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Konami announced that the end is near for a Bomberman game. Amazing Bomberman, an Apple Arcade exclusive for iOS subscribers, will be delisted and shut down. Its absolute final day is May 29, 2025.

People who still want to play have a chance to go through it before the end. Amazing Bomberman is still in the Apple Arcade section of the App Store until May 15, 2025. That’s when it will be removed and service will end. If someone has it on their phone or tablet and subscribe, they can still play for an additional two weeks. Things completely shutter and end on May 29, 2025. 

Amazing Bomberman first debuted on August 5, 2022. It’s a multiplayer game with no true single-player option outside of her practice mode. It was especially known for its soundtrack, which featured tracks from a variety of genres and different takes on traditional songs. 14 of those songs ended up on streaming services in December 2024.

Here’s a trailer that showed how it worked.

This is one of those title that was only available via that service. So once it is gone, there will be no other way to access this Bomberman game.

Amazing Bomberman is playable for Apple Arcade until May 29, 2025.

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Apple Arcade just announced six new games, including a new Katamari Damacy game, that will be exclusive to the platform. The first new game in the Katamari series in almost eight years is called Katamari Damacy Rolling Live, and it will launch on the service on April 3, 2025.

In this new title the Prince takes on the role of a live streamer. His popularity will increase alongside the size of his Katamari. An initial screenshot appeared showing the interface. It features comments from viewers on the side.

Five other games are being released alongside Katamari Damacy Rolling Live on April 3, 2025. A new Space Invaders game with a 3D, over-the-shoulder perspective called Space Invaders Infinity Gene Evolve will Apple Arcade on the same day. Old school gamers will enjoy the addition of RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic+, a version of the popular theme park builder developed specifically for mobile devices.

Here is the Apple Arcade full lineup of games launching in the next three weeks:

• Available from March 13, 2025
  • NBA 2K25 Arcade Edition
  • PGA Tour Pro Golf

• Available from March 27, 2025
  • Skate City: New York

• Available from April 3, 2025
  • The Game of Life 2+
  • Katamari Damacy Rolling Live
  • puffles.
  • RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic+
  • Sesame Street Mech Builders+
  • Space Invaders Infinity Gene Evolve

Katamari Damacy Rolling Live will be on Apple iOS devices via Apple Arcade on April 3, 2025. Apple Arcade is available on all Apple devices and costs $6.99 a month.

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There’s a Days of Plenty fall event in Hello Kitty Island Adventure starting on November 17, 2024, and this time Pompompurin is a major player. The official art for it shows the character alongside Hello Kitty and the player avatars. This means there will also be new rewards to earn. 

Here’s the trailer for the fall event. It begins with Hello Kitty, Pompompurin, Pochacco, and two player avatars emerging from a pile of leaves. This will be a trend throughout the event, as you’ll run through piles like these in-game to get items to trade at the Resort Plaza hub for new customization items for characters and cabins. We get to see some of these fall-themed items firsthand after that, with characters in decorated homes in the new outfits. We also get to see what the in-game leaf piles will look like, so we know how to spot them, and the stand where we can trade for new in-game merchandise.

The last event in October 2024 celebrated Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary.

In addition to the new Days of Plenty fall event starting in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, there’s progress on the new ports. The Steam page is live for the PC version of the game due out in 2025. This means we know the system requirements for the title. 

Here are the minimum ones needed to run the game on a Windows PC. In both cases, a 64-bit processor and operating system is needed. 

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i3-540 or AMD Phenom II X4 940
• Memory: 6 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT, 512 MB or AMD Radeon HD 6570, 1 GB
• DirectX: Version 10
• Storage: 10 GB available space

And here are the recommended requirements:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i5-4690 or AMD Ryzen 3 1300X
• Memory: 6 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, 4 GB or AMD Radeon R9 380, 4 GB
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 10 GB available space

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available on Apple Arcade for iOS devices and Macs now, and the Days of Plenty event begins on November 17, 2024.

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Apple and Square Enix announced that multiple Final Fantasy games will be ing Apple Arcade over the next two months, with the FFIV 3D remake that first appeared on the 3DS, FFIV: The After Years, and Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster all confirmed. There’s one other RPG from the company also showing up alongside them. Trials of Mana will appear there as well.

