Poptropica is filled with a variety of islands, each one unique with its own stories and characters. Explore island tips, trivia, and other extras through our blog archives!
Welcome to another round of IoTM: Special Feature! Although there are two days left for November, Poptropica made a last-minute post about this month’s IoTMs (Islands of the Month)! Last time, we’ve had the spotlight on Shrink Ray Island’s concepts and sketches and now let’s move on to the other IoTM, Poptropolis Games!
As usual, being the Island of the Month gives out these special privileges:
First-time finishers get 500 credits, while replays get 300.
Exclusive members-only items, Plant-A-Statue and Discus, are back for a limited time!
Now, let’s look at the different concepts and never-before-seen exclusives!
Let’s look at the character sketches, they look really cool! I must say that #4 and #5 with the soda hats look really fun, as well as the lady selling Poptropolis Games merchandise! The squid hat looks really funny, hehe. The second image contains more sketches of the major characters of the island: the master of ceremonies, the scorekeeper, and the ancient warrior. Their designs look pretty awesome if you ask me.
The next set of sketches and concepts are the statues and battle arenas found in the island itself. One is the volleyball arena that debuted in 2013 and the one is for weightlifting. As you can also see below, they also had sketches of some ruins on the island!
That’s not the only treat we have from Poptropica! Skinny Moon added that in every island they make, the Creators follow a style guide—a way to make all designs in uniform and consistent. You may find a certain “Jeff” in the style guide and yes, that is Jeff Kinney! Jeff has an input on every Poptropica island as the Chief Creative Officer. 🙂
Don’t they look so cool? We’ll hopefully see some more next month!
What islands do you think will be featured next month? Maybe they’ll be holiday-themed? Leave a comment about it below! I hope you enjoyed another round of IoTM: Special Feature! Until next time, stay awesome people!
Hello, mortals! It is I, Lucky Joker, reviewing and sharing my opinions regarding one of my favorite islands (if not my absolute favorite): Mythology Island. (Check out the PHB’s guide here!)
Playing this island is what really drew me to further look into Greek mythology, and I’ve gained quite an interest! When I saw the trailer for this island back in 2010, I was very thrilled. So much so, I begged my mother to buy me a membership so that I could have early access. Alright, enough about me…
The Basics
Mythology Island is Poptropica’s 12th island and was released to Poptropicans April 1, 2010, but only playable to those who were members. Four weeks later on April 29, 2010, all players could enjoy the mythological quest the newly released island had to offer.
Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers! If you have yet to complete this island, I suggest you turn away now. With that said, let’s pop right into the review- Olympus awaits!
Storyline & Characters
Mighty Zeus, king of the gods, needs a hero – and he wants you! To satisfy Zeus, you’ll need to battle monsters, swim the depths of the ocean, and descend into the mysterious underworld. Will you emerge a hero like Hercules, or face the fiery wrath of Zeus and his thunderbolts?
Prior to playing Mythology Island, I only knew of some of the more widely-known gods/goddesses like Zeus, Hades, and Aphrodite. By the time I earned my medallion, I was a greek Mythology pro… well, for a nine-year-old at least. (Another backstory Lucky Joker?)
Throughout the island, we meet a wide variation of characters: mortals, demigods, gods/goddesses and other mythological creatures (like Satyrs and the Minotaur).
A great spot on the island to learn more about the Greek gods/goddesses is the Museum of Olympus. Inside, you can learn some facts about each god/goddess exhibited, by clicking on his or her sculpture. I think this is an excellent feature and a great learning opportunity for kids. It’s also a great pastime if you haven’t got anything to do in Poptropica!
In the quest, you are asked, by Zeus, to collect five sacred items to gain immortality. Obviously, Zeus doesn’t keep his promise and vows to rule all of Poptropica, but let’s move on. 😛 These items include:
Ring from the Minotaur
Rare Flower
Whisker from Cerberus
Giant Pearl
Hydra’s Scale
Along the way, we meet the Minotaur, who possesses the ring in his nose. To get it, we must navigate through his Labyrinth – which was absolutely awesome! Secondly (depending on the order you complete the island), we meet the Sphinx and obtain the Rare Flower by rerouting the aqueducts to rejuvenate the garden.
Next, you obtain the whisker from Cerberus by putting him to sleep with a pleasant melody. In Poseidon’s temple, both the Giant Pearl and Hydra’sScale are found.
In addition to all of those creatures, we meet many gods and goddesses, as said before. They all play a significant role in the island’s game-play, and I really love all of the personalities they possess.
Athena: goddess of Wisdom, aids your player throughout the entire quest. From the olive trees that give helpful hints to the string given to you to ease the way out of the Labyrinth, she’s there by your side!
Aphrodite: goddess of love and beauty, willingly gives you her mirror which greatly eases travel around the island– and even a bit fun!
Hercules: son of Zeus, provides access to the realms of Hades and Poseidon, as well as Mt. Olympus by using his super strength to eliminate the obstacles that block the entrances.
Hades: brother of Zeus and ruler of the Underworld, offers you his crown which allows you to grow large.
Poseidon: brother of Zeus and ruler of the sea, gives you his trident in hopes of defeating Zeus. With the crown and the trident together at hand, you are able to defeat the mighty Zeus.
As for a story, I’m not sure Mythology told a direct story like some of Poptropica’s other islands. As for situational archetypes, we can see many examples like The Quest – the journey your character goes through to become immortal, The Initiation – when you’re crowned and given the trident thus becoming god-like and Good vs. Evil – the epic battle scene between your character and Zeus.
