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.
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! ✨
Welcome to a new PHB series called Ramble Reviews! This will be a collection of thoughts and opinions from rambling Poptropicans from our PHC Discord community taking a look back at past islands. We hope these posts (and more are coming!) can be a space for fellow fans to read and discuss.
Please welcome the first writer for the series, Purple Paw.
I’ll start by saying, Twisted Thicket is one of the most important islands Poptropica has ever made. It’s not often you see environmentalism portrayed in a kid’s’ game, especially not in this setting, where the message is clear, and yet it is incredibly fun and enjoyable all the same, without being too harsh. I knew right from the start I had to talk about it!
Twisted Thicket is one of the shorter islands, although most times, it’ll take one longer to complete, due to all of the slightly more challenging puzzles hidden within. Your task appears simple at first: rid the forest of the horrible creatures that are terrorizing the town, and help Burt Diamond and his Lumberjerks destroy the magical terrain and build his casino. But the story of the forest goes deeper than that!
The first time I played this, I hoped very much that the island would not end with the forest being bulldozed and the magic destroyed. And as soon as I reached the Sacred Tree Hollow, I saw how kind and innocent these animals actually were, and that they had only acted hostile in defense of their home. What a twist, right?
Twisted Thicket is simply enchanting in every way possible, from the glowing blue mushrooms to the lit-up flowers to the tangled clusters of dark green leaves. And yes, the Tree Hollow is one of my absolute favorite places in all of Poptropica. The Creators aced the setting, characters, and plot, and I will never tire of replaying this island.
The story highlights the misunderstanding between nature and human settlements, and shines an entirely new light on how to fix it. But that certainly doesn’t mean it’s a solemn island; there’s the perfect amount of tension, action, beauty, and storytelling to keep you engaged and having fun the entire time.
This island is a perfect example of the Creators’ old heart and caring, an island that showed they cared about making a true story, and sending a real message (unlike the nonsensical fetch quests we’ve been seeing more recently…).
Troll, from Twisted Thicket
Because of this, Twisted Thicket has got true potential, a meaningful plot line, and is a real gem on the map. I don’t believe the Creators would let something like this go so easily, and if they’ve got half the heart they used to, they’d be working as hard to preserve the Twisted Thicket like we did all those years ago when we first played.
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Purple Paw. If you did, be sure to check out the PHB’s own quickie review of Twisted Thicket by Lucky Joker! Stay tuned for more Ramble Reviews from Purple Paw, Incredible Fire, Magic Flipper, MaryannTheConqueror… and maybe more!And of course, join in on the rambling 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! ✨
What’s up, Poptropicans? It’s Lucky Joker here with a PHB Quickie where I quickly review one of Poptropica’s many great adventures. Today I’ll be reviewing the riveting Cryptids Island. Let’s run through it!
(Be warned: Spoilers ahead!)
If you love urban legends and creatures, you’ll love this island. The task at hand is to find four of the most popular cryptids and prove their existence for the head of the Mews Corporation of scientific discovery, Harold Mews.
I really liked this premise. I find it as interesting and compelling as one could possibly be, in fact. It definitely makes for a thrilling and exciting journey. The creatures, of course, were just as cool. Who isn’t fascinated by mysterious beasts like Nessie or Bigfoot?
On the other hand, none of the Poptropican characters really stood out for me besides Mews — not even the island’s main antagonist, Gretchen Grimlock. There was an absence of any unique personality and everyone was just a bit lackluster, in my opinion. Again, Gretchen Grimlock could have been more heavily featured throughout the quest (like Black Widow, Mademoiselle Moreau, or Myron Van Buren on their islands).
As far as gameplay goes, a quibble I have, albeit slight, is that there’s a lot of back and forth from each location to the lab in Mews’s mansion. (By now, though, our Poptropicans must be used to that 😅) The tasks/mini-games, however, were great! At first the dart game was kind of hindering, but eventually you get the hang of it. And the climb up to the temple in the Himalayas was challenging, but not irritatingly so — so that’s a plus.
Despite my complaints, Cryptids Island gets an impressive 4.5/5 yeti footprints rating from me! I have to admit that when I was younger, I never paid this island any attention, but upon replaying it I discovered a newfound love for it! The positives majorly outweigh the negatives in this case. If you’re a member and haven’t played through this island at least once, or even if you just want to revisit this classic, I totally recommend doing so — especially since it will be disappearing at the end of the year.
And that about wraps it up! What are your thoughts on this island? Sound off in the comments!
Also, don’t forget to participate in the Tribal Tournament currently happening on the PHC Discord server. You’ll definitely have a blast! Thank you for reading as always, and I’ll talk to you all soon.
Velkomin, Poptropican folk! (That’s Old Norse for ‘welcome’ 🤓)
It’s Lucky Joker popping in today with a truncated review of one of Poptropica’s recently withdrawn classic capers, Twisted Thicket Island — an early favorite of mine from 2012. Let’s flutter into it, shall we? (note: spoilers ahead)
Your initial task arriving on the island is to aide the construction crew in clearing the forest by ridding the “hindering creatures” occupying it in order to make room for their new developments.
In the end of it all though, it’s revealed that the developer, Burt Diamond, and the rest of the lumberjerks are in fact the villainous ones — not the inhabiting forest creatures. You realize the action of forcefully ejecting innocent beings from their sacred home is reprehensible, and that the critters were only acting hostile in self-defense. (What a concept, right?) And so of course, like the heroic Samaritan we are, we eventually save the day and the forest’s magic is restored in all its glory.
