Store, Zomberry Island

With fear at zero, be a Zomberry Hero! 🧟‍♂️🍍

Slanted Fish

Hey Zombtropicans—the Zomberry Island 2 special event teased last week is here! Head over to the new “Zomberry Hero Special Event” on the map to get started saving the latest victims of the of bad blueberries.

This special event is only on the Haxe version of the game, so if you’re not seeing it, you might be on Flash. To use your Flash account on Haxe, try idk’s Format Loader tool and select “HTML5 (Haxe JS).” Or consider starting a new account on Haxe. Also, if you’re having trouble loading Haxe, try disabling your ad blocker.

Troubleshooting aside, let’s get to the Zomberries! This special event continues the tale of Zomberry Island, one of the classic islands from back in 2013. Now, in 2020, a blueberry smoothie stand run by a couple of young girls has reintroduced a new wave of Zomberries…

After the comic, click “Start” to begin the game. You’ll be greeted by a girl on a hoverboard named Anita, who equips you with a gun that shoots pineapple-flavored slime balls, an antidote to the zombie infection. Your task is to go around shooting at the zombies to turn them back into regular form (whether human or animal), using your mouse to aim and spacebar to shoot. Check the map in the lower corner too!

But keep an eye on your fear meter: it goes up when you’re near a zombie, and if you let it stay for even a moment too long, you’ll faint and the level restarts. Having audio on is helpful for hearing the heart palpitations to warn you when you’re too close.

According to the Creators’ Blog, there are three levels in the game, each getting progressively harder. And with widespread reports of game lag from early players on our PHC Discord server, it’s certainly not as easy as it sounds, so approach the zombies carefully! To add to the struggles, there are also video ads between scenes to deal with…

Still, there is a little incentive for making it through: the Creators are offering a free one-month membership to the first 30 non-members to complete the whole event without fainting! They’ll be announcing the winners Thursday, so stay tuned for that.

UPDATE: The Creators also shared a YouTube video guide for the Zomberry special event (with no lag)! Not sure who the person behind the camera is, and her character’s pink hair is more saturated than Blue Tooth’s, but it’s cool to hear some narration. Check out the 3:25 timestamp for a reference to Dr. Beev, 5:05 for a mention of Shark Boy (original name), and 7:25 for a promise of more sneak peeks to come!

At the end of it all, Anita hints that there’s more to come in the sewers, and you’ll get a “to be continued” screen with zombie alligators. Wonder what that’s all about!

Beating the game is also supposed to award you with 1000 credits as the prize, although some players have reported not seeing the credits added to their accounts. But if you do get it, it’s the perfect time for a seasonal store surprise…

Whether or not you succeed in ridding the Zomberry plague, you can still join in on the fun with the Zomberry bundle in the store!

The whole set includes a Zomberry mask, T-shirt, hoverboard, Zombify squirt gun, and even a zombie puppy follower, all for the hefty price of 1000 credits. It’s also limited edition—only available during the Zomberry Hero event, which presumably lasts until the end of Halloween season, so shop and play while you can! 🧟‍♂️

For more spooky season shenanigans, don’t forget to enter our Halloween costume contest and make some art for Community Creations and Poptober! 🎃 Oh, and drop your questions for Poptropica’s CEO for an upcoming Q&A here on the PHB!

What did you think of the Zomberry special event? Were you able to beat all three levels and become a true Zomberry Hero? Share with us in the comments and with other players on our Discord server!

🧟‍♀️🔦🧟‍♂️

Creators

Bring in your questions for Poptropica’s CEO!

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans, we’ve got something special lined up for you!

We’ve been in touch with Poptropica’s current CEO, Abhi Arya, who is also the chief of Coolmath Games and Sandbox & Co., Poptropica’s parent company. We asked Mr. Arya if he’d be interested in doing a Q&A with readers of the Poptropica Help Blog, and he said yes!

Do you wonder about what goes on behind the scenes of making Poptropica, what the future holds for the game, and more? Send in your questions in the comments of this post, and we’ll gather some of your questions for the Poptropica CEO and team to answer.

