Poptropica: Forgotten Islands (3Ds) Review

In Poptropica: Forgotten Islands, even the very youngest of players can enjoy simple platforming in a colorful world filled with all sorts of interesting characters.

As you begin the game, players choose their character and set off to adventure in a golden blimp. Using the blimp, you will sail around the cloud covered ocean in search of hidden islands. When your blimp encounters an island, you may go ashore to interact with the natives and to search for the hidden artifacts that will uncover the truth of the history of the islands.

The gameplay in Poptropica: Forgotten Islands is incredibly simple – you won’t find much in the way of hidden areas or even semi challenging puzzles. It’s a very straightforward formula, perfect for young gamers who might get confused by overly complicated play. when you are in your blimp you simply steer it around the ocean in search of islands. Once you reach an island, the action changes to simple platforming. You begin at one end of the island, jumping up onto platforms and over obstacles, collecting gold pieces along the way.

While on the island, you’ll be able to interact with the people who live there. Generally, you’ll be given a simple quest to carry out by one of the natives. These quests typically involve fetching a thing or things that are lying around on the island and returning them to the person who requested them. The items will not appear until after you receive the quest, so you may have to work your way around the island twice. The islands themselves are very small, so this isn’t a big deal, but is really isn’t at all challenging either.

While that makes it very simple for young players (after all, the only real mechanics are walking and jumping), I found it odd that your interactions with other characters are in text. So the gameplay may be perfect for young players, but unless they’re able to read they won’t be able to play on their own. They can just muddle through and be able to get through the levels, as they all pretty much involve walking around a small island and picking things up, they’ll miss out on all of the story aspects.

While the story may offer a bit of variety to the game, you’ll soon realize that the islands themselves will not. They are all very basic in design and look, which soon makes it feel like you are playing the same levels over and over again. The characters are interesting, but there isn’t a whole lot of interaction beyond being given your quests. The big draw for kids in this game is going to be the opportunity for customization.

Remember those gold pieces you’re picking up in all the levels? You can use them to customize both your player and your blimp. Your blimp can get cool upgrades like cannons, and your player can buy all sorts of different outfits and accessories. Kids love that sort of thing, and there’s plenty to choose from here. With the levels being as short as they are, it’s quite easy to pick up a lot of gold in a short time, so it shouldn’t be too frustrating for kids coveting a new outfit to come up with the cash they need.

Poptropica: Forgotten Islands is a colorful and simple platformer with a kid friendly look and play. The opportunity to customize your character and your ride will appeal to young players, as will the easy to pick up play. However, that same simple play combined with a repetitive look and mechanic will likely leave players bored after a short time.