Introduction
Basic information
- Developer Name: Nintendo
- Full Name: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Release Date: March 20, 2020
- Released on: Nintendo Switch
- Cross Play: No
Initial thoughts
My wife and I are long-time fans of the Animal Crossing series, so we were naturally excited to dive into New Horizons, especially since it included co-op. The idea of building our perfect getaway island together sounded fantastic in theory, but as we got deeper into the game, we discovered quite a few frustrating aspects that turned this idyllic escape into a mixed experience.
Story and setting
Plot overview
The story, as usual, is simple. You arrive on a deserted island with Tom Nook’s getaway package and are tasked with creating a thriving community. You build your home, welcome new residents, and customize the island as you like, all while trying to pay off your ever-growing debt to Tom Nook.
World building and immersion
The island is vibrant and customizable, giving you plenty of freedom to create your own paradise. But while the world is charming, it feels like there are limitations everywhere. As much as you can build and terraform, you can’t touch the resident services building, which stays stuck in place like a constant reminder of unfulfilled potential.
Character development
Villagers are as endearing as ever, each with their own quirks and dialogue. But over time, their interactions become repetitive, and it’s easy to grow tired of the same exchanges and activities.
Emotional impact
The game still manages to deliver those cozy, heartwarming moments we’ve come to expect from Animal Crossing, like celebrating birthdays or holiday events with your favorite villagers. However, those moments are sometimes overshadowed by the grind and frustrations of game mechanics.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with an 7
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
The gameplay loop of catching bugs, fishing, crafting, and decorating remains strong. But while the basics are good, everything beyond that starts to show cracks. Designing can be incredibly annoying due to clunky, outdated mechanics. Things like terraforming are done one slow, tedious tile at a time, and moving buildings is limited. Worse yet, you can’t move the resident services building at all, which is infuriating for anyone who likes symmetry or creative freedom.
The co-op is another major letdown. Player 2 can’t do much beyond following Player 1 around like a lost puppy. In a game that’s meant to be played together, the limitations on Player 2 are baffling. Online multiplayer isn’t much better. Long waiting times, frequent interruptions, and a lack of meaningful activities to do together leave much to be desired.
The primary way to earn money—buying and selling turnips—requires Nintendo Online if you want to sell to others at good prices. This means waiting in online queues that can last up to an hour, just to play the game efficiently.
Difficulty and balance
The difficulty is mostly non-existent, which is fine for this type of game, but the balance between effort and reward is skewed. For example, getting golden tools is an unrealistic grind that doesn’t feel worth the effort.
Pacing of the game
The pacing is generally good, with a steady flow of objectives and discoveries to keep you engaged. However, the open-world nature of the game can sometimes lead to moments where you’re not sure what to do
The game’s pacing is a double-edged sword. It’s meant to be played in small bursts over a long period, but this slow-burn approach can feel stifling when you’re waiting days for construction to finish or items to appear in the shop. The only way to alleviate this is by traveling through time.
Innovation and uniqueness
There’s some innovation with terraforming and island customization, but much of it is undercut by outdated design choices. Older entries in the series had smoother mechanics in certain areas, which makes the limitations in New Horizons all the more frustrating.
Controls and user interface
The controls are simple enough, but the user interface is clunky. Swapping tools and navigating through menus often takes more clicks than it should, and managing inventory can quickly become a chore.
Microtransactions
Thankfully, there are no microtransactions, but you do need a Nintendo Online subscription to get the most out of turnip trading and other online features.
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 6
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The graphics are charming and colorful, but some of the fish and insect models look outdated. Despite the simple style, there’s noticeable graphical clipping when placing furniture and designing your home.
Technical performances
The game runs smoothly for the most part, with no major frame rate drops or glitches. However, the loading times, particularly when visiting other islands or opening up your gates for online play, are painfully long.
