New leaf recommendation

[EmeraldJourney]

Hello forum, hope we are all well during these trying and troubling times. So, I've been playing new horizon for a little while now, but not nearly as far as other players including those I know in real life! But I love my 3ds and whilst animal crossing new horizon is my intro to the series, I'm really curious about animal crossing new leaf. I know that there are some dedicated fans out there. So, do you recommend the game to someone like me? why? what are the main differences of the game? because it's still a few bucks on ebay and i'd like to know if i'm getting roughly the same deal or if it's going to be different from that. Finally, do you prefer it over new horizon, if so, how come? Share your stories.

 

[JemAC]

I played New Leaf quite a bit a few years ago and enjoyed the game but it was around a time when I didn’t play video games quite as much as I was busy with other things so I ended up taking a very big break from the game without playing it long enough to really fall in love with it.

I picked up New Horizons as soon as it came out and played it non stop for the first few months, took a long break, and then returned around early December and have played it constantly since. I really enjoy the game, NH has better graphics to me with been a newer game which I think makes the game look really good and let’s the villagers stand out more design wise. I also enjoy the mystery island tours and hopping for villagers and I like the fact that none of my villagers will move out if I haven’t played the game for a while.

In the last week or so I have got back into NL though and am enjoying it, it’s quite strange going between the graphics of the two and it’s hard after playing NH not been able to terraform or place items outside but it does have strong points too. There is no crafting in NL so if that’s something you don’t enjoy in NH then you get to avoid it here, also there are a lot more furniture sets in NL which gives you a greater choice when decorating your house interior and the game has Tortimers Island (an all round summer island run by the mayor from the previous games) where you can collect different fruits, exclusive fish and play mini games. Also there are a lot more NPCs present in NL that are missing from NH who are greatly missed, such as Brewster a pigeon who runs a cafe and Pelly, Phyllis and Pete, pelicans who run the post office and deliver mail. Though beware with NL that if you take a break then villagers can move away from your town if you don’t check in on them for a while.

Overall I probably prefer NH as I’ve spent more time playing it and learning to love the game but I still think NL is worth getting if you’re enjoying AC, I’m really enjoying getting back into it and if you can get passed the downgrade in graphics then I think you’ll find there are a lot of great features to really enjoy in the game.

 

[Darby]

Well I love it so much that I’m not tempted to buy a Switch, not even for a new AC game. But ya know I was thinking that a really good way to see if you’d be interested enough to buy a copy and try transitioning would be to watch a few dream town tours on the internet... There are tons and you’d be able to see the graphics and all the other differences because... there’re tons... I’d say give it a try if it appeals to you at all, especially if you’re still into your ds and especially now knowing about Animal Crossing and all its many charms.

 

[LadyDestani]

Well, I'm still playing New Leaf and currently have no plans on getting New Horizons for two reasons.

1. I don't own a Switch and it's an expensive purchase just for one game, especially with the dreaded joycon drift.

2. I only have one major issue with New Leaf and it's with how much the villager personalities feel watered-down from the previous versions of the game. I have been following the conversations in the New Horizons board and told myself that I would only splurge on New Horizons if they corrected this problem and made the villagers feel more alive, like they were back in the GameCube/Wild World days. But from everything I have read, I'm convinced that the villager dialogue is no better and may be even worse than New Leaf. So I'm actually thinking of going back to prior games when I've had my fill of New Leaf.

I do think New Leaf is a great game, but whether or not it would be good for you depends on a couple of things. The graphics in New Horizons will obviously be a lot better, so if graphics are a huge deal to you, then you may not enjoy New Leaf. Also, New Horizons provides a significant amount of control and freedom that is not found in New Leaf or any of the prior Animal Crossing games. New Leaf does have some customization but it's much more minimal than New Horizons and some of it is based on RNG, like getting villagers to request Public Works Projects to build in your town.

Animal Crossing started as mostly a life sim type of game, where you could fish, catch bugs, decorate your house, and build relationships with your villagers. New Leaf added a bit more of the design aspect to the game, but it's still got quite a bit of the core life sim aspect to it. Even if the villager dialogue is not what it was in previous iterations, it's still cute and fun. New Horizons seems to have taken the design aspect and latched onto it, making it the core of the game rather than the life sim aspect.

So I would say it depends on what you want in a game. If you think you could be happy with less control but (perhaps) more interactions and more things to do other than decorate and design, then I think New Leaf is well worth the $20 or so that it goes for right now.