Animal Crossing is one of my favorite series of all time. I have been a fan since the original Animal Crossing on the Gamecube back in 2001. This series has always been a perfect fit for me when I’ve wanted to chill out and have a peaceful time. It’s a game that can be played however the player wants. This time around there is even more customization and fun to be had on an island paradise. The player starts their island adventure as they are about to fly into paradise. They are greeted by Timmy and Tommy who help them create their character and choose their island setup. The islands are all a little different and players can have different fruits, villagers, and airport colors. If the fruits or airport colors are important the player will need to close the game and start it again. Again it isn’t necessary but for a game that lasts forever, these choices are a little more important.
The starting villagers are always Uchi and Jock because these two types of personalities are beneficial to starting an island. There aren’t many Uchi villagers to choose from so it is likely the player will get a good one if they were soft resetting. These two villagers will be the only villagers for a little while so be nice to them. I started with Cherry and Sheldon, while Cherry was great from the get-go, Sheldon has grown on me. Players will then get to pick where their home goes and can even pick where the other two will live. It’s a good idea to think about the future of the island because their initial houses will go where the tents are placed. If someone wants to have a nice and orderly town placement is key. After that Tom Nook will give the player a few missions and give them their Nook Phone. After a nice sleep, as the tutorial isn’t in real-time, players will be in the proper game.
As the player wakes up they will be in real-time, it might be better to start this game at night so the first day is taken care of. The game slowly begins to unlock things which for some might be annoying. While players can time travel, it isn’t worth much. This game should be a slow burn, something that slowly blossoms. But then again, this game can be played however the player pleases, so have fun. Players can then do whatever they want, pay to upgrade their house, make their island beautiful, find their villagers, and work toward the main story’s end.
This game adds a few new features that change how things are done. Players can now craft a multitude of things. Find resources around the island. Chop trees to find wood, hit stones to find iron, and gather shells. Just about all the resources are used for one thing or another. There are a bunch of DIY recipes to unlock which will give the player more things to craft. Craft whatever, and use it wherever, make fresh tools, a nice set of Wooden Block Furniture or maybe a new wallpaper. Crafting is a ton of fun and adds another layer to this amazing game. Another amazing feature is the ability to terraform the game. While it might take a few ain game weeks, players will soon be able to change the island up. Change where rivers are and even create waterfalls. Tom Nook can help with bridges and even put in slopes. But the player’s terraforming skill will truly help the player the customize the island of their dreams.
Terraforming isn’t necessarily as easy as players think. Players will need to practice to truly be good at Terraforming. But it is simply so cool that this feature is in the game at all. Though players will need to gather up those Nook Miles to afford all of the licenses to even do the terraforming so keep that in mind. Players will eventually be able to buy clothes, but they can also buy things from the Nookling Store. Retail will probably be back but Timmy and Tommy are buying everything at the right price as of right now. It’s nice to see the stores, and Able Sisters store has had such an upgrade. With so many clothes to try on, it’s a wonderful sight as the player can try on all sorts of outfits. Making designs also return so make whatever the player sees fit and have a ball. This game has a bunch of clothing, furniture, and inside decor. Plus with the addition of outdoor decor, this game adds another layer. Decorating inside is as amazing as players can go square by square making their house look just like they dreamed. Players will constantly be finding new things and houses will change as the player sees fit.
Talking to villagers will earn their trust. Send them letters and see them respond, they might even send a gift if you send one. These villagers will slowly but sure grow on you, and you will grow on them. While they might not initially say much they will soon ping the villager with hello’s and hey’s. The game is something that takes some time to warm up but soon becomes so vividly life-like, the player will love every one of their new friends. Players will also have to pay off their loan to Tom Nook. The first loan can be paid in miles which the player earns by doing activities. These miles are gained just by playing the game. There are several big sums of miles to earn by doing in-game tasks repeatedly. There are also extra rewards that clear as the player completes them. Miles are an important part but to upgrade one’s house bells are the name of the game. Nook Miles are also earned through the Nook Mile + system. This feature revolves around the game rewarding the player constantly for simply playing the game. They might get a challenge that says catch five fish or bugs among other challenges. There are always 5 of these challenges to take on, and every day the first Nook Miles given are doubled. This is the bare minimum a player should do daily as Nook Miles are super important.
Nook Miles are important for another reason. With Nook Miles Tickets, players can head to randomized islands. Here they will find many resources, fish, insects, maybe a fossil, and villagers! Yes, villagers will visit the island, and players can bring these animals to their town. Players might need to grind up some Nook Miles to find the right villagers, but the islands are worth it. Use as many tickets as the player is able and maybe find someone like Marshal. Though initially, players will only find Normal, Lazy, and Peppy villagers, I was lucky enough to find the new character, Audie! Nook Mile Islands are as some might have realized lightly like a gacha. With so many characters it’d be impossible to see them all by simply just playing. But with these Islands, players are sure to dozens of more characters than they ever would have before. It’s great to simply grind up for a ticket, and head to the island to see who the player will meet. Though eventually the town will fill up and villagers will stop appearing on the islands. The islands themselves are also randomized. There are a few basic islands which will show up regularly. But, there are also a good amount of other islands that will show up. These islands might hold a lot of Bells, exotic fruit, or even something as terrifying as infinite Tarantulas. The player never knows what they will find so it’s great to head to the island as often as possible.
This game has even more in store with seasonal events on the way. These events are locked to certain days, so luckily time-traveling doesn’t work. These events are holiday based, but since we don’t know what events are all confirmed we could have some surprises in store. This game is one that keeps on giving so locking up characters and events for the future is a good thing. I’m excited to see what is coming after the Easter and Earth Day event! This game is something they want people to play until the next iteration in the series, so I love this approach. Multiplayer also returns, and this time with the Nintendo Switch app it is all the more seamless. The voice chat on the app is great but players can also use their phone to chat with friends. Using a dodo code, players can lock their island to certain people or even share online. It’s great playing this game with friends and multiplayer being so easy, makes it all the more possible. Gather some friends and have fun.
Animal Crossing New Horizons is a fresh take on a classicly chill series. While the core of the game is different, the island life will take a little getting used to. Book a flight to an island, craft it the way the player wishes and make it a true and complete utopia. It’s a wild world, so turn over a new leaf, and look for new horizons, with Animal Crossing New Horizons. The plane is ready to take off, will the player book a flight, and find a new home?
Images taken from Nintendo.com