All of these are considered “+” versions of the titles. This is a label applied to full games that may have already been available on the App Store, but with a paid version, before. It signifies that they are now Apple Arcade free versions with everything included.

Here’s the full list of when the FFIV entries, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, and Trials of Mana game will launch on the service. The App Store product pages are already live for each one, so you can see space requirements, screenshots, and descriptions for each title.

• Final Fantasy IV (3D Remake)+ - December 9, 2024.
• FFIV: The After Years+ - December 9, 2024.
• Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster+ - January 9, 2024. 
• Trials of Mana+ - January 9, 2024.

Square Enix ed and released games on Apple Arcade basically since the subscription service started. One of the first contributions to the catalog was Various Daylife, which later went on to become a multiplatform game. This is the first time Final Fantasy and Mana games appeared on Apple Arcade, however.

The next round of Square Enix Apple Arcade additions will kick off with FFIV (3D Remake) and its sequel FFIV: The After Years on December 9, 2024. Apple Arcade is available for Macs and Apple iOS devices.

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On July 28, 2024, Hello Kitty Island Adventure launched on Apple Arcade, and a first anniversary update added the Friendship Festival, the ability to have two companions with your avatar, new outfits, and a song from MYLK. While the song isn’t available to hear outside the game yet, a new trailer showed off this year’s version of the event and some of the new clothing options.

The biggest addition is the 2024 version of the Friendship Festival in Hello Kitty Island Adventure, which is an update on the Launch Celebration from 2023. The new outfits present all seem to be additional pieces of formal wear, carrying on the tradition from the original launch event. Between July 25, 2024 and August 8, 2024, people can take part in Group Photo quests to earn Friendship Charms. Those charms can be exchanged at the Photo Booth in Resort Plaza for emotes and outfits. The ability to now ask two Sanrio characters to you as you explore the island and take photos is also new in honor of the activity.

As for the MYLK song, it is written by Phill Boucher. People will need to take part in the event and play the game to unlock it. Once they do, there will be an in-game segment where people will see the Sanrio characters dance along with the track.

Here’s the full Hello Kitty Island Adventure first anniversary Friendship Festival trailer. It also features the new horse avatar option prominently, which we saw added in June 2024.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available for Apple devices via Apple Arcade, and it will be on the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC in 2025. 

The post Hello Kitty Island Adventure 1st Anniversary Update Arrives appeared first on Siliconera.

As is common for the Animal Crossing like Hello Kitty Island Adventure, there’s a Hugs & Hearts event in place for Valentine’s Day 2024. It involves lovebugs players can catch and care for, as well as new cosmetic items. 

Here’s how the event works. In addition to a event that gives you free items each day, you can now catch lovebugs for Chococat. When you do, you can place them in a habitat on the Resort Plaza beach. As you do, you can eventually claim nine different kinds of furniture. Eventually, after entering their cocoons, the lovebugs will hatch into what could be beautiful butterflies.

Here’s the trailer for the new Valentine’s Day event in Hello Kitty Island Adventure:

As a reminder, players can still collect some of the dragon orbs and redeem them for items for the Lunar New Year event. People can find the scattered throughout the Resort Hub area. When they do, they can turn them in at the stall outside My Melody's store to collect an array of different kinds of furniture inspired by the year of the dragon.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available on Macs and iOS devices, and its Hugs & Hearts event runs until February 22, 2024. 

The post Hello Kitty Island Adventure Valentine’s Day Hugs & Hearts Event Begins appeared first on Siliconera.

While more than a handful of games released for the Apple Arcade in 2023, there a few that stood a head above the rest. Not all of the games that made our list of the best games available on Apple's gaming service will surprise you, but maybe this will entice you to give these games a shot! You can check out our list of what we felt were the best Apple Arcade games in 2023 below.

As Butters aptly said many years ago in South Park, Hello Kitty Island Adventure is the best! Jokes aside, this game is actually a ton of fun to play and gives me some solid Animal Crossing vibes with all the different activities and adorable characters. I need to get back to it. Outside of that, Fantasian is a gorgeous and lengthy JRPG from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi that seriously needs to come to other platforms. — Cody

Yeah, I have to go with Hello Kitty Island Adventure is the best. It's a really solid game with lots of fun updates, plenty of characters, and a gameplay loop that motivates you to keep playing. Multiplayer event quests like the Halloween one aside, it's definitely worth someone's time. — Jenni

Fantasian and Hello Kitty Island Adventure are available for iOS devices.