Visuals/Animation
The backgrounds for the island are absolutely stunning! Mythology Island has great visual depth compared to most classic islands like Shark Tooth and Early Poptropica. There’s so much detail in every scene, it’s overwhelming! …in the best way possible of course. 😉
Some of the best-detailed parts, in my opinion, are Hades’ temple, the Temple of Apollo and the Tree of immortality area. I think the overall design of the island really gives a feel of what Ancient Greece might’ve looked like.
For the most part, the animation was simply fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed all of the cut-scenes throughout the island as well as some of the other animations like Zeus’ lightning strikes.
One of my favorite cut-scenes is where Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon defeat the Titans and claim their realms. I find it pretty neat how the pictures on the wall are able to speak. Also, who can forget about when Cerberus fell fast asleep? Simply adorable.
On the other side of the bridge, however, there is one glitchy animation I’d like to point out. For years now, The Hydra’s heads do not fully connect with the necks and the rest of the body. Not sure what happened there, but the creators’ deserve some slack. Compared to other SUIs, Mythology isn’t bad at all.
Soundtrack
Mythology’s main theme is one of the most soothing tunes I’ve ever heard, and It’s probably my favorite! It sets a relaxing vibe to the beautiful scenery. Very well composed, Jeff Heim!
There are also other sound effects to admire like the chirping of the birds, the fierce growls of Cerberus, the raddling chains holding the Hydra, the sound of the lovely fish fountains, and even the sound some of the pottery makes when you jump on it.
Conclusion
All in all, Mythology is one of Poptropica’s best islands in my opinion. The characters, the plot, the design, and the soundtrack are all attributes that make this island enjoyableandmemorable. Whether you consider it to be a classic or just another SUI, Mythology is still one of the greats. Rating it from 1 to 5, I rate Mythology Island 5 out of 5 seastars!
Again, if you still haven’t completed Mythology Island and would like some help; go ahead and check out the PHB’s written guide!
Thanks for taking the time to read my review! If you have any other opinions or information you’d like to add, feel free to share them in the comment section! I’ll see you next time, pop on!
Poptropica recently announced the Islands of the Month for November: Shrink Ray and Poptropolis Games! As with previous IotMs, the chosen islands will give 500 credits for finishing it the first time and 300 credits for repeat finishers.
Not only will extra credits be given away in honor of these islands, but also new walkthrough videos from Captain Crawfish, exclusive costumes returning in the Poptropica Store and never-before-seen behind the scenes of the islands!
Right now, Shrink Ray’s exclusive members-only costumes, the Milk Box and Bottle Cap Costumes, are back in the Store for a limited time.
Poptropica has also released some behind-the-scenes concept art from Shrink Ray Island! Most of these were ideas that never made it into the island. They involve plastic bag parachutes, a ruler-and-crayon lever, and some dust bunnies! Click on the pictures in the gallery below to view them up-close.
We can’t wait to see more concept art and scrapped ideas from the next IOTMs! It’s really cool to see how the Creators put all their ideas together just to make an island. Poptropica used to post some on Twitter – hopefully they bring that back.
That’s all of the updates we have today! Have you entered the #MyPoptropicaCostume Contest? I’ve been seeing amazing works from the community! Great job, everyone! Keep them coming!
If you’re looking for a book to read, one of the Poptropica chapter books, Lunar Colony (which, as you might guess, is similar to the plotline of Lunar Colony Island), is now available for free in its entirety over on Funbrain! You can click here to flip through the 135-page, illustrated book online. Enjoy!
(Thanks to Shaky Skunk for the tip!)
If you prefer a hard copy of the book, you can buy one online or in a bookstore.
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Over on the Creators’ Blog, Skinny Moon has reposted an old video tutorial from Pop Creator Jon Pitcher about How to Draw a Poptropican Head. You can view it below:
Notably in her post, she gave a shout-out to the PHB’sHow to Draw a Poptropican guide, now updated with more art examples! It’s been one of the few times the PHB has been mentioned on the Creators’ Blog. Thanks Skinny Moon!
Once you master drawing your Poptropican’s head, the body should be a piece of cake — but if you want a little guidance check out the Poptropica Help Blog’s tutorial. They give some nice tips for drawing clothes and accessories.
She also hints at something to come…
Is there a reason we’re helping you brush up on your Poptropican drawing skills? Hmmmm? You’ll just have to wait and see… 😉
Wink, wink. ;;))) All we can say is, something’s up and you’ll want to be ready to get your creative juices flowing! Also, if you like Poptropica fan art, be sure to also check out our We-Love-Poptropica group on DeviantArt and the #art channel on the PHC. New stuff comes up frequently! 😀
Lucky Joker here bringing you a Poptropica app update, as well as new Islands of the Month!
If you haven’t logged on to Poptropica in a while, allow me to enlighten you. 😛 Poptropica has finally added conventional pets to the store with the Cat Pack and Dog Pack! And now, these guys (as well as the plethora of other new fall goodies) are also available on the app.
And guess what? Unlike the online version, everything’s available for purchase for 0 credits. That’s right, they’re FREE! Even the pets! If you haven’t already, get yours today!
The Cat Pack includes three different variations: a grumpy black one, a fuzzy gray one and, my personal favorite, a calico cutie.
The Dog Pack also includes three different kinds: A brown one, A loyal labrador and happy mutt.
Cute, right? For a closer look at all these fall goodies, see this PHB post.
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Also, an NPC on Home Island could possibly be hinting at future Thanksgiving-themed costumes. (Thanks to idk for the tip.) Check it out!
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In addition to all of this it’s now November, and that means new Islands of the Month! This month’s featured islands are…
Poptropolis Games Island 🏅
Ah, Poptropolis Games – the island where you compete in various games to prove tribal supremacy. (PHB Tribal Tournament, anyone?)
The video walkthrough has been uploaded by Captain Crawfish, if you’re interested:
🏝️ Poptropica Help Blog 🗺️ 