boring
into oblivion and unto death!
Happy 3rd birthday to ACNH today! It's so crazy to think that it has been a full three years since we started on our very own islands
Im excited for the game going forward!
Animal Crossing New Horizons was the new addition to the Animal Crossing series that fans had been waiting on for 7 years by the time it was released; and if it wasn’t already bound to succeed thanks to the army of dedicated Animal Crossing fans that have existed since 2001, then a certain perfectly timed global event that shall not be named was sure to do it. The fandom has been split over the past three years on where it ranks in comparison to other games both in the AC series and in the Switch generation of games, and it doesn’t seem like there is a universally accepted answer as we saw with New Leaf. Many folks who did share their opinions rushed to review the game as soon as it came out, despite being fully aware that the game was not even remotely finished, while others waited until 2.0 to give a review as they considered that point to be the best time to leave a genuine review. However, I am of the view that this point - the 3rd anniversary of the release of ACNH - is the best time to review the game as a whole. We have now had the full complete game for just over a year and have had a decent length of time to find our overall favourite inclusions and our least favourite flaws within the game and so, in the name of ACNH’s 3rd birthday, I invite you to tell me where Animal Crossing New Horizons ultimately stands for you. Is it the best game? Or 2nd best? Or the very bottom of the list? What are some things you would have included - or left out if it was up to you?
Personally, this is a non-exhaustive list of what I would pick out from ACNH:
The Highlights
- The most obvious positive aspect of New Horizons is the ability to place furniture wherever you wish on the island (bar the plaza, which may I say is absolutely infuriating. If furniture with ‘plaza’ in its name… then why no plaza furniture?). This was a pretty predictable evolution after the PWPs of ACNL, but it was still a thrill like no other to get to make a park and a garden for my house - a real garden! With fences and all!! The ability to create a town that truly fits my dream image is so wonderful and with such few limitations on the placement of trees, bushes and furniture it’s never felt easier to create a town that truly reflects my dream Animal Crossing world. A common complaint is that even though there are thousands of furniture options, they removed several fan-favourite items from prior games that I agree could have enhanced the game such as the Aurora Screen - despite this, I think the vast majority of folks would agree being able to place furniture however you like is a massive win.
- Terraforming is absolutely stunning in this game… mostly (see The Lowlights). At last, the chance to exercise complete control over your town! It was so much fun to build rivers and destroy waterfalls and create rolling hills at my will and don’t even get me started on Nintendo allowing us to move rocks - the best thing to ever happen to the tears of ACNL town designers. It was a massive step up from sitting at your DS resetting until Rover gave you a town map you at least mildly liked, and opened the door to some of the most breath-taking islands I have ever seen in my life. I was completely stunned by the beautiful towns I saw in prior games and sincerely thought that I would never see anything top that - until I saw ACNH terraformers.
- Although I would consider the HHP DLC being locked behind a paywall a negative aspect of the game, the actual DLC itself is really good - extremely good in my opinion. I know people weren’t too fussed with HHD when it came out, but I enjoyed it very much in its time and felt a game dedicated to designing houses was swell. That sentiment is something I carried into HHP and I can't describe the true love I have for the DLC. It's really good if you don’t know what to do with yourself in the game, particularly once you’ve reached most of your major long-term targets, and is the source of a couple of HUNDRED new DIYs which opens up so many new avenues for customisation. The features it gave us that rolled into the main game - like editing villagers' homes, partition walls and making those sparkly things happen - did not disappoint at all and enhanced gameplay for even the least design-oriented players. Although the paywall is annoying, I think it’s worth the £25. [NOTE: it’s worth the £25 but NOT worth it in my opinion if you only access it via the Nintendo Online Expansion. Unless you use the Expansion constantly. Idk how you play.]
- Stretch goals being implemented via. Nook Miles was a broad improvement compared to prior games. For the completionist player, there has never been a better time to be into Animal Crossing and the niche detail of the awards being time-stamped seals the deal for me. The awards are pretty lack-lustre once you make it to the late game but if you’re completing awards in the late game Im not going to assume you’re in it for the 500 Nook Miles.
- While island hopping is incredibly time-consuming I sincerely appreciate Nintendo allowing people to hunt for specific villagers they may want without requiring online play or expensive Amiibo cards - the thought was there.
- This isn’t really that important, but I appreciate being able to see the island before naming it. In prior games, the player hasn’t had the chance to get a feel for the land before naming it.
The Lowlights
- The lack of shop upgrades for Nooks Cranny is sincerely disappointing. Especially when you consider how in past games we were blessed with the most fantastic upgrades (Im looking at you T and T Emporium), it just becomes all the more upsetting. For most people the only upgrade the Nooklings would get came very early in the game so it just felt like a letdown all around. Even now 3 years on Im stumped as to why they cut the upgrades so short. I think the inclusion of upgrades like there were in prior games would have given more reason to play on a regular daily basis and therefore would’ve increased the longevity of the game.