Environment and design uniqueness
The environment design is unique and fun to explore, but it’s hindered by limitations like not being able to freely move all buildings or having to terraform one tile at a time.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 7.5
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The soundtrack is pleasant and fits the relaxing tone of the game. However, K.K. Slider’s songs sound noticeably worse compared to previous games, which feels like a letdown for long-time fans.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects are charming and well-done, fitting the activities and environments of the game perfectly. From the rustle of leaves to the splash of catching a fish, everything feels satisfying.
Voice Acting
There’s no traditional voice acting, but the character noises and dialogue work well within the game’s aesthetic.
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 6.5
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
The game is designed to last indefinitely, with ongoing events, holidays, and daily activities. It’s a great concept in theory, but the repetitive nature of the gameplay can lead to burnout faster than expected.
Extra Content
The game has been updated with additional content like seasonal events and the Happy Home Paradise DLC, but these additions can only do so much to break up the repetitive cycle.
Replay value
While you can technically keep playing forever, the lack of meaningful new goals or activities makes it hard to stay invested long-term. It’s the perfect example of a game that’s great in short bursts but struggles to keep players engaged for the long haul.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of a Animal Crossing New Horizons with a 7
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
Allow full control of building placement, including the resident services building.
Streamline the terraforming process to allow larger areas to be edited at once.
Improve co-op functionality so that Player 2 can have more agency.
Reduce online waiting times and improve connectivity.
Add more Nintendo-themed customization options and variety in fish and insect spawns.
Comparisons
Compared to previous entries, New Horizons offers more customization options but falls short in terms of streamlined mechanics. Games like Stardew Valley offer more polished co-op features and more meaningful character interactions, making New Horizons feel dated by comparison.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
Despite all the annoyances and limitations, my wife and I still found joy in building our island together. Even though the co-op is lackluster, and terraforming is painfully slow, there’s something satisfying about collecting furniture and creating a community space. It’s just a shame that so many little frustrations constantly got in the way of our fun.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Animal Crossing New Horizons, I give it a personal rating of 5,5
Last words
Pros
- Beautiful, charming art style
- Wide variety of customization options for homes and islands
- Relaxing gameplay loop
- Seasonal events keep things feeling fresh
- Fun character designs and interactions
- Catching bugs and fish is still enjoyable
- Co-op building, despite its limitations
- Terraforming adds creative freedom
- New items and furniture with each update
- Daily activities provide structure and purpose
- The museum is beautifully designed and satisfying to complete
- The Happy Home Paradise DLC adds extra content
- Cute and memorable villagers
- New crafting mechanics add depth
- Great way to relax and escape from everyday stress
Cons
- Outdated mechanics make designing and terraforming a chore
- Co-op severely limits Player 2’s abilities
- Moving key buildings is restricted, hindering creativity
- Long online waiting times and frequent interruptions
- Over-reliance on turnips for making money efficiently
- Inconsistent variety in insect and fish spawns
- Lack of unique Nintendo-themed customizations
- Terraforming is slow and clunky
- Gyroids are difficult to come by
- Not enough different wallpapers and flooring options
- Golden tools are nearly impossible to obtain
- Online turnip trading requires Nintendo Online, adding costs
- Limited trading options for fish and insects with friends
- Graphical clipping issues
- K.K. Slider’s songs are worse than in previous games.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a mixed bag. On one hand, it offers endless customization, adorable villagers, and the opportunity to create a paradise at your own pace. On the other hand, clunky mechanics, frustrating limitations, and a lackluster co-op experience often get in the way of what could have been a much more polished and engaging game. There’s fun to be had here, but it’s hard to ignore all the little annoyances that pile up over time.
FINAL RATING
7
Please let me know what you think of Animal Crossing New Horizons in the comments!
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Great review and definitely strongly agree with the emotional impact that this game can deliver.
I am glad you liked the review!
I think this is the first time I saw that many Pros and Cons on one of your reviews 🙂
There is a first for everything!
Interesting, I didn’t expect such a low rating. But after reading the review, I suppose it makes sense.
> Worse yet, you can’t move the resident services building at all, which is infuriating for anyone who likes symmetry or creative freedom.
