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Nintendo fans were gifted with a brand new title in the Animal Crossing series called Animal Crossing New Horizons (ACNH) on March 20. The game centers around developing your very own private island with cute villagers and DIY furnitures. However, is this seemingly infantile game truly worth $60?
At first glance the game appears to be simplistic and designed for children. Admittedly, that was my personal reaction to ACNH since the game looked like a watered down version of the Sims. Upon further experience, I discovered the Animal Crossing community and as I learned more about the game, my curiosity grew and eventually turned into a full-fledged excitement.
You start off on your island with the bare essentials and necessities: a tent, two villagers, and some crazy raccoons who sells you the getaway package. Over time you assist Tom Nook, the raccoon who is the mastermind behind this vacation, in developing the island in several ways. Your tiny tent eventually becomes a huge house and your island transforms, with additional shops, villagers, and even museums! Since the game occurs in real time, and the constructions and developments can take up to days, it feels as if players are immersed into the experience and taking part in an amazing journey step by step.
This newest installment in the Animal Crossing series also grants you freedom to do as you please like never before. The hundreds of different furniture items make sure there’s something for everyone so that your island is tailored to one’s own taste. Custom patterns can also be created within the game and applied to different clothing and furniture items. These features allow for diversity and idiosyncrasy between islands of different players, so that no island is the exact same. Another way players can express themselves is through the terraforming tool. The terraforming tool is a new addition in ACNH which grants the player the ability to physically alter their islands cliffs and rivers. The combination of both the personalized furniture and terraforming physical features of the island grant players creative freedom and extends the capability of a player to make their islands more aesthetic.
ACNH can also be played with friends. Friends can visit each other’s islands via their respective airports and do several fun activities together. Players can do all the tasks they usually perform alone with someone else, including: fishing, gardening and bug catching. Players have also started to get creative with the multiplayer feature by playing musical chairs and participating in obstacle courses.
ACNH has gained immense popularity on social medial for its ability for players to customize designs and overall aesthetics, which led to the creation of many memes regarding ACNH. Accounts on social media platforms such as Instagram have been created and specifically made to share custom clothing designs and unique island layouts. According to The Verge, 1.88 million physical copies of ACNH were sold in its first three days, which is more than any other Nintendo Switch title. The actual number of sold copies during those three days is much higher, as digital copies were sold as well. The rising popularity of this game might be a result of quarantining due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Overall, ACNH is a great game to play, especially during these periods of isolation since the game can allow you to interact with your friends aside from texting or sharing memes with each other. From 1-10 I would give Animal Crossing New Horizons a 9/10.
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