It’s difficult to think of any music group who deserves a vacation more than BTS, who have spent the past few years pumping out chart-topping hit singles, performing high-intensity live shows, and developing fan experience projects nonstop. And luckily for them, they now have one … virtually, at least.
As announced in April, a new video game based on the seven hardworking guys behind the world’s biggest boy band — Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook — has arrived. Titled BTS Island: In the SEOM, it is described as being themed around the guys’ quest for fun and relaxation following their mysterious arrival on an empty island called Seom.
The game very fittingly follows the band’s June 14 statement that they’d be temporarily easing back from their work as a group. Though Jung Kook later clarified that BTS isn’t disbanding and would still be active as a team for certain things (the video game, for example), the group is planning on taking more time to work on solo endeavors. And if they’re as lucky as their animated video game characters, they’ll each have a chance to finally enjoy some rest and relaxation.
The new game arrived after the band’s new album Proof, which came out earlier in June and served as a three-disc compilation album of past work. It also featured a handful of brand new tracks, including “Yet to Come” — a song that just recently turned out to be part of the BTS Island universe.
Keep reading to discover everything there is to know about BTS’ exciting new venture into the video-game world below.
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When It Comes Out
The game arrived June 28 on Apple, Google Play and more, with pre-registration links available on those platforms prior to its release, as well as the game’s official website. According to a release, more than one million users signed up to pre-register for the game within four days of its April 26 kickoff.
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The Game Type
According to its website (where a short teaser video is also available), the game takes place on an island “created for rest,” where the seven BTS boys mysteriously arrive for an unexpected vacation, and is a story-based puzzle game. While there, players can swim, go fishing, set off fireworks, eat meals, rest in a hammock, and play Candy Crush-style games while following along with the band’s story.
The description in Apple’s App Store goes into further detail. Players will have the chance to solve “thrilling puzzles that were co-created by BTS members,” “decorate your own BTS island,” and more. Fans will also have access to “exclusive BTS photos” and “easter eggs hand-drawn by the members.”
Even more details were announced the day the game dropped. Per a new press release, BTS Island was described as a “match-three puzzle game” with 1,000 puzzles, and uses reinforcement-based AI-based technology. In addition, the game’s missions are based on the septet’s “real-life bucket lists.” The game also features a ranking system that allows players to compete in scoring, and also lets users interact with each other and show off their islands.
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It Features Characters Based on the BTS Boys
BTS Island users will be able to play along with characters V, JungKook, Jimin, Suga, Jin, RM and J-Hope, each of whom appear in the form of adorable, round animated avatars. As for the aforementioned ability to decorate the island, the release-date announcement noted that not only can players decorate their own islands, but also the characters’ outfits, which are based on the band members’ actual stage costumes, hairstyles, and accessories.
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The Band Members Helped Create It
V, JungKook, Jimin, Suga, Jin, RM and J-Hope all had a hand in designing the game from its inception, according to the game’s website. Not only did the guys help develop each of their characters to accurately capture their own personalities, but they also had creative say in the game’s story, art, puzzles, title, logo and more.
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The Soundtrack
Per HYBE’s press release the day BTS Island arrived, Suga participated in creating the game’s soundtrack. The music — titled “Our Island” — is described as a harmony of a “beautiful piano melody” with the sounds of nature, as well as a string arrangement and acoustic guitar, to generate a “warm and dreamy feeling, much like the scenery of the game’s peaceful island,” according to the release. The mood, says HYBE? One that reflects the game’s slogan: “Come and take a break for a while. An island created for relaxation.”
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The Music Video
In celebration of BTS Island, the boy band dropped a revamped music video for their single “Yet to Come” starring their claymation avatars eight days ahead of the game’s release. Following up the song’s original live-action video, the new animated visual shows the bandmates arriving on “Seom,” an island surrounded by clouds in a glass bottle where they team up to have a peaceful vacation. Watch here.
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Global Appeal
BTS Island isn’t available just in Korean or English. No, it’s available in a total of six different languages, making it easier for BTS ARMY members around the world to enjoy. Among the languages the game is available in, besides Korean and English? Spanish, Japanese and Chinese (both traditional and simplified).
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It Has Its Own Social Media Accounts
Photos, updates, playing tips, and behind-the-scenes footage of the BTS boys designing BTS Island can be found on the game’s verified Instagram account, which already has more than one million followers.
But that’s not all. The game is present on most other social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.