Animal Crossing: New Horizons review

Animal Crossing: New Horizons review

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the first new entry in the mainline Animal Crossing series for almost eight years and the first entry to be playable on the Nintendo Switch. As such, it’s familiar and fresh, deftly combining the old enjoyable parts of the series with some much-needed improvements and far greater depth than we’ve seen before.

Crafting is an excellent (and simple) addition; Best-looking and sounding Animal Crossing title to date; More player control than ever before; ;

One island per Switch is likely to disappoint some; Without cloud saves, more clarity around data recovery is needed

Animal Crossing: New Horizons review: The vacation we need

Animal Crossing: New Horizons might be the perfect game for this moment in history. The slightly campy, always cute life simulator is back with its first game in nearly eight years, and while it sticks to what’s likable about the series, it also has the kind of upgrades that Tom Nook would charge a hefty sum of Bells for. Not everyone sees the appeal of a game that includes paying off a mortgage and running errands. At times, Animal Crossing: New Horizons stretches the definition of what a game even is. Still, it’s managed to capture the hearts of millions, as massive fan hype ever since Nintendo announced the release in 2019. Fans have also snatched up a model of the New Horizons-themed Switch, causing it to sell out worldwide. This is the island getaway we all need right now. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is distinctly part of the franchise, but it doesn’t repeat the formula of past games. It’s part Animal Crossing, part Cities: Skylines, and part The Sims. For the first time, player...

Visually captivating; Lots of customization; Tons of gameplay; Great social features; Real-time clock gives a reason to come back;

Gameplay can get repetitive; Lack of challenge won't appeal to all;