Category: Ghost Story Island

Hemlock Harbor is a town with a secret. Restless spirits are said to haunt its shores, but no one knows who they are, what they want — or how to get rid of them. Can you hunt the ghosts of Hemlock Harbor and uncover the mystery that will set them free?

Ghost Story Island, Great Pumpkin Island, Islands, Mini Quests, Monster Carnival Island, Uncategorized, Vampire's Curse Island, Zomberry Island

Ranking the Halloween-Adjacent Islands 🦇

LJ

Howdy, spooptropicans! Halloween may be behind us, but I’m here to prolong the excitement for just a little longer as today I’m going to rank all of the Halloween-related islands in Poptropica.

There are six islands that I believe fit the bill perfectly due to their spoopy nature; a couple of them are even directly themed around Halloween, such as the beloved Haunted House mini-quest, which will also be included in this list albeit not a full-fledged island. (Because duh, right? 😄) Now let’s get started! (Spoilers warning)

#6) Haunted House 🪦

I feel a bit guilty including this one only to put it at the end, but it just doesn’t stack up against the rest. It lacks a lot of substance which makes sense since it is a mini-island after all. That said, Haunted House definitely gives off those lovely OG Poptropica vibes that I appreciate, especially since it’s from 2009. I enjoyed riding around on the broomstick, solving a few puzzles, and seeing all the classic monster costumes at the party too.

#5) Great Pumpkin 🎃

I really like the “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” special and the island is no different. The cartoon was greatly adapted into the world of Poptropica. It’s short and sweet, but effective in its plot and depicting the characters accurately. Great Pumpkin is a cute, light-hearted island filled with many games and tidbits that make for a very fun play. My favorite parts were the ones with Snoopy. There’s also a Halloween party in this one as well some trick-or-treating involved. Perfect!

#4) Vampire’s Curse 🧛

(I felt really proud of myself after completing this one and memorizing exactly how to do it with every subsequent playthrough. 🤓) Although Vampire’s Curse might not be the most thrilling experience, it is quite complex—and being alone in Bram’s secluded castle definitely cranks up the scare factor. The artists really outdid themselves with this gorgeous island. The largely monochromatic color scheme is oddly satisfying, and the gothic buildings paired with the ominous thunder and rain create a lot of visual appeal. There’s also a romance plot that is both dramatic and sentimental woven here. However, I think the next island tells a romance story that is even better…

#3) Ghost Story 👻

There are so many eerie places on Ghost Story that keep you on your toes as if you’re just waiting for a jump scare—especially the cemetery. And let’s be real, hearing Fiona’s voice from behind you was startling. While the setting itself is cool, it isn’t anything extraordinary; That’s not always a bad thing though. The true highlight of this island is its storytelling. The emotional love triangle storyline and the topic of death set this island apart from the others in a really cool way. It’s very mature for Poptropica standards. This would’ve been a great island for the creators to bring back considering the aging fanbase, but alas, this dream will never come true. RIP 😔

#2) Zomberry 🧟

This one brings back a lot of fond memories for me, so I’m aware I might be a little biased here. Zomberry is my second favorite island from 2013, and it’s claiming the silver spot in my rankings once again. Like the previous two islands, the setting is dark and scary, but this time with our character wandering through a city taken over by zombies. I find the zombies’ blueberry designs pretty amusing, and they’re not really a threat in the end; still, it’s a pretty horrific scenario. Zomberry is a pretty awesome island for introducing us to memorable characters like DJ Saturday Nite and Gamer Guy, along with plenty of action when you’re battling those zomberries.

#1) Monster Carnival 🎪

I realize this pick might come off as a bit obvious since this island was my top choice in my recent 2014 islands ranking, but I can’t help that I love it so much! The 6-year mystery leading up to its release still gets me excited like a total geek. Monster Carnival does a wonderful job of combining the playful atmosphere of a carnival with the elements of a horror movie. The soundtrack, the monsters, and Ringmaster Raven—who’s one of the best villains and characters in the game—really elevate this island to another level and make it truly special to me.

