New Leaf vs. New Horizons?

[jim]

hmm... this is a tough one for me to answer. i would say that new horizons wins out, but only by a slight margin.

i remember how excited i felt playing new leaf for the first time. every time i revisited it after not playing for however long i fell back into rhythm and rememebered why i love the animal crossing series. there is so much replayability value. new leaf was such a huge improvement compared to the old games in so many ways, in just one tiny cartridge, and i have to give it credit for how many new players it attracted to the animal crossing franchise. nintendo gave us so many things we were asking for! and so many unexpected surprises too.

similarly, new horizons also gave the animal crossing series a huge upgrade. the jump from new leaf to new horizons was staggering. the fans were foaming at the mouth over the improved graphics, physics, and lighting just from what we saw in teaser trailers alone! no doubt this is because we went from handheld to home (okay, hybrid) console. but that wasn't all.

the quality of life. oh my god. the quality of life features from out of the box were long overdue but they were appreciated all the same.

not to mention the steady stream of new events, new furniture, promotional items, online integrations, plus the exploding community that new horizons brought tips the scale in its favor in my opinion. (unexpected quarantine definitely boosted sales but that's a whole different story, haha.)

there are certain little things from new leaf that i miss.

i do wish we got public works projects back in some form, event if we had to pay for them in nook miles. i like the island minigames and wish we had something analogous in new horizons. i liked having the whole game available from purchase without having to deal with endless downloads that meant i can't play with people using older/newer software version. i won't be greedy though. new horizons's improvements outshine those of new leaf's in almost every aspect in my opinion. it really delivered on the main complaints and wishes animal crossing fans had for years. though it could use improvements in a few areas, i really do prefer new horizons to new leaf.

 

[bleached]

New Leaf has the nostalgia, but New Horizons has a nice, fresh feeling. The regular updates keep me interested but I can't help going back to New Leaf every now and then. I think the main thing I like about New Horizons is the beautiful graphics but I feel like the flavour is gone. All my favourite furniture sets from New Leaf is gone (hopefully they'll make a return ). I'm hoping this time next year, with the updates, we'll have the stuff we miss from previous games added to New Horizons :]

 

[BluebearL]

I think that in the end it just comes down to what you are looking for from the series. If you are all about design, customisation, and choice then I definitely understand seeing New Horizons as the better game. It brought a lot of new and much-wanted features to the table. However, for me, and this may just be nostalgia but I really love the vibe of New Leaf. It is more relaxed in the sense that I don't have to worry about having my island up to scratch full of creativity and hours of tedious terra-forming. Instead, I can head to Tortimer's islands, go to Mainstreet, have a villager house visit, play a minigame, have a coffee, or work at the Roost... The list goes on! The music is also better (imo) and there is a vast catalog of furniture and funky clothing that I really love. I really hate the absence of so many NPC's in New Horizons, mostly Brewster. All of this being said, I enjoy both of the games. New Leaf will always take the cake for me though.

 

[cats_toy]

New Leaf vs New Horizons

-Which game has more significance to me? Hands down New Leaf.
-Are they both equally significant for for different reasons? No, for me New Horizons will never hold the significance New Leaf did.
-Which do you gain more happiness or satisfaction from playing? Again my answer would be New Leaf.
-Which game did I pick up first. New Leaf

ACNL was the first game I played in the franchise. I honestly couldn’t put it down with so much to accomplish. From perfect town status, opening up Tortimer Island, upgrading your house, furniture sets, badges, medals, the list goes on and on. In fact at times I was overwhelmed with so much to do, (this was not a bad thing, at least for me). I played NL for 3 years—the first year and half everyday. And never once did I worry I wouldn’t have something to look forward too.

After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, ACNH was finally released. I purchased it on day one. I can say with all sincerity this game has been nothing short of disappointing. Yes, the graphics are good, I like that you can move trees and the villagers not moving out are pluses however, the minuses in the game far outweigh the positives.

I expect a new entry in a gaming franchise to be everything it’s predecessor was and more. Nothing could be further from the truth when comparing ACNL to ACNH. The lack of furniture sets, QoL improvements, lack of beloved NPC’s, duplicate DIY’s, choosing whether or not to purchase an online subscription to get items/services that were previously free. Again I could go on and on about the shortcomings of a game that should by all rights blown my socks off, instead I am left angry and frustrated.

It is well beyond my comprehension how Nintendo can treat not only its customers like doormats but carry that attitude over to a franchise that has more than proved it deserves better.

 

[KnoxUK]

It's weird because new horizons has everything I wanted in new leaf but I prefer new leaf. I feel that the new entry has less charm in the sense that it's so afraid to offend or upset people. Take for example Halloween night. In new leaf if you don't have candy you'll get mugged by everyone in town. They'll say they will return your stuff afterwards, but they never do. Absolutely brutal, especially if you have a rare un-orderable item. Contrast that to new horizon. Hey you don't have candy take mine. What's that you're out of candy I'll mildly alter your appearance but don't worry here's a vanity to change it back. They don't even initiate conversation when they run up to you. So they just stand awkwardly waiting for permission to prank you. I didn't realise I was playing soy crossing. I have fond memories of being absolutely livid the day after on new leaf.

 

[letisbloom]

I love new leaf, never played New horizons, but I think that I'll be playing new leaf for a while, than take a break before going to the new game