzzle-based gameplay, players will be able to collect different Sanrio characters and themed costumes for them. At launch, Hello Kitty Friends Match will feature 10 different Sanrio characters and 100 themed costumes. Whether these will all be free to unlock or if some will be locked behind in-game currency has not yet been confirmed, but players jumping in early should have a sense of the game’s monetization strategy soon enough.
Hello Kitty Friends Match is available now in Canada and the Philippines for mobile via the Google Play and Apple App stores. It will be released later this year for other regions.
Are you excited for a new mobile Hello Kitty game or are you hoping this one gets a Nintendo Switch launch like Hello Kitty Island Adventure? Let us know in the comments below!