And there it is! How many of these islands have you played, and what does your ranking look like? Also, how did you celebrate Halloween? Let’s talk about it in the comments.

I’m grateful to all of you for reading, and I look forward to our next conversation. Until then, stay awesome and pop on! 🍀

Ghost Story Island, Lunar Colony Island, Store

Creepy costumes and chords from out of this world 🎻

Gentle Dolphin

Greetings, Poptropicans! Today, we’ll be looking at the latest store update and listening to some new island soundtracks. Let’s get started!

Another store rotation brings a unique gallery of items, including six new Halloween-themed outfits: Chillin’ Chills, Bit Dark, October Shade, Lemon Shark, Bubblegum Unicorn, and Fuzzy Monster. The store currently boasts 47 items, 21 of which are members-only.

Update: this store lineup received seven more items after the writing of this post, bringing the total to from 40 items to 47 items. They are the Dance-a-corn Costume, Fairytale Costume, Headless Costume, Inflatable Rex Costume, Cozy Cocoa, Witch’s Brew, and Autumn Scarves.

The items available for purchase are the following:

  • Costumes: Stylin’ Outfit*, Cool Outfit*, Chillin’ Chills, Bit Dark, October Shade, Lemon Shark, Bubblegum Unicorn*, Fuzzy Monster, Dance-a-corn Costume, Fairytale Costume, Headless Costume, Inflatable Rex Costume, Cozy Cocoa, Bride of Frankenstein*, and Frankenstein*
  • Followers: Elephant, Noodle Guy*, Dolphin*, Deer, Charlie the Chocomonkey*, and Atlantis Drone
  • Powers: Binary Rain*, Fireworks*, Cinnamon Fire Flavor Pop Gum, Meteor Shower*, Bobblehead*, Torch, and Electrify
  • Pranks: Sticky Notes, Witch’s Brew, Sneezing Powder, 8-Bit Birthday Pixel Pig Power, Inside Out Power*, and Love Potion* (this item is absent in the Flash version)
  • Miscellaneous: Party Popper*, Flamingo Floatie*, Watermelon Purse*, Drone Flying Follower*, Popsicles*, Hover Scooter*, School Backpack, Notebooks, Marshmallow Roaster, Hiking Boots, Silly Streams, Balloons*, and Autumn Scarves

Items marked with a * are members only.

In other news, Poptropica composer Jeff Heim uploaded three new Pop soundtracks to Soundcloud! (Thanks to MaryannTheConqueror for the news) The titles of these songs hint at two classic island remasters in the works: Lunar Colony Island and Ghost Story Island.

Our first song is “Lunar Colony”, an obvious nod to Lunar Colony Island. The wondrous orchestra fits the theme of exploring an unknown territory, such as the moon.

Next, we have two songs for Ghost Story Island. The first of these two is “Ghost Story Main Theme”. This eerie tune is the perfect piece for walking down the foggy streets of Hemlock Harbor and learning about the town’s tragic past.

The second Ghost Story Island song— and the final of the three new songs—is called “Fiona’s Theme”. The first half sets up a spooky atmosphere, and the second half plays the melody of Fiona’s Song (the song you play on the violin in Ghost Story Island). A wonderful track full of ambience and nostalgia!

It’s a pleasant surprise that these songs were released so suddenly. Perhaps work on remastering the classic islands began earlier than we expected. It gives us some assurance that these fan-favorite islands are not forgotten and will stick around after the end of Adobe Flash.

We at the PHB hope that you join us for more spooky fun this month. We have artistic events like Poptober and Community Creations, as well as our annual PHB Halloween costume contest!

Thank you for reading, and have a good day!

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Ghost Story Island, Guest Posts, Reviews

Ramble Review: Ghost Story Island 👻

Slanted Fish

Welcome to another Ramble Review! This guest post comes from MaryannTheConqueror, who will be rambling about Ghost Story Island.

