Sanrio Digital’s “Hello Kitty Online” accepting players for closed beta
Hong Kong – February 12, 2008: Sanrio Digital (www.sanriodigital.com)
today announced the closed beta launch of “Hello Kitty Online”, a
Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) based on the
famous Sanrio characters. Hello Kitty Online allows players to explore
and adventure in Sanrio’s fantasy world, a magical land that has
recently fallen under the influence of a mysterious and malevolent
power.
Players for the closed beta version are invited to apply at the official game site (www.hellokittyonline.com) or community site (www.sanriotown.com)
and experience Hello Kitty Online in advance of the game release
expected in the second half of 2008. Targeting female players from
their pre-teens to twenties, Hello Kitty Online is the first
installable MMORPG to set its sights on this demographic profile.
Hello
Kitty Online is fully integrated with official Sanrio portal
SanrioTown.com, which utilizes blogs, email, video sharing, Sanrio
merchandise sales and more to create a digital and social experience
accessible at any time. Players of Hello Kitty Online can extend their
game experience on SanrioTown.com by interacting with other players,
purchasing upgrades for their in-game characters, etc.
In
addition to the standard MMORPG features such as customizable avatars,
guilds, skill systems, and player economy, some of the outstanding
Hello Kitty Online features include:
-
Unique
game world: a persistent, beautifully designed environment where
thousands of players and NPCs live, explore and quest in a magical
world with real and imaginary zones such as the Flower Kingdom, Tokyo,
Paris, Moscow, and more. Real world locations offer players the ability
to learn about those places.
-
Unique
NPCs: players will encounter and interact with popular Sanrio
characters such as Hello Kitty, Badtz-Maru, My Melody, Keroppi, and
many others, all animated with a variety of contextual facial
expressions.
-
Free to play: Hello Kitty Online is downloaded and played free of charge. There are no subscription fees.
-
Character upgrades: the Item Mall allows players to use real money to purchase special items and upgrades for characters.
-
Player housing: players
can build and customize their own houses after acquiring the necessary
licenses and materials. Houses depreciate over time and need to be
maintained properly or will fall in disuse. A homeowner can invite
someone to visit by making an in-game telephone call, and the player
called will automatically be transported to the house if she agrees.
-
Crafting system: Hello
Kitty Online has an extensive crafting system with output such as tools
& weapons, farming implements & furniture, a wide variety of
cooked dishes, and clothing for decorative and stat-modifying items.
Raw materials include wood, minerals and metals, and crops.
-
Farming:
players can run their own farms, which offer extra storage room and
have the potential to produce important raw materials. The farming
system incorporates a number of variables such as fertility, pest
infestations, and crop characteristics.
-
A
different focus: although it has a sophisticated combat system, unlike
other MMORPGs combat need not be a primary objective for players of
Hello Kitty Online. There are many puzzles to be solved, mini-games to
compete in, story lines to follow, and adventures to experience.
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