The post Siliconera Speaks Up: Which 2023 Apple Arcade Games Were the Best? appeared first on Siliconera.

The new 1.4 Hello Kitty Island Adventure update is live, and it brings with it a story update, furniture customization, and a Luck & Lanterns Lunar New Year event. Immediately after ing the patch, players will find the Frosty Fashion Frenzy event is live.

The new 1.4 update is about both temporary and permanent additions. The two new features that will always be there involve new decorating options and Spirit of Friendship Island lore. If someone has been keeping up with the story, the main quest now has new quests to complete. Also if My Sweet Piano is at My Melody’s shop and on the island, you can head to her to customize the appearance of your furnityre pieces. 

As for the new Hello Kitty Island Adventure seasonal activities, Frosty Fashion Frenzy runs January 11-19, 2024 and is followed by the Luck & Lanterns Lunar New Year January 19, 2024 through March 1, 2024. The former is a daily event with free clothing as gifts. The latter involves gathering dragon pearls around the island to exchange for Year of the Dragon cosmetics.

Here’s the latest Hello Kitty Island Adventure update trailer, which goes over the Luck & Lanterns Lunar New Year event and My Sweet Piano’s furniture customization service, though it doesn’t show any of the new story quests. 

As a reminder, the previous updates that appeared in December 2023 added two more holiday events. One was the Christmas-like Give & Gather activity. That involved helping Cinnamoroll deliver gifts to other island residents. The other was a New Year’s sort of Lighttime Jubilee. For that, players had to collect light bulbs from the Resort Plaza area and use them to fix displays around the island for Badtz Maru and Chococat.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available via Apple Arcade for the Mac and iOS devices. Its 1.4 update is live.

The post Hello Kitty Island Adventure Lunar New Year Event and Story Update Arrive appeared first on Siliconera.

Over the years, we’ve seen a wide range of titles come to Apple’s game subscription service. Some are “plus” versions of existing mobile titles, while others are entirely new and even exclusive. But one thing that’s increasingly come up is how Apple Arcade ended up packed with life sim games and titles like Animal Crossing. 

It’s something that sort of crept up on us. It started with a lot of farming sims. Nightmare Farm was among the first. Farm It is lighter on the “life” element, but definitely offers the farming. Cozy Groveended up basically being the first Animal Crossing kind of game on the service when it appeared in March 2021.  

However, in recent months these additions accelerated. Stardew Valley+ showed up in the library in July 2023. The Apple Arcade exclusive Hello Kitty Island Adventure game is an Animal Crossing  style life sim in which you help fellow villagers and visitors, decorate cabins, and enjoy island life while taking on quests. Japan Rural Life slipped out in 2023 under the radar, offering a Japanese farming and life sim. Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition showed up there as well, offering people the Disney take on the genre on a new platform. 2024 kicked off with Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom. While it features more adventure elements and going around to locations helping people, there’s crafting, resource management, and building up a campground.

And, when you think about it, the nature of Apple Arcade suits the genre. In the case of games like Stardew Valley or even Cozy Grove, we have established games that are full life sim experiences and keep people playing on a daily basis for hours. The nature of the service also encourages developers to issue regular updates to keep people coming back, which fits titles like Hello Kitty Island Adventure and Disney Dreamlight Valley. It also is a genre that is very accessible to other players.

The only downside is, it capitalizes on the addictive and compelling nature of these games to hook people into the subscription service. Especially if it is a title that does get regular updates with new items and characters. People will want to keep interacting with their virtual friends or tending their farms. It’s $6.99 per month for Apple Arcade, and that cost certainly adds up. Especially in the case of something like Stardew Valley, Cozy Grove, or even Disney Dreamlight Valley, where a version of the game could be purchased on other platforms and be complete. 

It is interesting to see this progression and embracing of life sims like Animal Crossing and farming games on Apple Arcade. It’s certainly showing how tapping into a genre that captivates people and keeps them continually playing day after day can help. Plus, it does help for folks who like a particular genre and want to have an outlet to opt into a collection of such titles in one place. I do worry a bit about the idea of feeling compelled to keep paying such a fee, especially when some titles are available stand-alone on other platforms for a lower cost. However, in moderation or for brief periods it’s a fun option and offers an opportunity to text out experiences or maybe relax for a month or two.

