Hello Poptropicans! Enjoying Pelican Rock Island this past week so far? It's coming out later this month on the desktop version for everyone, and non-Members can already play it on the app. I'm actually impressed with it, against my first expectations, so here are my brief thoughts on the island...
The Details
Nice touch @Poptropica. #EscapeFromPelicanRock shows a lot of attention to detail :) pic.twitter.com/4DN1f6ezFe
— Poptrickia (@poptrickia) December 14, 2015
One of the first things that struck me this island was the high attention to detail, in the art and soundtrack, that I felt were missing from some of the more recent islands, especially Timmy Failure, Mystery of the Map, and Galactic Hot Dogs. The soundtrack and original music were well-mixed and matched the atmosphere perfectly.
Although the consistently drab colors dampen the mood after you've been playing for a while, they are appropriate for the atmosphere of the prison, so there. Even the outdoor rec yard manages to have a gloomy air somehow :).
Gameplay
The gameplay was one of the most interesting parts of the Island's experience. It involved a lot of repetition, in the day-by-day cycles of prison life, and with the guards rigidly maintaining order and rushing you to your next session of the day, there was also a sense of a lack of freedom that usually doesn't appear in Poptropica islands. Although it was pretty frustrating, especially you were stuck, I think it was the the main thing that contributed to the sense of being trapped in prison. It really created the atmosphere of the island.
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Storyline
This is the first time Poptropica really went into a prison setting in such detail and realism; previous prisons in Poptropica were mainly jokes that either set up some part of the plot (Super Villain, Ghost Story) or were simply very easy to get out of (Super Power, Wild West, etc). The story of Pelican Rock was all focused on that.
The story itself was somewhat unoriginal: you're framed for a crime, thrown in prison, and team up with your fellow inmates to break out under the prison guards' noses and clear your name. However, that's not to say it wasn't executed well, which it sure was! All the different prison characters were fairly well-developed, with different personalities, and you even come to like Marion, Patches, Van Nostrand, and Flambe by the end of it.
Final Verdict
I give it a 4.5/5. I'll admit it, I was pleasantly surprised. If you haven't played it yet, what are you waiting for? Make sure to check out the Island guide!
Before the post is out -- has anyone noticed Poptrickia's new profile picture on Twitter and YouTube? It's based on the site logo designed by HPuterpop that's been up on Poptrickia for a while.
Profile picture
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Cover photo / channel art
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What do you think? Eh? Comment if you like it! And expect another post from me before the year is out, having to do with some very interesting sneak peeks...