Now for the first and only island that I remember actually making me teary-eyed! Ghost Story is one of the best examples of Poptropica testing their limits for what kinds of stories their audience will enjoy.

Other than a couple jokes and one of the character’s names being “Henry Flatbottom,” this island has a relatively subdued tone, with a dark and cool color scheme, contrasting to the bright and at times childish other islands.

It’s spooky, with the whole ghost theme and one of the few examples of voice acting in the game, but not desperate in its attempts to scare the player. It uses elements of gothic horror to create a sense of unease without excessive jumpscares or gore.

Ghost Story also shows Pop’s ability to handle more mature themes, without being “edgy” or going too far beyond what its target audience should be able to handle. The characters hang desperately to the past, while avoiding it at the same time, resulting in the ghost’s inability to leave the mortal realm.

While there are many stories within this story, they are all connected to each other, leading to a satisfying conclusion. And they say you should avoid mentions of death in children’s media!

As much as I can rave about Astro-Knights (coming up soon…), this island certainly deserves more attention. While I can talk about the creativity of other islands until I’m blue in the face, Ghost Story is best appreciated for showing the variety in the stories Poptropica can tell.

Sometimes we can have wacky fantasy, or thrilling crime solving, or just plain childlike fun, but we can also have calmer, slightly darker tales that may not be as flashy, but can leave just as deep of an impact. While Ghost Story takes inspiration from comedies such as Ghostbusters, it also has themes of grief, handling past mistakes, as well as the difficulty to not only forgive others, but ourselves.

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by MaryannTheConqueror. If you did, be sure to check out the PHB’s own review of Ghost Story, and stay tuned for more Ramble Reviews! And of course, join in on the fun on the PHC Discord.

The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. You can find some tips and guidelines on our page on how to Write for the PHB, and share blog posts on the PHC.

📰 If you have an idea for a PHB post, send it in! ✨

Ghost Story Island, Reviews

PHB Review: Ghost Story Island 👻

Slippery Raptor

ghost-story-review

ghost

Boo! Slip here. I am your host for today, your… ghost host!

The witching hour is almost here – so what will we do? Last year, we did an omnibus of Poptropica’s scariest moments. Well, scary islands and characters are good Halloween clichés: why not review one of Poptropica’s best and creepiest islands? How about Ghost Story Island? Sure!

This review contains spoilers, so if you haven’t played the island yet, close your eyes and hum throughout the review! However, since you’re still reading this, let’s go!

Announced back in November 2011 (wow, it’s been five years!), Ghost Story Island was peculiarly released after Halloween, despite its spooky themes. In December, a pre-island quest called Spook Central was released and involved hunting ghosts throughout different Poptropica islands and eventually earning the exclusive Ghost Hunter suit!

Are you ready for the review? Oh yeah, we’ll be omitting the Soundtrack section since this is a non-SUI island. We’ll begin shortly—if you dare. No turning back!

Storyline & Characters

review2

Hemlock Harbor is a town with a secret. Restless spirits are said to haunt its shores, but no one knows who they are, what they want — or how to get rid of them. Can you hunt the ghosts of Hemlock Harbor and uncover the mystery that will set them free?

This island, I think, has one of the best storylines. Why? First, it tackles on a tricky topic for kids like ghosts, apparitions, and other scary stuff. Just the trailer is creepy enough to make you want to hide under the bed.

 

As we explore Hemlock Harbor a bit more, we discover the secret behind all these apparitions — it’s one big connect-the-dots game and it’s up to us to weave the story together. Then comes the boldness of the storyline: a story of love, betrayal, and forgiveness — a type of story that goes beyond the typical fluff of kids’ tales.

What I really liked the most was the plot twist in the end, so I suggest that you try playing the island again to find out what it is! Kudos to Poptropica for doing such a great job in making the storyline of the island. I like this island so much that I think it’s worth revisiting once in a while.

