Wazzup Poptropicanos, it’s LJ, and welcome to the second installment of my little Poptropica Alignment Charts series. Let’s dive into the second chart. I promise the analysis will be less long-winded this time. 😅
Last time, we looked at a classic alignment chart, but it’s not the only kind! Over time, folks have really gotten inventive, resulting in many different types of charts that come in various formats to evaluate different traits or situational outcomes. Let’s see what we have in store today…
Here, I’ve plotted the first 13 islands of Poptropica, which I deem the true OGs, on a quadrant chart.
The x-axis (horizontal line) ranks the islands from boring to fun, while the y-axis (vertical line) measures their difficulty. In the top right corner, you’ll see the islands I find to be the most captivating, challenging, and enjoyable to play. Islands like Astro-Knights and Mythology have always been among my favorites, and I consider them to be some of Poptropica’s greatest work. I love them so much! 💚
On the opposite end, in the bottom left quadrant, you’ll see the islands that I find to be a bit too simple and not particularly engaging, at least in comparison. Sorry to 24 Carrot and Early Poptropica! 😢
Every other island lies somewhere in between. If an island is near the center of the chart vertically, yet positioned far to the right side (like Reality TV Island, for example), I consider it to be a mix of semi-challenging and semi-simple, yet still genuinely fun! 🙌
Shark Tooth Island, which sits at the bottom of the chart but is near the middle horizontally, is an island I consider super easy, yet still enjoyable. It might not be the most exciting ever, but it’s still a good time. 🙂
The top left quadrant is empty because I don’t think any island is both boring and extremely hard in this era of Poptropica. I hope this all makes sense! I’m thinking about doing all of the islands at some point later on. 😀
Thanks for reading this post. We have one more chart left to go! How would you place these 13 islands on the quadrant chart? You can comment your answers or use my template down below! 🍀
We are down to our final two Poptropica islands: Astro-Knights Island and Mythology Island (Classic). These two tales of epic proportions explored the public eye, collected your votes, and competed all the way to the final round. Which adventure will take the crown as the #1 fan favorite Poptropica island? 🚀🌩️
Before the final voting round begins, we have a couple messages for you. Our little tournament has caught the attention of iconic Pop villains, Mordred and Zeus, who have words to share with their fans.
Fellow Poptropicans, it is both to my surprise and disappointment that, not only has my home island been removed from the map, but I also am at odds once again with Jove himself! The so-said “god” who dared challenge my genius! Let it be known, I will not lose evermore, not to any king or god or… corporation. This, I have learned, is the problem with your futile insistence on “democracy” and “voice of the people”. I believe you all will rally behind not only myself (but mostly myself) but also my homeland and the surrounding galaxy.
‘Tis a shameful, tragic demise that Astro-Knights and that forsaken kingdom of Arturus is no longer present and, thus, will never see the full extent of my vengeance. A pity that is spared, albeit, by us never facing some pathetic, oversimplified remaster like certain other islands I know.
(Imagine, they make me hand over the energy orb without a fight! I’ve already faced enough humiliation because of Princess Elyana!)
Now vote! Vote, I say!
—Mordred from Astro-Knights Island
To the people of Poptropica, the time has come for a rematch like no other! I once again come face-to-face with the Binary Bard himself. This mortal knows not when to quit, risking life and limb for what? Knowledge? Power? Votes?! I ask Mordred a simple question: ‘From where do you gather the electricity to power your inventions?’ If he wants to play god, then he must face one himself.
It is true that Mythology Island is present in a less than idealized way. Despite this, my island’s original state is immortalized for all to experience. You may shudder at the price of admission, but we all must pay a price to achieve great things. One must pay in currency or status or even humanity. Even Mordred himself knows that.
With your votes, I will defeat that foolish mechanical mortal and Mythology Island will claim its rightful title of the people’s most beloved island! However, if the votes are not in my favor, then Poptropica will once again feel my wrath.