While we wait to hear their insights, you can revisit this 2015 interview we did with the then-CEO of Poptropica, Jess Brallier! Poptropica has changed a lot in the past five years, especially with the external factor of having to adapt to a post-Flash future, and this is a great opportunity for both fans and the Creators to reconnect about what’s been going on.

We’ll be taking questions from now until next Tuesday, October 20, so fire away in the comments! And we’ll keep you posted on their answers here on the PHB, so stay tuned… 😄

— the Poptropica Help Blog —

Sneak Peeks, Zomberry Island

Zomberries to return in upcoming event! 🧟‍♂️🫐🔦

Gentle Dolphin

Hello, ghouls and ghosts! Halloween is fast approaching, and everyone is gearing up for some spoopy fun. The hype is so infectious that the Poptropica Creators couldn’t avoid it. Yesterday, they announced a new limited time event coming to Poptropica maps near you.

Everyone, brace yourselves because the zomberries will be returning for an upcoming Zomberry Special Event!!!

The original Creators’ Blog post also featured two Zomberry-themed sketches— possibly concept art for the event’s map icon— to go along with the announcement. You can see them below.

If you go to Instagram, you can see what’s presumably the final icon design, which borrows elements from both sketches. The caption on the Instagram teaser simply reads, “Something is happening VERY SOON. And then more is happening after that.”

Man, there’s a lot to look forward to! Judging from the announcement, it’s likely not the Zomberry Island remaster that was teased last year. Since it will a limited time event, it may be a special minigame similar to D.C. Diner or a quest like the Haunted House.

This event could be borrowing elements from previously scrapped Zomberry minigames, which we covered in our “PHB Sneak Peeks” series. Maybe it has something to do with that 8-bit minigame that was teased for the Zomberry Island remaster? Who knows? We’ll have to wait and see.

Players participating in this limited time event will be awarded special perks, so who knows what new prizes could be in store. Keep an eye out for upcoming sneak peeks, and be prepared for the return of the fruity undead.

While we’re waiting for this event, why not buy some costumes to dress up your Poptropican? The Poptropica store added some new items for players to buy, so it’s a great chance to get in the Halloween spirit. Plus, it gives you more to work with for the PHB’s Halloween costume contest. 😉

Thank you for reading, and have a good day! 

—Gentle Dolphin 🐬

Guest Posts, Red Dragon Island, Reviews

Ramble Review: Red Dragon Island 🐉

Slanted Fish

Welcome to another Ramble Review! This guest post comes from Purple Paw, who will be rambling about Red Dragon Island.

Let’s talk about Red Dragon Island. I choose it mainly because it is one of the few very good sponsored islands. At first, I was skeptical about choosing a sponsored island, because usually, sponsored islands are very poor at showing Poptropica’s authenticity. Mostly, they tend to be unexciting remakes, nothing you would think of as being truly Poptropica. But Red Dragon? This island couldn’t be more different.

As you may know, the story is based off of the Magic Treehouse book Dragon of the Red Dawn, with some of the gameplay tactics borrowed from Night of the Ninjas, an earlier Magic Treehouse book that also takes place in ancient Japan. But the plot of the Red Dragon Island takes such a unique twist from this classic book series, it doesn’t feel like a sponsored island at all; miraculously, it feels like a true Poptropica island.

And it wasn’t just the storytelling aspect of this island that made me choose Red Dragon; the gameplay, too, adds greatly to the overall enjoyment of the island. Though not exceedingly difficult, learning ninja skills does take some concentration and practice, and you’ve got to focus and think hard to master catching the kappa, trimming the bonsai, and other tasks you’re asked to complete, creating the perfect balance between challenge and fun.

Last but not least, the scenery adds the icing to the cake, and ties this whole amazing adventure together. Floating cherry blossoms, lily-pad dotted ponds, and splendid architecture make for one of the most beautiful and poetic islands yet.

There’s simply nothing you can’t enjoy about this island, and I think Red Dragon surely deserves a spot in the best of all time.

Hope you enjoyed this guest post by Purple Paw. If you did, be sure to check out previous Ramble Reviews on islands like Twisted Thicket and Ghost Story, and stay tuned for more! Plus, 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, 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 🐬