Hello Kitty Island Adventure: Wheatflour Wonderland

Cogimyun fans, rejoice. Our furry friend is finally joining Hello Kitty Island Adventure through the Hello Kitty Island Adventure DLC, Wheatflour Wonderland. On behalf of all Sanrio enjoyers, I had the chance to play it early. My opinion? This is a must-buy for fans of the base game. This review contains the occasional spoiler, but nothing too crazy.

Our Hello Kitty Island Adventure review marked it as one of our favorite releases of cozy gaming, with its charm, seamless play, and wonderful use of the IP being big highlights for me. As a certified cozy game fan, when Sunblink announced Hello Kitty Island Adventure’s DLC, Wheatflour Wonderland, it was a blink-and-you-miss-it situation. Appearing briefly in a Nintendo Partner showcase in late July, the DLC promised a whole new land, new characters, mechanics, and more.

That, I received. But I also found intrigue, a whole bunch of fun exploration, and an intricate castle that hides many secrets. But first – a series of ‘go collect stuff’ quests given to me by the one and only Kuromi, who’s working on a new potion that eventually opens up a glowy portal in the back of Hello Kitty’s kitchen. Don’t worry, you won’t have to enter through the same door every time you want to head to the new area.

The walk to the wheatfields from the door features elaborate walkways with a gorgeous purple, gold, and pink color palette. The visuals were stunning, at least on my iOS device, and I immediately had the feeling I was in a utopia. It was delightful just to walk around and take in the sights. There are little pockets of life to find in every corner of the wonderland, and I lost myself in the fields for a good while. This is the mark of a truly good mobile game – it can make you forget you’re still holding your iPhone.

I was soon taken back down to Earth. Unfortunately, the slew of grindy ‘go fetch’ quests didn’t end upon arriving in the new kingdom. Upon meeting my beloved Cogimyun, I had to pamper her and cater to her every need to build up trust – particularly because her little one, Eby-Fri, went missing, and she didn’t yet trust me to find him. It was fairly obvious that this would be the priority here, but the game still sent me on a roundabout route. The ‘collect’ and ‘collect again because you somehow did it wrong the first time’ quests were a bit frustrating.

Cogimyun, now that she was being pretty demanding by this point, was unexpectedly starting to annoy me a little, honestly. While searching for little dustball creatures named Fluffnys to satisfy her, I was able to take a look around the bulk of the map. As we’ve come to expect from Hello Kitty Island Adventure, there were plenty of areas I couldn’t yet access, and a bunch of items I didn’t know the purpose of. One of those items – the titular wheatflour – was at first a little baffling, but at least provided an explanation for that fertilizer you get when you first start the game. Trying to pick up each tightly-packed grain and select the right patch of land was another challenge in itself.

But back to the exploration – the citadel was the highlight for me. Packed with secrets, littered with gems, and blocked off by a magical forcefield in some areas, it piqued my interest the most as I explored the winding staircases and beautiful gardens, which led to a huge door where our best pals become Wheatflour Guardians, a process which features a snazzy ‘fit change montage for many of our friends. This is truly one of the most fun aspects of the DLC. All the characters look great in their new outfits, and their faces light up with glee upon learning their new status.

Puzzles, puzzles galore await you in the citadel, and they all have to do with those gems you keep seeing. A few teasers I can provide: there are golden owl statues that are more than what they seem, and I feel sure that if you take advantage of the signature HKIA verticality that sets it apart from others of its genre, you’ll be able to find some cool stuff. That’s all I’ll give you. You’ll have to figure it out yourself with a magic wand and some love.

My main critique of the DLC – the grindy nature of some of the quests – is ultimately not enough to sour the fantastic experience I had playing it, and I think other fans will probably feel the same way. There’s enough to keep you engaged for hours, especially as the quests release daily, and there’s something for fans of every character.

Though Apple Arcade members can play this expansion for free, for others who have to fork out $14.99, the price is a little steep. It’s understandable if you decide not to buy it, but this DLC blends seamlessly with the base game, so I truly think those who skip Wheatflour Wonderland will be missing out.

For more Hello Kitty Island Adventure fun, check out the Hello Kitty Island Adventure critter list, as well as a guide to all the Hello Kitty Island Adventure luggage locations. For more cozy gaming, take a look at our list of the best cozy games out there, as well as our list of the other best games like Animal Crossing.