Here on the PHB, we love Ghost Story so much that this island won the Best Storyline award in the 2015 Poppies. Awesome.

As for the characters, what amazes is that almost every character makes an appearance and no one gets left out of the story. There is great character development between the ghosts and as well as the magistrate, Henry Flatbottom, as key characters in the story.

My favorite character would be the superstitious guy in front of the bakery. I find it fascinating that some people still believe in superstitions in the modern era.

Gameplay

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The island has a serious amount of gameplay, with lots of neat features, some of which are unique and can’t be found on other Poptropica islands!

One feature I really enjoyed were the cutscenes, like the scene inside the inn where the couple scares you. It’s one great tool to make the island better and interactive.

I also liked the mechanism used while maneuvering vehicles within Poptropica, similar to the ones in Wild West and Cryptids. The boat in the gif above is one of the examples of this.

Now for the distinct features of this island! One would be the first-person mazes found in the cemetery. It’s one of the best features of the island and I like how it adds to the eerie atmosphere.

Last but never the least, is the violin mini-game in the island. It’s actually amazing to hear music and sounds in classic Poptropica, and this island has become a good recipient of it. Check out our PHB Special about Fiona’s violin song!

Visuals

review3

Ghost Story received a decent amount of animation — some of which are seen on the banners above. The best thing that I liked in this island was the fog effect seen throughout the Main Street and the cemetery. I also like the ghost glasses being sold by the vendor on Main Street! Poptropica really put in some cool details on this island!

review5

Another thing to point out in this island was the numerous rooms—so many that I’ve already lost count. With all those rooms, Poptropica filled each one to the brim with detail. What’s more amazing is that while some of the rooms seem repetitive, they’re actually different, such as inside the prison.

Even the concept art made before the island came into being is amazing! It simply shows that Poptropica really gave their best making this island, because their art quality never disappoints!

Verdict

Judging on a scale from 1 to 10, Ghost Story Island gets a… 9.4/10!

ghost-story-out

Ghost Story Island is undoubtedly one of Poptropica’s best islands. Being released almost five years ago, it still stands out among classic Poptropica islands.

I see it as one of the underrated islands because it doesn’t get that much attention, and according to the map, it’s not that popular. If so, I hope this review enlightens and encourages you to play the island and explore it for once! You’d be missing out if you didn’t.

Well, that concludes this review! Hope you enjoyed this gif-filled post as much as I do!

Don’t forget, tomorrow is Halloween, and we’ll be announcing the winners of our 8th Annual Autumnal-Halloween Contest! Watch out for that, everyone! Stay awesome.

fiona

To Fiona, the woman in the window.
App, Ghost Story Island, Night Watch Island

Great Scott! Pets have arrived on the Poptropica app!

Blake

What’s popping, Poptropicans? Blake here, with some Poptropican news!

First off, happy Back to the Future Day! It was 30 years ago today that Marty McFly, Doc Brown and that other third girl arrived on this very day in the future!

Poptropica even made a graphic to celebrate, featuring a Poptropican-ized Marty (which I’d love to have available as a costume, by the way). A couple of PHB authors also made graphics for the occasion, featuring the DeLorean parked on Night Watch Island. Check them out!

Next, the Creators have announced that the Poptropica app users can now unlock mobile-exclusive pets! For $0.99, you can pick up the Pets Pack which features a cat, dog, and owl (all wearable features, not followers).

Also, the Import Your Desktop Look feature is now here for iOS and Android users, as well as Timmy Failure Island which is available as a free download!

Plus, Poptropica tweeted a random bit of Ghost Story Island trivia: the voice who creepily asks, “Are you looking for someone?” is Creator Dr. Lange, whose Poptropican is seen on Virus Hunter Island!

Well, that’s all for now! Stay popping, Poptropicans! I’ve gotta go back to 1985, or else this old guy who dragged me to a mall is going to die! Wow, that sounds kind of dark when it’s taken out of context…