By Amy Boyle
“After a long day, it’s nice to just spend a little while in a cosy space, running a few errands with no pressure of time or failure”
Andrew Webster, The Verge
Overview:
Available: Amazon, Nintendo Online, Game and most supermarkets.
Director: Aya Kyogoku
Developer: Nintendo EPD
Publication Date: April 2020
Gameplay Duration: the main story averages at around 60 hours of gameplay in single-player mode.
Summary
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the fifth game in the main series of Animal Crossing games. I’m ashamed to say that prior to New Horizons, I had never played any of the games in the Animal Crossing franchise, but 300+ hours of gameplay later, I can firmly say that it is a must play for anyone in need of a creative release.
Like the previous games in the series, you choose an island and develop it quite literally from the ground up. The main story helps you to develop skills such as crafting tools, collecting species of fish and bugs, harvesting materials, and collecting bells to pay off extortionate island rates set by Tom Nook. The goal is to get your island to a 3 star rating, which means it’s good enough to host a concert from K.K. Slider. However, after completing the main storyline, the game has so much more to offer. Animal Crossing: New Horizons embodies nostalgia, comfort and relief from a world that at current cannot offer those same sentiments. Every hour played helps to channel the player’s energy into a creative outlet that is deeply satisfactory. You will not regret playing.
Thoughts:
- The music is glorious. The game’s theme tune is really relaxing and sets the perfect mood for fishing, gardening, terraforming and generally experiencing island life. The eventual weekly concerts from K.K. Slider allow players to collect a variety of music. There will be a song for everyone.
- The graphics are amazing. Although I haven’t played any of the previous games in the series, I am well aware of the upgrade in quality, especially with the last game in the main series having been released in 2012.
- There are a variety of characters that really make the experience. You can expect visits from NPCs including Celeste, Gulliver, Redd, Flick, CJ, and perhaps most importantly, Daisy Mae – who sells turnips which can be resold for as much as 5 times the buying price to help pay off the as aforementioned extortionate loans. These visits help to foster a sense of community and add to the excitement of opening the game every day.
- Arguably one of the best aspects of New Horizons is the amount of things there are to discover. There are almost 100 different species of fish and bugs and 40 sea creatures. As well as this, each day fossils appear to dig up, which help to develop your museum – my favourite part of my island. When you meet Redd, your museum expands with an art gallery. It truly does bring out the inner explorer in all that play.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons is absolutely full of surprises. Daily surprises include visits from NPCs, shooting stars, balloons and messages in bottles containing recipes. However, bigger surprises come in the form of regular updates – my favourite was when they introduced swimming. I can’t swim in real life so being able to do it in-game was perfect for me!
- The story never has to end – I have friends who have clocked over 500 hours on the game and are nowhere close to finished. Others sometimes start all over again. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a playable story that can be continued, restarted, edited and most importantly – truly experienced.
Critical Reception:
Won British Academy Games Award for Multiplayer 2021
Won the Gamer Award for Best Family Game 2020
Won a BAFTA Games Award for Game Beyond Entertainment 2021
Recommendation: 11/10
Fun Fact: No matter how many times players complain, they will not update the game to allow you to craft multiple items/tools at once. You will learn the value of patience from this if you venture to play.
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