As an environmentalist and someone who deeply cares about animal welfare, I really like that Poptropica shed some light on this important real-life issue (even more so with the surprising plot twist).
And including Scandinavian folklore along with the bewitching landscape makes the whole adventure more enticing while still fostering the same core idea. The game-like stages are diverting and the final intervention sure is climactic. I find it satisfying when we end up utilizing the very powers of the creatures in peril to drive the pesky bullies away. Oh sweet poetic justice!
So with all that said, I give Twisted Thicket Island a rating of 4/5 rune stones! It’s the decent storytelling, fun and challenging obstacles, and stunning scenery that grant the island perfect score potential. However, I do feel that the gameplay was just a tad rushed and blandly straightforward compared to other islands. I would’ve appreciated a bit more depth and length, so to me a B grade seems reasonable. 🙂
And that concludes my analysis of Twisted Thicket Island! It’s fairy unfortunate it’s no longer playable on the official game, but thankfully we can still access the island here (courtesy of our resident glitcher, idk). I’m not trolling!
What are your opinions on this mystical quest? Share below in the comments!
Also, don’t forget to participate in our readers’ survey if you haven’t already. (It closes on the 18th.) Thank you for reading, and I’ll talk to you all soon.
It’s been three years since Poptropica Original has gotten an island, and a year since Poptropica Worlds did. But we’re pleased to finally welcome Reality TV: Wild Safari to the Poptropica map, and to share our thoughts on this latest adventure that’s a sequel to the original Reality TV Island released in 2010. From people to places to plot, we’re going to cover it all. Let’s go!
Be warned: This review contains spoilers!
Storyline & Characters
As far as the story goes… well, there really wasn’t much on that front. You arrive on the set of the reality TV show and immediately get to jump into the games. Unlike the original Reality TV Island, there’s no build-up to get you there: no washed-up TV star to deliver pizza to, no dreaming about making it out of a rundown town—really, no story, conflict, or scandal about what has transpired between the last season from nine years ago to now.
But the TV set itself has some fun elements, too. There’s a base camp for the show crew that doubles as a common room, monkeys handling cameras, and even the iconic bonfire from the original RTV — and set in a wild safari that looks a little different from the previous season.
The challengers you compete with are really where the island shines most. In addition to a handful of familiar characters from various Poptropica islands (Ringmaster Raven, Scherazade, and Omegon among them), we also meet lots of new celebrity parodies with hilarious names.
Some of our favorites are Shett and Blinked, based on YouTube comedians Rhett and Link; Baby Googoo, based on singer Lady Gaga; and Mandy Screams, based on YouTube personality Miranda Sings. Read more about who’s who in our Reality TV: Wild Safari Island Guide trivia!
Gameplay
As far as gameplay, we basically have three mini-games to look at: Spear Throw, Deep Dive, and Cheetah Run, all of which make up the majority of the island experience.
Though placed in new settings, each of these challenges are actually quite familiar, sharing similarities to other island or ad mini-games. For example, the spear throw borrows mechanisms from Poptropolis Games’ archery event. A bit unoriginal, but fun nonetheless.
That being said, a unique gameplay element that Wild Safari brings to the table is the option to change the difficulty level. This isn’t always an option for us, and is actually quite useful to those players who may struggle with certain gameplay challenges. In fact, selecting your difficulty level has been built seamlessly into the island’s dialogue, aiding in our immersion to the whole experience. You can also win about 5–60 credits for playing all the games, depending on the level you selected and your performance!
One other thing that’s different from the original RTV is that no matter the end results, you’ll win the island medallion. You could come in dead last and TV show host Jim Probably will still give it to you with the assurance that “it’s a Poptropica thing.” While it’s nice not to have the frustration of being voted off the show when you’re down to the final round, as can happen in the original, this new setup feels too easy — after all, you’re literally receiving a participation trophy (or medallion, as it were).
Visuals
As usual, Poptropica’s scenery is beautiful. The safari setting meets our visual expectations, despite there not being a whole lot of scenery to begin with. Perhaps this island isn’t as breathtaking as others, but we’ve got no clear complaints about the aesthetics. Plus, how can we resist some cute animals?
“Washed Up” newspaper references old Reality TV hero Bucky Lucas.
Monkeys on the camera crew are a new fixture on this sequel island.
The interactable elements at our base camp are pretty fun, too. From spooking a camera-woman to, well, spooking a zebra, there are many clickable objects and easter eggs to discover. In particular, we enjoyed the small tribute to old Reality TV hero Bucky Lucas on the beach shore, and the monkeys managing cameras and celebrating winners with drums.
Little additions to an island such as these bring a bit of life to the experience, even though they may not have a huge impact on the gameplay.
Verdict
Considering all of these elements that the island has to offer, our final rating for Reality TV: Wild Safari Island is…
Does this Reality TV experience live up to its predecessor? Maybe not… Was it still enjoyable? Sure thing! Sequels often fall short of expectations, and are commonly labeled as unoriginal. Then again, Greek Sea Odyssey Island successfully brought new Mythology features to the table, and we think the Creators could have delivered better story here, too. Wild Safari simply lacked the substance found in the original.
Still, the island had its charming components. The safari had excellent humor, visuals, references, and dialogue to say the least. Even the mini-games were pretty fun! And that’s why this island gets a 2 out of 5 baby hippos from us.
Thanks for reading our review of Reality TV: Wild Safari Island! How does this adventure compare to the preceding Reality TV Island? Do you agree with our verdict? Share your opinions in the comments below!
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 