i honestly don’t have a favourite… i love the 3 mainline games i’ve played (
wild world,
new leaf and
new horizons) equally, but for different reasons.
wild world is my favourite because of the nostalgia that it brings me, and for being my introduction to the series. i love the small events such as the bright nights festival, flower fest, acorn festival (and cornimer!). i love that you have to work for tom nook when you first arrive in town (younger me hated it, but i appreciate it now lol). i love the dialogue and the fact that villagers had different hobbies and interests that could change from week to week. i love the random bulletin board messages and bottled messages that occasionally wash up on the beach, and how
weird they were. i love the little silly memories i have from it that stemmed from childhood stupidity and lack of ac experience, such as thinking k.k. slider was asking for real life song requests, and that i’d be able to turn into an animal once i paid off my home loan. i love the whole aesthetic of the game and what it means to me. i may not be able to choose a favourite game, but
wild world will always be the most special to me. it also has my favourite OST out of all the games.
new leaf is my favourite partly because it introduced me to the animal crossing community and how awesome it is, and playing/trading with others. it’s also what really got me into the series, despite not being my first game. i remember scanning through the list of all the villagers once that info became available and making dozens of dreamie and character/town name idea lists. i remember watching videos of the japanese version on youtube since it came out first, despite not wanting to spoil anything for myself, because i was so excited. i remember falling in love with beau the lazy deer as soon as i saw him, and how insanely overjoyed i was when he randomly moved into my town.
new leaf also brought out the type of ac player i am — one who doesn’t focus much on decorating, but instead on having a complete catalog, completing any and all achievements, having 10 villagers i like, and collecting things i enjoy (ex. villager pics. i had all of them, including the npc photos, at one point.
). i also love so many of
new leaf’s features — club tortimer and farming rare summer beetles and fish, minigames, town hall and train station exterior customization, tropical and perfect fruits, playing hide-and-seek with villagers, the part-time job minigame at the roost, pwps, the roost being its own building instead of being a part of the museum, cutting down trees with silver axes and getting stumps with special patterns on them, fortune cookies, etc. the little details were also great, such as the campsite turning into an igloo during the winter, as well as your character shivering during the colder months and sweating during the hotter ones. the furniture was *chefs kiss* as well. plus,
new leaf is what brought me to tbt, so it’ll always be my favourite for that. <3
new horizons is the only game i still currently play (even though i barely touch it nowadays lol), but it’s still my favourite as well despite the complaints i have with it. the quality is absolutely
gorgeous, and it’s honestly one of my top 5 favourite things about the game; the sky and museum exhibits are particularly stunning. i also love all the new and returning villagers, the items, the fact that villagers no longer move out without permission, island hopping, crops and cooking, how much creative freedom we have, being able to relocate buildings whenever we want, and so much more. it also introduced a new favourite npc of mine — wardell <3.
new horizons certainly has its flaws, but for everything its gotten wrong, its gotten a lot of things right as well.
my post has essentially turned into “everything i like about each game” (sorry about that haha.
), but my point is is that they’re
all my favourite. i don’t love any of them more than the other; they’re all great and special to me in various ways. the only one i wouldn’t consider a favourite is
pocket camp — not because i didn’t like it or have fun with it, but just because it’s not really my thing. it’s a bit overwhelming for me with how often new events and items/clothing get released, i can only play it for maybe a couple weeks at a time before i get bored and uninstall it, and i haven’t touched it since 2020. :’)
