Animal Crossing: New Horizons is The Perfect Getaway During These Times
I remember when I first got into the Animal Crossing series when I found a copy of one of the older games of the series at my public library at around 10 years old. From there, I was hooked. I had trouble making friends as a child, so coming home to a village full of animal friends brought me hours of joy each day.
For many, this series holds a lot of nostalgia and memories, and “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” gives new life to the series and brings back many old memories for others.
The Animal Crossing series has been around since 2001, and their most recent game in the series titled “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” just released on March 20 of this year. The game has no real ending, but the main objective is to develop a barren, weed-filled island into a lively community- making new animal friends and paying off your home loans along the way.
The game starts you off talking to Timmy and Tommy, the two younger twin appearances of Tom Nook, who is one of the main characters of the game. You get to choose the layout of the island you like and design your character from there.
Unlike the previous games, you can choose what you look like right from the beginning and change it throughout the game. This is also the first game in the series to include different shades of skin, which is extremely inclusive and allows players of all types to make themselves as accurate as they want.
Once you have everything set, you fly off to your new island! “Unlike in previous games, you're not moving to a lived-in town in New Horizons; the island is completely deserted when you and two animals arrive as part of Tom Nook's "getaway package," save for the tiny airport. There's no store or museum, all three of you live in tents, and Tom Nook himself operates out of a tent that he shares with his adorable nephews, Timmy and Tommy” (Gamespot).
This game includes many old features from previous games and introduces new features as well, making the game a great option for both old and new players. The iconic features such as the silly puns that come with catching species of bugs and fish brought me nostalgic joy to see, but some of the new features such as crafting and displaying furniture outside were a breath of fresh air to experience.
The main new feature in this game is crafting, which are in the form of recipes. “New furniture recipes can be purchased in recipe packs or gifted by your animal neighbors simply as a way of saying howdy. Recipes will then require resources (stone, wood, and iron, for example) to create. Thankfully, most of the resource requirements are pretty tame, requiring just a minute or two of walking around while smacking rocks and trees; gathering resources never felt like much of a chore” (Polygon).
As much as crafting is a new and fun experience and adds a new way to play, some parts of it can get old. For example, tools will break after a certain amount of uses. This is understandable and adds a realistic appeal, but it does get old after having to craft 10 shovels in a day when trying to garden on my island. It got to a point where I got sick of crafting tools and just bought a few backups.
One other small downside to the game is that you can only have one island per switch. Switches are more of a console and for most families, a shared one. With that being said, you can’t get the game and expect everyone in the house to be able to have their own island to do as they please with. Although, the multiplayer feature that allows everyone to play together at once on one screen can make up for some of that.
Customization is also a large part of this game that has improved and expanded compared to the older games. As you progress, ‘customization kits’ can be bought to change up the look of many items and furniture, even using designs such as your own.
The graphics and appearance of this game are also better than ever and probably this game’s best attribute. This is the first game of the series to be in full HD, with all the small details and looks.
The tree leaves blow when it’s windy, the villagers have more liveliness and expression, and everything is bright and smooth. This makes the game so much more appealing to look at in comparison to the old games, which is also a given though, as technology has made improvements since the last game in the series was released in 2012.
Overall, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” is an engaging and fun game for those of all ages and audiences. This game includes many familiar features for veteran players, but is easy enough to figure out and get started on for new players too.
This is a child-friendly game, but also a game that even full-grown adults can find relaxing and fun. And in a time like this, I think we can all use a game where we can get together and hang out with some animal pals.
AT A GLANCE:
My rating: ★★★★★
Title: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Price: $59.99
Where to purchase: Nintendo eShop, Gamestop, other game stores
Release Date: March 20, 2020
Director: Aya Kyoguku
Rating: E for everyone
For many, this series holds a lot of nostalgia and memories, and “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” gives new life to the series and brings back many old memories for others.
The Animal Crossing series has been around since 2001, and their most recent game in the series titled “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” just released on March 20 of this year. The game has no real ending, but the main objective is to develop a barren, weed-filled island into a lively community- making new animal friends and paying off your home loans along the way.
The game starts you off talking to Timmy and Tommy, the two younger twin appearances of Tom Nook, who is one of the main characters of the game. You get to choose the layout of the island you like and design your character from there.
Unlike the previous games, you can choose what you look like right from the beginning and change it throughout the game. This is also the first game in the series to include different shades of skin, which is extremely inclusive and allows players of all types to make themselves as accurate as they want.
Once you have everything set, you fly off to your new island! “Unlike in previous games, you're not moving to a lived-in town in New Horizons; the island is completely deserted when you and two animals arrive as part of Tom Nook's "getaway package," save for the tiny airport. There's no store or museum, all three of you live in tents, and Tom Nook himself operates out of a tent that he shares with his adorable nephews, Timmy and Tommy” (Gamespot).
This game includes many old features from previous games and introduces new features as well, making the game a great option for both old and new players. The iconic features such as the silly puns that come with catching species of bugs and fish brought me nostalgic joy to see, but some of the new features such as crafting and displaying furniture outside were a breath of fresh air to experience.
The main new feature in this game is crafting, which are in the form of recipes. “New furniture recipes can be purchased in recipe packs or gifted by your animal neighbors simply as a way of saying howdy. Recipes will then require resources (stone, wood, and iron, for example) to create. Thankfully, most of the resource requirements are pretty tame, requiring just a minute or two of walking around while smacking rocks and trees; gathering resources never felt like much of a chore” (Polygon).
As much as crafting is a new and fun experience and adds a new way to play, some parts of it can get old. For example, tools will break after a certain amount of uses. This is understandable and adds a realistic appeal, but it does get old after having to craft 10 shovels in a day when trying to garden on my island. It got to a point where I got sick of crafting tools and just bought a few backups.
One other small downside to the game is that you can only have one island per switch. Switches are more of a console and for most families, a shared one. With that being said, you can’t get the game and expect everyone in the house to be able to have their own island to do as they please with. Although, the multiplayer feature that allows everyone to play together at once on one screen can make up for some of that.
Customization is also a large part of this game that has improved and expanded compared to the older games. As you progress, ‘customization kits’ can be bought to change up the look of many items and furniture, even using designs such as your own.
The graphics and appearance of this game are also better than ever and probably this game’s best attribute. This is the first game of the series to be in full HD, with all the small details and looks.
The tree leaves blow when it’s windy, the villagers have more liveliness and expression, and everything is bright and smooth. This makes the game so much more appealing to look at in comparison to the old games, which is also a given though, as technology has made improvements since the last game in the series was released in 2012.
Overall, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” is an engaging and fun game for those of all ages and audiences. This game includes many familiar features for veteran players, but is easy enough to figure out and get started on for new players too.
This is a child-friendly game, but also a game that even full-grown adults can find relaxing and fun. And in a time like this, I think we can all use a game where we can get together and hang out with some animal pals.
AT A GLANCE:
My rating: ★★★★★
Title: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Price: $59.99
Where to purchase: Nintendo eShop, Gamestop, other game stores
Release Date: March 20, 2020
Director: Aya Kyoguku
Rating: E for everyone
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