Apple Arcade appears on Apple iOS devices and Macs.

The post Apple Arcade Became a Home for Life Sim and Animal Crossing Like Games appeared first on Siliconera.

The next Hello Kitty Island Adventure event is Lighttime Jubilee with Badtz-Maru. It will involve lighting up the Resort Plaza starting on December 21, 2023.

Unlike the Give and Gather Celebration, which is a Christmas sort of affair, this Hello Kitty Island Adventure event covers New Year’s as well. It also will add another cosmetic change to the main hub area and involve new rewards. The teaser image shows a number of light displays that can be placed in cabins, including tile rugs that light up, arches, stands, and new wallpaper and flooring. 

There is a Hello Kitty Island Adventure Lighttime Jubilee trailer starring Badtz-Maru that offers a hint as to what to expect. After teasing the rewards, it shows him talking with Chococat. The two attempt to light up displays around Resort Plaza. However, things go out. The player will then need to go around collecting light bulbs on the island. This will then fix the displays. Badtz-Maru is also shown giving one of the light fixtures as a reward during the restoration process.

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available on Apple Arcade for iOS and Mac devices. It’s Lighttime Jubilee event will run between December 21, 2023 and January 10, 2024. 

The post Hello Kitty Island Adventure Lighttime Jubilee Event Stars Badtz-Maru appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco and Apple announced that a new Tamagotchi game starring Mametchi called Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom will launch on January 4, 2024. Apple Arcade subscribers will be able to access the game.

The product page for the title is already live. In this game, the familiar Tamagotchi mascot Mametchi, who players of the pet sim usually get by taking exceptional care of their character, takes part in what seems to be a simulation with RPG elements. Players will take on quests, work with other characters, collect materials, craft, and restore a community. The first trailer  shows some of the different biomes, shows how characters can be dressed up, shows activities like mining, fishing, and chopping trees, and shows how someone can decorate rooms. Both Memetchi and Kuchipatchi are shown alongside Mametchi.

Here’s the first look at the game.

This means yet another game with life sim, crafting, and creation elements is coming to Apple Arcade. The service already offers titles like Hello Kitty Island Adventure and Stardew Valley for subscribers.

It also comes after one of the most recent worldwide Tamagotchi releases. The Tamagotchi Uni appeared in 2023. It is a successor to the Tamagotchi Smart, is worn on the wrist like a smartwatch, and can connect to the internet without the help of other devices.

The new Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom Apple Arcade game will debut on January 4, 2023 for Apple mobile devices and Macs. 

The post Tamagotchi Adventure Kingdom Apple Arcade Game Stars Mametchi appeared first on Siliconera.

There’s a Hello Kitty Island Adventure update on the horizon, and that means new avatar customization options, the My Sweet Piano debut, and a new event. 1.3 arrives on November 17, 2023.

While Apple announced it, there are also details at the official Discord. As usual, the story will continue. There will be storyline quests, some mission involving a Guiding Light, and a Give & Gather Celebration to tie in with Thanksgiving and other seasonal holidays. 

However, there will also be Hello Kitty Island Adventure character additions like My Sweet Piano, visitors, and avatar customization options. My Sweet Piano will be a resident, rather than a visitor, which means the player will get to build up a friendship with her. The new avatar type wasn’t announced, but all existing ones are based on animals and creatures like birds, cats, and dogs. There will also be four more visitors, though they weren’t named.

Here are the official initial patch notes for the Hello Kitty Island Adventure update for November 17, 2023 from the Discord Announcements channel:

Confirmed Features & Content Include:

• Brand New Resident: My Sweet Piano!
• New Event: Give & Gather Celebration
• New Avatar Type
• Four New Visitors
• Continue the Main Quest
• Multiplayer Friendship Levels
• New Strawberry Crate Source
• Upgrade Your Crystal Sensor with New Functionality
• Follow the Guiding Light?
• And more!

Quality of Life Updates:

• Guarantees for Traveling Visitors (3 Days)
• Guarantees for Character Hats (100 boxes)
• Easier Cinnabloom collection (removed many spawn points, kept spawn number the same)
• New, clearer icons for furniture sets so you can attract those visitors
• Fixed bug with daily quests that weren’t incrementing properly
• Fixed Spooky Secrets quests that weren’t triggering reliably
• Fixed Retsuko going underground
• Many more small fixes!

