So I recently checked out the new Club Penguin Island game that replaced my beloved (*sobs*) Club Penguin, and here are my thoughts.
Pros: I love the new game mechanics! Took a bit of getting used to, but being able to walk around a three-dimensional world, even jump, was a nifty change. You can still through snowballs, although the hotkey changed from T to X and you can't aim where they land, just which direction you throw them.
Swimming was super fun! Remember those underground water-filled caves you could navigate to find a secret? They're back and better than ever, with tons of new rooms to discover, an item to collect (albeit for members only), and even a race course. Also, by pressing spacebar in ANY body of water, you can briefly propel yourself a little faster.
They also upgraded the EPF phones, so that everyone has a cellphone where you can get the latest news and teleport to live mini-contests around the island. Additionally, just by pressing C, you can interact with furniture, canon characters (like Rockhopper, Aunt Arctic, and Rookie), and mini-games for members. Walking around allows you to pick up items you can trade in for coins and use to decorate your penguins and your igloos (although in a limited way for non-members).
There are tons of stores to buy cool clothes (for members), and even the "Design Your Own Hoodie" is back with more types of clothing to design, wear, and even sell (wearing and selling items you create, though, is—you guessed it—members only).
Cons: Where do I begin?
First of all, MY BELOVED CLUB PENGUIN IS GONE! I literally spent years on there, and I probably had over 500 items between my igloos, puffles, and clothing. (Oh yeah, puffles are gone too.) I was a jiu-jitsu master of all three elements, a proud owner of every color puffle (including rainbow and golden), ice-fishing pro, expert EPF agent, and a member for three years. All of that is now lost, including my badges and achievements that I worked so hard for. (Goes to show you the worthlessness of virtual reality, doesn't it?)
The island is smaller. Probably because it's still in beta stage, but the layout is so confusing now, especially when traveling between areas. I like the unique music in different sections of an area, but all the fun, discoverable secrets are gone. It's definitely not the extensive game it once was.
Also, as a non-member everything is basically pointless. You can't play the canon character quests past the first chapter, interact with the cool mini-games (like tubing or fishing), sit or dance anywhere just by pressing a hotkey, collect rare items (like in the cave), or have any other items for your igloo or character besides the basics. There's no catalog with hidden items to buy. I mean, the user-created clothing is a cool idea, but I miss the old catalogs.
I guess it just comes down to missing everything I could do on the old CP. There was so much to do, so many ways to earn coins, so many things I could accomplish even when my membership ran out. I still had my puffles, my items (though I couldn't use some of them), my stats. It's just not the same anymore and I don't know how to feel about it.
Maybe if they expand this new CPI and bring back the nostalgic elements of the old one, I'll consider joining back up. But for now, it's just not really worth it.
Waddle on forever, Club Penguin! We'll miss you.
~Misty ❄