Howdy Poptopicanos! 🤟 This is LJ, and today I’ll be ranking the islands from 2015, a decade after they were released. There were only 4 islands that came out this year that I’ll be including in this ranking: Galactic Hot Dogs, Mystery of the Map, Timmy Failure, and Escape from Pelican Rock. Let’s see how they place!
(Please note, the final episodes of PoptropiCon & Arabian Nights were released in 2015 as well, but those islands were included in the 2014 ranking. Also, these are not full reviews of the islands; therefore, each analysis will be brief.)
#4: Galactic Hot Dogs Island 🌭
(released: January 30 for members & February 19 for all)
I’ll be honest, Galactic Hot Dogs Island never interested me at the time of its release and I don’t think I’ve ever gotten the urge to ever replay it. I do like the character designs and the colors are visually appealing to me—the overall art style might even be better than the next island on this list. Still, that’s just not enough for me to rank this one any higher. Sorry Galactic Hot Dogs!
#3: Timmy Failure Island 🐻❄️
(released: September 17 for members & October 6 for all)
Just like Galactic Hot Dogs Island, this one also didn’t grab my interest. I struggle to recall much about this island, aside from Timmy Failure’s pet polar bear, Total, who totally stole the show for being a whole mood. Total seems more likable than any of the characters from Galactic Hot Dogs, so because of that alone, Timmy Failure Island sits in third place. (Oh, and the mini-game where you have to dodge the trash from the garbage truck is one other thing I remember. That was pretty fun.)
#2: Mystery of the Map Island 🗺️
(released: May 21 for members & June 11 for all)
I’ll be upfront and say that I have a positive bias towards this island. Why? I’m not entirely sure, maybe it’s just the good vibes it gives off. The soundtrack definitely hits home for me as I remember playing this island over 10 times when I was younger.
Now, if you’ve read the first book in the Poptropica graphic novel series that this island is based on, you’ll see just how dull this island feels in comparison. It really doesn’t have much in terms of character or story development (which is a common theme for this year in general). Still, it’s not the worst island we’ve seen in Poptropica and it’s definitely an improvement over the last two islands on this list. I’ll admit again that I’m biased, though. I really like the characters Oliver, Mya, and Jorge for who they are beyond just this island.
#1: Escape from Pelican Rock Island 🌉
(released: December 10 for members & December 30 for all)
Escape from Pelican Rock, in my opinion, was the last truly great island that Poptropica came out with. To me, it’s even better than some of the islands that were released in what we all think of as Poptropica’s prime time. EFPR has a colorful array of characters and an engaging storyline centered around a jailbreak and clearing your name.
Although spending each day in the prison could feel a bit monotonous, I appreciate that there was always something slightly different happening every day. The island was challenging, but not to the extent that it caused a complete meltdown from stress—just good fun. And let’s not forget that the PHB got a shoutout in the form of an easter egg! How awesome is that?
Unfortunately, 2015 was sort of the beginning of the end of Poptropica, so this wasn’t really a difficult ranking to make. Escape from Pelican Rock Island is the standout that’s really carrying this year, MotM is just kinda there, and the other two aren’t really for me.
Have you played any of these islands? Which one did you like the most and which one did you like the least? I’m especially curious to see the comparisons between Galactic Hot Dogs and Timmy Failure. Which one is better/worse for you, and why? Share your opinions in the comments down below. 👇 Also, check out my other rankings of the Poptropica Islands if you’re interested: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, & 2014 Thanks for reading, everybody…pop on and have a Happy New Year!🍀
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