—Zeus from Mythology Island (Classic)
Thanks to Mordred and Zeus for those wonderful words of encouragement! Now, Poptropicans, it’s time to vote! You have until Monday, March 11 @ 11:59 pmEST to pick your favorite island.
We are now well into springtime (at least for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), and I hope the weather has been more pleasant for you than the pre-summer heat that’s happening in my local desert!
I apologize for the delay in this post, and I hope there is still enough time to pay homage to an island that many of you know is very important to me…
Astro-Knights!!
There is no shortage of things I or a giant portion of this fandom could say about this island. It’s easily one of Poptropica’s most remembered, and many consider it to be the pinnacle of the game’s storytelling abilities. Compared to islands that came before it like Shark Tooth or 24 Carrot, the world of Poptropica suddenly felt expanded and full of undiscovered potential.
Concept sketches for the knights
While less remembered, a short book was also made based off this island, among a series of four others. It can still be bought, but hasn’t been mentioned by the team for a while, nor have any other islands ever been added to the series.
The villain, Mordred/Binary Bard, is also quite iconic, to the point of being featured in the spin-off island Super Villain. He also has a fair share of fans, art, and a cameo in a dating sim.
An old version of the Binary Bard, where he was intended to be a simple background character.
There is no shortage of love for this island. That being said, it is hardly mentioned by the current Pop team anymore. While the development of Fairy Tale Island is probably the most pressing thing now, it would be nice to have it remembered by the future island pantheon.
Very nice, as a matter of fact. I don’t think many fans (including myself) would have any more interest in Pop if they completely discarded the stories that got us into it in the first place.
Concepts for the Princess of Arturus
Before I conclude this post, I would also like to highlight some fanart made for the previous Island Flash-back, Wild West. Here is some fanart of El Mustachio Grande made by Dangerous Dragon!
Now here comes your part, Poptropicans! Astro Knights and other classic islands were rendered unplayable for most people in the Flash-Haxe transition, but the months of work that the artists and writers put into it should not go to waste! Make fanart, fanfiction, videos, and guest posts. Let the Creators know what you appreciate about their past work to encourage them to preserve it!
Welcome back to “Pop Places IRL,” Poptropicans! Today, we’re visiting ye olde times and heading to Astro-Knights Island. Enjoying the series? Be sure to check out other Pop Places IRL posts.
Astro-Knights Island takes place in Medieval Europe, but obviously includes a sci-fi twist. Though its exact location is never specified, we’ll assume the kingdom of Arturus has British roots, given its repeated connections to Arthurian legend.
Before we launch our rocket and start soaring through the stars, we get to explore the kingdom a bit to kick off the mysterious story of this island. The Castle is definitely the largest structure in town, and an iconic element of Medieval Europe to say the least.
photo: Dover Castle (historyextra)
Besides the castle, however, we get to see a medieval aesthetic all throughout Arturus, particularly when looking at Main Street. Er… save for those sci-fi elements we talked about earlier. I don’t think we would be able to find a glowing rocket statue in the Middle Ages…
photo: Small Towns in England (planetware)
The Ye Olde Rumour Mille is another major location in town. The name might be a bit of a joke, but the actual structure is pretty similar to its IRL counterpart!
photo: Stembridge Tower Mill (picturesofengland)
General town aside, let’s step back inside the castle. That’s why we’re here, aren’t we? Cool castles!!! Though many castles in Europe have been refurbished in one way or another, it’s nonetheless interesting to still see them standing at all. You can even tour some!
photo: Medieval Castles in the UK (jebiga)
Continuing inside the castle, I think the most important room to talk about is the Throne Room. Gotta have a center piece for the whole castle! The room we have pictured is from France, but you get the idea. Quite ornate!
photo: Throne Room (wikipedia)
On the opposite side of things, however, we have the Dungeon. These sorts of cells, including “oubliettes,” are often associated with with the Medieval era (though its correlation with torture more accurately pairs with the Renaissance period). Too bad there weren’t any mysterious robots IRL to keep prisoners company!