I feel you… The game is all about customizing the island, but there are some restrictions. :’) But at the same time, it would be weird in-universe to be able to change the NPCs’ buildings, no?
> The co-op is another major letdown. Player 2 can’t do much beyond following Player 1 around like a lost puppy. In a game that’s meant to be played together, the limitations on Player 2 are baffling. Online multiplayer isn’t much better. Long waiting times, frequent interruptions, and a lack of meaningful activities to do together leave much to be desired.
I actually never knew there was local co-op. I knew about the online multiplayer, but to me that was never really meant to be “co-op play”, but rahter a “social feature” that lets you show around your island to someone else, no?
Well, it is supposed to be co-op, that is also how it is advertised. But they should have just scrapped it. You can move everyone’s buildings, including the people themselves, if you pay for the moving costs, except for one building.
This game has a very strong and unique identity, in a way the game to have for casual gamers.
Casual FTW!
Pros and cons like equal for quantities. Anyway i liked it 🙂
I am glad you liked it!
I think it’s a good review that critiques properly.
Also, I completely understand the feeling of wanting to design everything on my island, lol.🐑
I am glad you like the review!
Very accurate and detail review. This is one of those games that will be historic for a very long time.
I think Pocket Camp has already overshadowed it!
Feels weird that after so many games they still have so many things to improve
I have to agree.
Woahh Animal Crossing! Really cozy game but wow that’s a lot of cons
Lotta cons and prons!
I’m sorry to hear that your experience wasn’t as great as you hoped. Thanks for the review!
I hope you liked the review!
Why are so many cosoles doing this? Online services only available with some kind of subscription! One of the main reasons I stick to PC gaming. If I pay 300 to 500 Euro for a console and another 40 to 80 for a game… WHY do I need a subscription on top to fully use the features?!
Greedy, yep, all I got, greedy.
It comes as a surprise for me that the new horizon is not that good compared to older entries. I wonder which AC game should I play first if I were to start immersing myself into the series.
Like I said, 3D or Gamecube first!
so the coop buddy is more or less just visiting the game from the host?
You can’t even pick things up!
Great review! I totally agree about the chill vibes and the cute villagers.
Just chilling!
i completely agree with you on the cons, i haven’t played NH before, but these are the things i’ve heard others talk about, the only way to make money is by having Switch online and insider trading Turnips, the villager dialogue is incredibly bland, and gets really old fast, that was one thing that the og animal crossing had going for it.
Yeah, way too many pros and cons!
Excellent review!
Thank you!
Looks like a cute but not a good game for a longer time, production values could be better. But good it has nice and suitable sounds of environment and cute overall atomsphere.
Forgot to wrote great review first of all, all things summed really well.
It is a very mixed bag!
Hmm, this one got loads of pros AND cons, but they make sense from what you wrote.
The lack of co-op functionality for player 2 sounds like P2 would not be having much fun, and it was supposed to be “cooperation”. :/
Yeah, it would have been better if they scrapped it entirely…..
Okay, I have to mention, but there’s way tooooo many cons here. I did not expect these many cons. Great review though.
do you think the cons are valid?
P2 be like 😞
Lol, yeah….
This review is amazing! I agree with advantages and disvantages of this game.
Even if there are so many?
This is one of my favourite games/series! I put over 1000 hours into it! The gigantic amount of items and customizable terrain options kept me excited for a long time! I do agree with your other points though, it can be tiresome to terraform one by one, and there isn’t as much freedom in placing items as I’d like. The hourly soundtrack in this one is a huge letdown compared to Wild World/New Leaf, and it still could have had better graphics. The conversations with villagers aren’t as delightfully weird and unique as Wild World was and I missed it a lot! It went down a bit of a basic route that way…
Still, it’s an adorable, nostalgic cozy game where you can get lost decorating and collecting for hours! Personally I think it becomes a lot more fun with use of time travel! I did a lot of trading of items too and got to host & visit a bunch of cool islands!
I wish we could have put more hours in it, but we are not selling this game, and we will probably revisit it later!