Hello Kitty Party Land feels a lot like Mario Party, except it’s made with younger children in mind and features Hello Kitty alongside the rest of the Sanrio cast. After spending some time with the Switch 2 version, I think it’s a game that kids will enjoy far more than adults. There’s plenty of charm in its presentation, but the gameplay is so simple and repetitive that older players will probably lose interest before long.
Most of your time is spent in the main board game mode. You move around different boards, complete challenges along the way and take part in minigames every few turns. It takes only a few minutes to understand how everything works, and there’s a decent amount of content to get through. Still, anyone expecting the same level of competition as Mario Party will be disappointed.
The biggest difference is that there’s no real competition between players. Instead, everyone works together to complete shared objectives. I can see why the developers went in this direction. Younger children can get upset when they lose, and removing that pressure makes the game more welcoming. Unfortunately, it also makes the board game less interesting. Without anyone to compete against, I rarely felt invested in what happened during a turn. It works for the intended audience, but I found it far too easy.
There are over 40 minigames to play, either separately or as part of the main board mode. Most involve pressing buttons repeatedly or rotating the analogue stick. The controls are straightforward enough that even very young children should have no trouble understanding them. That accessibility comes at a cost, though. There’s very little variety in what you’re actually doing, and it doesn’t take long before the minigames start feeling alike. You’ll also find yourself replaying the same ones quite often. Rotating a stick might entertain a six-year-old for a while, but it gets boring quickly if you’re older. Some of the minigames aren’t particularly enjoyable in the first place.
You can choose between Easy, Normal and Hard difficulty settings. Increasing the difficulty changes certain board rules and victory conditions while making the minigames slightly more demanding. I appreciated having the option, but it doesn’t make a substantial difference. The basic gameplay remains unchanged, and even on the harder settings, there isn’t much to challenge experienced players.
One feature I genuinely enjoyed was the little activities that occasionally appear while CPU characters are taking their turns. Rather than making you sit through everything, the game sometimes gives you something to do. One activity involves following several paths and figuring out which one leads to treasure. These are small distractions, but they’re a clever addition. They encourage a little thought and help make the waiting less dull. I imagine younger players will have a particularly good time with them.
Outside the board games, Party Land has a hub area where you can spend time doing smaller activities. Farming, shopping, collecting stickers and playing around with creative tools are all available. There isn’t much depth to any of them, but I liked having something different to do after spending a while on the boards. You can also fill a sticker book, with each Sanrio character giving you a sticker when you meet them for the first time.
Character customisation is another pleasant addition. Hello Kitty is joined by most of the familiar Sanrio characters, and you can change their appearance using different outfits and accessories. There’s even a photo studio where you can take pictures using selfie and drone cameras. It’s all fairly basic, but I can see younger Hello Kitty fans spending quite a bit of time with these features. The minigames can also be played alone or against CPU characters, while local and online multiplayer give you more ways to play with others.
Visually, Party Land is easily at its best. The developers have clearly paid attention to the presentation, and it shows. The Sanrio characters look exactly as you’d expect, while the boards are colourful and genuinely pleasant to look at. I spent most of my time playing the Switch 2 version in docked mode, where it looked excellent. Handheld mode holds up nicely too. Whatever complaints I have about the gameplay, I can’t say much against the visuals.
The technical side is equally impressive. Throughout my time with the game, I didn’t encounter a single issue. Everything worked as expected, and the experience was smooth from start to finish. It’s a shame the gameplay doesn’t have the same level of appeal, because the presentation and general polish are difficult to criticise.
Party Land is much easier to recommend to children than to teenagers or adults. Younger players who already enjoy Hello Kitty and the wider Sanrio cast should find plenty to keep them entertained. They’re also less likely to mind the repeated minigames, and the various activities give them quite a few things to try. For older players, however, the lack of challenge becomes obvious very quickly. There simply isn’t enough variety to keep things interesting for long.
There aren’t many good Hello Kitty games around, especially ones that feel this well made. Party Land deserves some credit for that. Families looking for something featuring these characters should find it a worthwhile option, particularly if younger children are going to be playing. It can’t compete with Mario Party in terms of gameplay, but its lovely presentation, accessible activities and generous amount of content make it a decent choice for young Sanrio fans.
Game Information
- Game Title: Hello Kitty Party Land
- Price: $49.99
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Entertainment
- Developer: G-Style Co. Ltd/Sanrio Games
- Platform: Switch 2
- Review Code: Provided by the publisher