photo: The Castle Dungeon and the Oubliette (exploringcastles)
The last room in the castle is the Library. Art history buffs will certainly be familiar with some illuminated manuscripts from this era, though we don’t have much time to stop and study anything in Poptropica. Gotta love that Old English, right? Unfortunately the library in Poptropica is, er, in a bit disarray…
photo: The Golden Haggadah (khanacademy)
photo: Royal Manuscript (thebritishlibrary)
photo: Medieval Manuscripts (mymodernmet)
While in the castle library, we could also glance at some references Poptropica makes to Arthurian legend (as I mentioned earlier). Though the legend primary features King Arthur, we learn from the Astro-Knights novel that the King of Arturus is actually named Richard. As in Richard the Lionheart!
photo: King Arthur (ancienthistoryencyclopedia)
photo: Richard the Lionheart (historyonthisday)
Similarly, the knights have ties to legend: Pelasus (named similarly to Pelleas, a knight of the round table), Gawain (another knight of the round table with the same name), and Cador (Duke of Cornwall, related to Arthur). Cador may not be a knight of the round table like his comrades, but the ties are there nonetheless! So… have a photo of Sir Lancelot in his place.
RedKnightSirPelasusASG
BlueKnightSirGawainASG
GreenNightSirCadorASG
photo: Pelleas (wikipedia)
photo: Gawain (wikipedia)
photo: Lancelot (everworldwiki)
Another good comparison to legend: Merlin! Other than sharing the name with a wizard, our “feathered” friend also shares his name with a type of falcon.
photo: Merlin Bird (wikipedia)
photo: Merlin (wikipedia)
Last but not least… Binary Bard! Or Mordred, to be clear. There are various depictions of him in legend, but as Modredus, he is Arthur’s traitorous nephew.
photo: Mordred (wikipedia)
Alright, I know we strayed away from “places” for a bit there, leaning more towards “people,” so let’s get back on track! Other than Medieval Europe, the other dominant setting of Astro-Knights is, of course, space! The real moon may not have an AstroZone like the Pewter Moon in Poptropica, but maybe we’ll get to that point someday.
photo: Lunar Surface (interestingengineering)
If you recall, the three main planets we visit on our space adventure include the Ice Planet, Fire Planet, and Jungle Planet. Wellllll, those planets may not be in our solar system, but we can still compare them to what we have IRL! Based on their distance from the sun and atmosphere characteristics, Uranus is our coldest planet while Venus is our hottest. Does that make Earth our Jungle Planet then?
photo: Uranus (wikipedia)
photo: Venus (wikipedia)
photo: Earth (npr)
Phew, now that was a long trip! I guess space is a pretty far off flight, huh? But anyway, it’s no wonder that Astro-Knights won “OG Island We’ll Miss Most” in the 2020 Poppies. It’s quite the adventure!
Aside from the sci-fi elements, how well do you think this island holds up to IRL Medieval Europe? How much do you know about Arthurian legend? And what other islands would you like to see in this series? Don’t forget to leave your thoughts in a comment below!
Until next time, Poptropicans, I’m blasting off for now!
Hey guys just wanted to keep you up to date with everything.
First off due to the huge amounts of people wanting to play Astro-Knights island Poptropica is experiencing a high amounts of traffic. The creators are working on the problem and say it will be back online in less then 24 hours. While this is disappointing we’re happy because it gives us time to write the guide. 😛
Secondly the winners to the PHB 1 million Monster Competition will be announced later this week and their special monster outfits will be sent to them. Although i myself must say this quickly, unfortunately i accidental lost 7 of the monster outfits and will only be able to give out 13 of them. I am very sorry but i guess it makes the costumes more rare. There’s always a positive to a negative. 😛
If you haven’t seen yet we have released our first issue of Poptropican’s 911 post. It’s filled with loads of cool stuff so check it out. You can access it from the post below or from the top bar.
🏝 Poptropica Help Blog 🗺 