- Probably the biggest criticism of New Horizons is the villagers. They are overall still pleasant, and it’s nice to have company on the big lonely island, but the near complete removal of personality and the limited lines given to them ruins the magic for many. If you talk to your villagers regularly you’ll quickly notice them saying the same lines if they share a personality, and even if they don’t the text they do give you is very tame in comparison to the other games. Part of the charm of older games was the villagers didn’t pander to you as the player; they had lives just like everyone else and opinions and attitudes; the village you lived in had a lot of depth when there were folks within it who you did and didn’t get along with. I loved Pecan because she always did quizzes with me in Wild World and I disliked Elvis because he said my outfit was ugly that one time and had a bad attitude with me - this sense of the villagers being real and having unique behaviours and mannerisms feels far removed from the reality of Animal Crossing New Horizons, where they happily talk to anyone and don’t even consider telling me how stupid I am! It was nice to see the humanity (haha) of the animals around me, it’s something that would bring players back time and time again if it had been included.
- DIYs are wonderful, I’ll admit. I wasn’t very confident in the idea of crafting recipes when the game was first released, but they were implemented well and so I have a level of respect for them. What I DONT like is how collecting them was implemented. Gone to talk to a villager and they give you a DIY you already have and don't want a copy of? Oh well, you have a 5th Nice Branch now. Have 900 DIYs already and only hunting for a couple more? Good luck getting those last few organically - because your best options are checking the beach and getting any one of those hundreds of DIYs or talking to your villagers and getting any one of those hundreds of DIYs. It is so so frustrating beyond words to be stuck trying to fill out your crafting catalogue unless you have a hacker friend or fantastic luck on Nookazon.
- Having items locked behind a paywall is almost as infuriating as New Leaf’s region-locked items. It makes the game less accessible to certain players, and it is decently frustrating as the game is already £50.
- Im sorry but I know we're all thinking it: the multi-player in ACNH is [insert expletives]. It's terrible. Nintendo fumbled when they didn’t continue or expand on Kappn’s island, and that significantly impacted the replay value of the game. Part of the draw of specifically New Leaf even 10 years on is the online multiplayer being really good and feeling very natural within the world of Animal Crossing, and I just feel bummed that they didn’t capitalise on that popularity.
- This isn’t an actual criticism but Im still a little mad that Nintendo removed tree stump designs and the ability to sit on rocks. I don't know, it was nice.
Animal Crossing New Horizons was the new addition to the Animal Crossing series that fans had been waiting on for 7 years by the time it was released; and if it wasn’t already bound to succeed thanks to the army of dedicated Animal Crossing fans that have existed since 2001, then a certain perfectly timed global event that shall not be named was sure to do it. The fandom has been split over the past three years on where it ranks in comparison to other games both in the AC series and in the Switch generation of games, and it doesn’t seem like there is a universally accepted answer as we saw with New Leaf. Many folks who did share their opinions rushed to review the game as soon as it came out, despite being fully aware that the game was not even remotely finished, while others waited until 2.0 to give a review as they considered that point to be the best time to leave a genuine review. However, I am of the view that this point - the 3rd anniversary of the release of ACNH - is the best time to review the game as a whole. We have now had the full complete game for just over a year and have had a decent length of time to find our overall favourite inclusions and our least favourite flaws within the game and so, in the name of ACNH’s 3rd birthday, I invite you to tell me where Animal Crossing New Horizons ultimately stands for you. Is it the best game? Or 2nd best? Or the very bottom of the list? What are some things you would have included - or left out if it was up to you?
Personally, this is a non-exhaustive list of what I would pick out from ACNH:
The Highlights
- The most obvious positive aspect of New Horizons is the ability to place furniture wherever you wish on the island (bar the plaza, which may I say is absolutely infuriating. If furniture with ‘plaza’ in its name… then why no plaza furniture?). This was a pretty predictable evolution after the PWPs of ACNL, but it was still a thrill like no other to get to make a park and a garden for my house - a real garden! With fences and all!! The ability to create a town that truly fits my dream image is so wonderful and with such few limitations on the placement of trees, bushes and furniture it’s never felt easier to create a town that truly reflects my dream Animal Crossing world. A common complaint is that even though there are thousands of furniture options, they removed several fan-favourite items from prior games that I agree could have enhanced the game such as the Aurora Screen - despite this, I think the vast majority of folks would agree being able to place furniture however you like is a massive win.
- Terraforming is absolutely stunning in this game… mostly (see The Lowlights). At last, the chance to exercise complete control over your town! It was so much fun to build rivers and destroy waterfalls and create rolling hills at my will and don’t even get me started on Nintendo allowing us to move rocks - the best thing to ever happen to the tears of ACNL town designers. It was a massive step up from sitting at your DS resetting until Rover gave you a town map you at least mildly liked, and opened the door to some of the most breath-taking islands I have ever seen in my life. I was completely stunned by the beautiful towns I saw in prior games and sincerely thought that I would never see anything top that - until I saw ACNH terraformers.
