Animal Crossing: New Horizons brings the most laid-back game series ever to the Nintendo Switch, putting you on a desert island where you can just chill out, fish, catch bugs, and decorate.

Very relaxing; Lots of customization options for the island and your home; Plenty of activities and reasons to come back every day

Little structure

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;

I bought this the day it came out and have played it every single day since. It is a game that you can easily spend hours on to reach your goals and experience island life. What is best about this game is that there really is no right or wrong way to play it. Everyone will have their own unique experiences and be able to share them along the way. The internet capability with this game is a great addition. Being able to visit other peoples island makes this game even more fun and enjoyable. I highly recommend this to people who have enjoyed playing The Sims and like on going and relaxing game play.

This game is a great change of pace from other games I usually play. The atmosphere is relaxed with no time limits or deadlines as you build your island paradise into a thriving community at your own pace. It's great to sit back and work on my island collecting Pears or wood, or going fishing looking for new species on the island. I can even go and dig for fossils to stock the island's museum. The game is relaxing, but not without goals to work towards. The only downside I have encountered so far is the UI for buying and selling items - it can be very repetitive going through the same dialogue for each sale whilst trying to save up some money for a larger house.

If Nintendo games were board games, Mario Kart would be a run-around-the-board game like Sorry. Mario Party would be a control-the-board game like Monopoly. And Animal Crossing, the company's adorable life sim, would be a bonsai tree. As a series, Animal Crossing ignores many common video game aspects, such as competition and challenge, letting specific goals float in the background as you simply enjoy and interact with your environment. It’s one of the most relaxing, friendly game series there is, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons ($59.99) for the Nintendo Switch is no different. It adds some new features like crafting to the mix, but it still offers the same low-pressure, Zen-like experience of its predecessors.Not a Particularly Deserted Island Instead of moving to a new town, Animal Crossing: New Horizons puts you on a “deserted” island. You’re a customer of Nook Inc.’s Deserted Island Getaway Package, where you and two random animal friends settle on an uninhabited island. Th...

Animal Crossing: New Horizons brings the most laid-back game series ever to the Nintendo Switch, putting you on a desert island where you can just chill out, fish, catch bugs, and decorate.

Very relaxing; Lots of customization options for the island and your home; Plenty of activities and reasons to come back every day

Little structure

Confusing moments aside, this is the refresh that makes the franchise tick. UPDATED: review score and final verdict!

Building up a town from scratch, Daily routine greatly improved, Friendly for veterans and newcomers, Great flow to proceedings, Incredibly sharp presentation, Online app actually useful, Villagers never been better

Left in the dark a few times, Online loading somewhat rough, Tools breaking a bit too often

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 is a Life simulation game where you can escape to an Island and live your life, while you decorate your house, pay your mortgage and help make the island your ultimate escape! This game is based around our time, so It will be 9pm when its 9pm in your time zone. This means it takes time for things to be delivered and things like the museum to open. This game is fantastic, addictive and great to play with friends. This game is even great for families. My only complaint would be there is only one 1 island per Nintendo switch, which means the other people playing on the same island won't get the same experience as the first player.

I’ve been a fan of the Animal Crossing series for a while now, and eagerly awaited this game for what felt like centuries. And it was 100% worth that wait. This game is deceptively addictive. What seems like a simple game about animals on a deserted island is as easy or as difficult as you choose to make it. This means that my nine-year-old can play it for as long as I can and have the same amount of fun without frustration. At the time of writing this review, it’s been a little over two weeks since release. I’ve already sunk hundreds of hours into it, with no end in sight in regards to entertainment value.