Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Image Credit: Nintendo
The Animal Crossing series has created a unique sense of relaxation and joy for close to twenty years. The newest entry, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, continues that tradition while elevating the gameplay to new levels. This elevation in gameplay is quite literally in-game now where a player can actually change the geography of their island. Island terraforming is debatably the biggest addition to this version of the game. In past iterations, customization was reserved for the players home and clothing, but it is now possible to modify everything from where your cliffs and rivers are located, to a coffee cup placed on an outdoor table. The debut of vast island customization options are accompanied by a robust crafting system. Players can now gather resources located across the island to craft custom furniture and tools. These new aspects feel like they were heavily influenced by survival games, like Minecraft, but they still retain the Animal Crossing charm that fans cherish.
One added survival game mainstay that has caused some outcry amongst Animal Crossing fans is tool degradation. In previous entries, tools like shovels, fishing rods, and nets could be used indefinitely without breaking, but in Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have to fight the constant battle of tools being destroyed through use. It appears that this decision was made to strengthen the need for the crafting system, however it seems to impede on the relaxing elements of the game, like fishing. One of the most frustrating aspects of this game is being in the midst of a peaceful fishing trek around the permitter of my island only for my rod to break with a half full inventory of fish. Then forcing me to return to my islands town center to craft a new one. In the past, this return to town was driven by a need to sell your goods from that fishing session. This rewarding journey into town to sell your commodities is now joined by a similar but shameful trip into town to craft another fishing rod. This new element has certainly detracted from the joyful and relaxing cornerstone of fishing in Animal Crossing games.
Though the crafting system is a cumbersome addition in regards to tools, its inclusion has certainly evolved the overall gameplay from a depth perspective. It has added more incentives to collect items and forage for resources across your island while rewarding you with interesting things to craft. Island customization is a welcome addition that can result in hours of rewarding gameplay. One of my favorite things to do is to add a small decorative piece to the island and wait to see if my wife notices when she is playing with her character. I don’t ever see my island being “complete” and I plan to constantly tweak aspects of it throughout the years.
Island customization adds to the replay-ability of the game, but something that pulls me back in even more are the seasonal updates and events that Nintendo releases for free. Two large updates were summer updates that debuted new gameplay elements to the Animal Crossing franchise like swimming in the ocean and diving to the depths of your coasts to retrieve sea creatures. Nintendo is even teasing their next big update which appears to be a Halloween themed addition. These updates provide a reason to hop back in and you will quickly find yourself sucked right back into the joyous gameplay.
One unfortunate side effect of island living in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is that it minimizes the enjoyment, previously supplied in previous entries, of adventuring to other islands. In previous entries, players could leave their continental town and take a boat ride to explore a tropical island where unique fish and items could be found. This enjoyment to escape your typical scenery has been replaced with the option to take a plane ride to randomly generated islands. Beyond plundering an island of its fruit and potentially discovering the elusive tarantula island, the incentive for players to get away isn't quite there anymore. An update that I would love to see Nintendo explore would be to diversify what you might find when taking a plane trip. Potentially discovering different biomes and fauna on these excursions would be a fantastic way to incentivize exploration and could recapture the magic of island visits from previous entries.
Traveling to new islands is a mechanic facilitated by a new reward system, Nook Miles. Nook Miles did not replace the beloved Bells currency, but it does offer unique items only acquirable through the exchange of Nook Miles. Nook Miles can only be acquired through a brand new milestone/achievement system. I am a big fan of this system because it adds more things to do for players who like a little more structure. These milestones range from planting a certain number of flowers to donating fossils to the museum. Its a cool way to incentivize players to explore all aspects of island living. Unfortunately, in the late game this currency becomes less useful. There is a unique store for Nook Miles, but you can quickly acquire all of the items within the first month or two of playing. This is another reason why more interesting islands to travel to would be beneficial since Nook Miles are the only currency used to buy plane tickets.
Overall this entry is a welcome addition to a beloved pedigree of games. Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes the chill and relaxing vibe of previous titles and modernizes it with more customization and structure. For Busch League, this game bordered a 9.5 out of 10, but features like item degradation and a less enjoyable island exploration process were steps back for the series. Busch League Gaming gives Animal Crossing: New Horizons a 9 out of 10, but leaves room to raise this score if future updates resolve the concerns raised in this review.
Listen to our podcast episode for a full breakdown of the game!
Buy this game if you enjoy:
Minecraft
Stardew Valley
The Sims
Harvest Moon