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available on Apple and Mac devices via Apple Arcade. Its next update arrives on November 17, 2023.

The post Hello Kitty Island Adventure Avatar Customization, My Sweet Piano Update Arriving appeared first on Siliconera.

Sanrio and Sunblink announced a Hello Kitty Island Adventure Halloween event with the Kuromu’s Spooky Celebration 1.2 update. It adds seasonal features, in addition to the ability to choose one of the cabins on the island as your avatar’s, Kuromi visitors, new quests, and an event with Spooky style furniture. It is all available on September 29, 2023.

The general updates involve involve the new quests and house. You and anyone who comes to your island via multiplayer can establish a personal cabin or Friendship Cabins. This allows you to have your own spaces, in addition to the ones you set up to entice visitors to stop by and perhaps move to the island permanently. There will also be a new quest with Retsuko, and another continuing the storyline from the incident that gives us access to Kiki and Lala’s Cloud Island Plaza area.

As for the Kuromi and Hello Kitty Island Adventure Halloween parts, you could consider there being two parts to the Spooky Celebration too. The first is the actual event. As with the Summer’s End Celebration, you’ll get treats as you play between October 1, 2023 and November 6, 2023. The stand to exchange them for Spooky furniture and items will be in the Resort Plaza as with the last event. Finally, the new visitors will be Baku, who is close to Kuromi, and Berry and Cherry, who are familiar to her and Cinnamoroll.

Here’s the official trailer for the update:

Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available for Macs and iOS devices via Apple Arcade.

The post Hello Kitty Island Adventure Halloween Event Stars Kuromi appeared first on Siliconera.

At Magic 2023, Hironobu Sakaguchi, the father of the Final Fantasy series, stated that he would be interested in a PC release and sequel of Fantasian. However, there is no concrete confirmation as of yet in regards to either. Sakaguchi's comment indicate an interest in continuing to expand on Fantasian. [Thanks, IGN!]

The full quote from the article, translated, from Sakaguchi in regards to Fantasian is: “There are a lot of fans who want to see it on Windows, as well as lots of questions regarding a sequel. I wish to continue to do my best and work on it. ... Fantasian is a title that I still want people to experience.” There is no hard commitment or promise in his statement, and it is unclear what has to happen (or what is happening) behind the scenes at Mistwalker in regards to the game.

Fantasian came out in 2021 for Apple Arcade. Hironobu Sakaguchi created it and Nobuo Uematsu (also of Final Fantasy fame) was the composer. It has a unique diorama style, as well as an aiming mechanic for attacks. It focuses on an amnesiac boy named Leo in an alternate universe. There are two parts to the game and it does not feature any micro-transactions.

As of the time of writing, Fantasian is only available via Apple Arcade, despite Sakaguchi's interest in a PC port.

The post Fantasian Creator Comments on PC Port and Possible Sequel appeared first on Siliconera.

When the Nintendo 3DS eShop shuts down, Game Freak’s solitaire and horse racing mash-up Pocket Card Jockey won’t be lost for good. A new version of the game with a “Ride On!” subtitle will appear on Apple Arcade. It will debut on the subscription service on January 20, 2023. [Thanks, Pocket Tactics!]

In the game, players are a jockey trying to hit new racing heights. When a race begins, you’ll play several hands of solitaire. How well you do in each one can energize and help your horse run faster. You also need to chart the horse’s course on the track, so they pick up bonuses, avoid other horses, and get in a good position. In the final stretch, the perspective changes so you can more directly see other horses and ideally use one last burst of energy to pull ahead and win.

There are also some simulation elements in Pocket Card Jockey. As you race, your horse might learn new skills. You’ll also be able to breed horses to get stronger ones. You might then get horses that excel in certain situations or that look different. In the 3DS version, you could share QR codes from your retired horses, so other players could pair them up with their own.

The original Pocket Card Jockey showed up on the 3DS in 2016. There is a demo available for people who want to try it out.

Pocket Card Jockey is immediately available for the 3DS, and Pocket Card Jockey: Ride On! will come to Apple Arcade on January 20, 2023.

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