Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the latest entry in the long-running Animal Crossing franchise, which offers a goofy and highly customizable world for players to call their own. In previous games in the series, players would move into a cozy town and begin their life as a quaint villager, but in New Horizons, things are a bit different. This title puts you in charge of your very own deserted island and lets you build a town from the ground up. New game mechanics like crafting and scavenging help keep things entertaining, offering a seemingly endless list of customizable items. This, along with the huge number of personable neighbors you meet along the way, makes Animal Crossing: New Horizons one of the most surprisingly addictive and adorable games of its genre.

Main Game Features

• Relaxing solo or multiplayer lifestyle gameplay
• Hundreds of decorative items and clothing choices
• Over 400 unique neighbors to invite to your island

Story

Much like in the other Animal Crossing games, there isn't much of a plot to speak of. At the start of the game, you and two other cutesy characters head out on a vacation to a deserted island. Led by the mischievous raccoon Tom Nook, you and your co-passengers arrive and begin to enjoy some time in the sun.

After offering you complete control of the island, you and Tom Nook start growing the deserted isle into a bustling community. As you build new structures and outfit your island for visitors, you'll meet various characters who can be invited to live there. Before long, you'll have a chatty group of neighbors who go about their day-to-day lives, interacting with each other and pursuing their own activities. From there, the story is yours to tell, as you can spend your time on the island however you like. Apart from turning your island into the best tropical paradise it can be, there's not much narrative motivation. However, New Horizons balances this out by having an endless roster of over 400 unique characters to meet, each with their own stories to tell.

Gameplay

Whether you're a veteran of the Animal Crossing franchise or not, the gameplay in New Horizons is simple and easy-to-learn. Similar to games like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, the experience is slow-paced and relaxing, meant to provide soothing and cathartic gameplay without much challenge. New Horizons is tied to your system's internal clock, offering a real-time day-and-night cycle. The seasons also change depending on your selected region, so you can expect snow, summer heat, spring showers, and an autumn breeze when appropriate. The game can be played in single-player, local, and online multiplayer modes, letting any number of players embark on an island adventure.

After you land on your chosen island and choose a campsite, you can spend time scavenging for supplies, catching fish and bugs, or crafting unique items at a workstation. These collectibles can be sold for Bells, which are used to buy other items and pay off your debt to Tom Nook. The overall objective is to improve your personal island space from a lowly campsite to a multi-roomed mansion by continuously saving up Bells and balancing out your loan. You can also complete small mini-tasks known as Nook Miles Challenges to earn bonus goodies. Along the way, you'll be given the opportunity to build new structures, opening up new gameplay features like a clothing store, general goods store, and zoo/museum! There's no time limit, there's no conceivable way to reach a “game over”, and the entire game is meant to put a smile on your face.

Conclusion

The Animal Crossing series has always offered a fun and charming experience, and New Horizons continues to deliver that. Thanks to an abundance of new features, including item crafting, customizable patterns, and terraforming, the game feels consistently rewarding for players who love to put their personal stamp on things.

Meeting new characters and recruiting them to your island is fun, and decorating your house with new items is endlessly entertaining. While it might lack a significant progression system, there are still plenty of things to keep you engaged with New Horizons.

Pros

• The gameplay loop is extremely relaxing
• Loads of customization options
• Uplifting music, graphics, and atmosphere

Cons

• Lack of interesting multiplayer features
• Some villagers have similar personalities
• No real progression system