- Although I would consider the HHP DLC being locked behind a paywall a negative aspect of the game, the actual DLC itself is really good - extremely good in my opinion. I know people weren’t too fussed with HHD when it came out, but I enjoyed it very much in its time and felt a game dedicated to designing houses was swell. That sentiment is something I carried into HHP and I can't describe the true love I have for the DLC. It's really good if you don’t know what to do with yourself in the game, particularly once you’ve reached most of your major long-term targets, and is the source of a couple of HUNDRED new DIYs which opens up so many new avenues for customisation. The features it gave us that rolled into the main game - like editing villagers' homes, partition walls and making those sparkly things happen - did not disappoint at all and enhanced gameplay for even the least design-oriented players. Although the paywall is annoying, I think it’s worth the £25. [NOTE: it’s worth the £25 but NOT worth it in my opinion if you only access it via the Nintendo Online Expansion. Unless you use the Expansion constantly. Idk how you play.]
- Stretch goals being implemented via. Nook Miles was a broad improvement compared to prior games. For the completionist player, there has never been a better time to be into Animal Crossing and the niche detail of the awards being time-stamped seals the deal for me. The awards are pretty lack-lustre once you make it to the late game but if you’re completing awards in the late game Im not going to assume you’re in it for the 500 Nook Miles.
- While island hopping is incredibly time-consuming I sincerely appreciate Nintendo allowing people to hunt for specific villagers they may want without requiring online play or expensive Amiibo cards - the thought was there.
- This isn’t really that important, but I appreciate being able to see the island before naming it. In prior games, the player hasn’t had the chance to get a feel for the land before naming it.
The Lowlights
- The lack of shop upgrades for Nooks Cranny is sincerely disappointing. Especially when you consider how in past games we were blessed with the most fantastic upgrades (Im looking at you T and T Emporium), it just becomes all the more upsetting. For most people the only upgrade the Nooklings would get came very early in the game so it just felt like a letdown all around. Even now 3 years on Im stumped as to why they cut the upgrades so short. I think the inclusion of upgrades like there were in prior games would have given more reason to play on a regular daily basis and therefore would’ve increased the longevity of the game.
- Probably the biggest criticism of New Horizons is the villagers. They are overall still pleasant, and it’s nice to have company on the big lonely island, but the near complete removal of personality and the limited lines given to them ruins the magic for many. If you talk to your villagers regularly you’ll quickly notice them saying the same lines if they share a personality, and even if they don’t the text they do give you is very tame in comparison to the other games. Part of the charm of older games was the villagers didn’t pander to you as the player; they had lives just like everyone else and opinions and attitudes; the village you lived in had a lot of depth when there were folks within it who you did and didn’t get along with. I loved Pecan because she always did quizzes with me in Wild World and I disliked Elvis because he said my outfit was ugly that one time and had a bad attitude with me - this sense of the villagers being real and having unique behaviours and mannerisms feels far removed from the reality of Animal Crossing New Horizons, where they happily talk to anyone and don’t even consider telling me how stupid I am! It was nice to see the humanity (haha) of the animals around me, it’s something that would bring players back time and time again if it had been included.
- DIYs are wonderful, I’ll admit. I wasn’t very confident in the idea of crafting recipes when the game was first released, but they were implemented well and so I have a level of respect for them. What I DONT like is how collecting them was implemented. Gone to talk to a villager and they give you a DIY you already have and don't want a copy of? Oh well, you have a 5th Nice Branch now. Have 900 DIYs already and only hunting for a couple more? Good luck getting those last few organically - because your best options are checking the beach and getting any one of those hundreds of DIYs or talking to your villagers and getting any one of those hundreds of DIYs. It is so so frustrating beyond words to be stuck trying to fill out your crafting catalogue unless you have a hacker friend or fantastic luck on Nookazon.
- Having items locked behind a paywall is almost as infuriating as New Leaf’s region-locked items. It makes the game less accessible to certain players, and it is decently frustrating as the game is already £50.
- Im sorry but I know we're all thinking it: the multi-player in ACNH is [insert expletives]. It's terrible. Nintendo fumbled when they didn’t continue or expand on Kappn’s island, and that significantly impacted the replay value of the game. Part of the draw of specifically New Leaf even 10 years on is the online multiplayer being really good and feeling very natural within the world of Animal Crossing, and I just feel bummed that they didn’t capitalise on that popularity.
- This isn’t an actual criticism but Im still a little mad that Nintendo removed tree stump designs and the ability to sit on rocks. I don't know, it was nice.
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