Review: Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the getaway you need right now

Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn’t so much a game as it is an experience, and it’s an experience that’s best enjoyed with friends. Arriving on a deserted island with little more than a tent and a few animal characters to keep you company, it’s up to you to shape your own virtual tropical escape. You can put as much or as little as you want into it and take it at your own pace. New Horizons starts off a little slow, but it quickly opens up with a rewarding system of progressions that can be quite addictive, and the attention to detail is impressive. If this sounds like your kind of game, you’re going to love it, and if you’re already a fan of the franchise, it might just be the best one yet. Even if you’re unsure whether Animal Crossing is for you, you might be surprised to find that it is, as our review will show.

New Horizons is the fifth game in the Animal Crossing franchise, excluding spinoffs. The series has a huge following, and with an eight-year gap between this Switch entry and its predecessor, Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the 3DS, it’s no exaggeration to say that the hype for this game was immense. For the purpose of writing this review, we enlisted both a veteran fan and a series newbie and asked them to join forces to get takes from both sides: Will returning players enjoy New Horizons as much as previous installments, and can new players get into it?

Our veteran, Stephanie Cusumano: Originally, Animal Crossing was a game that never really appealed to me. I finally gave it a chance after watching my favorite YouTuber rave about it, and I have not regretted my choice to pick up New Leaf about four years ago. I know I’ve only been a fan of Animal Crossing for a short while in comparison to some, but I was instantly hooked and craved more. It’s gotten me to try older games, and I could not wait for the release of New Horizons.

Our newbie, Shona Johnson: I’ve been aware of Animal Crossing since it released on the GameCube, but it did not initially appeal to me. Wandering around in a village with cutesy animal characters without a solid aim or storyline sounded rather boring, to be honest, and I have a hit-and-miss relationship with simulator games. It wasn’t until New Leaf that I realized just how popular the franchise had become, because almost all my gamer friends were playing it. With the massive hype for New Horizons, my curiosity was piqued. There had to be something that kept so many people coming back. I wondered if I was missing out, so I was excited to have a chance to try out the game.

Write your own story

There’s little story to an Animal Crossing game. Rather, there’s a scenario your character is dropped into. In the first game, you’re moving out on your own for the first time and make your home among some friendly animal villagers. In New Leaf, you’re moving to a new town where you are mistaken for the mayor and left to take charge. Taking off from that point, New Horizons has you working alongside infamous raccoon Tom Nook to build an island nation from scratch.

Like in New Leaf, you take more initiative as an official leader. You’re the one who’s arranged the trip to the island, so you get to decide where certain things go, and a little later you can decide whether or not to invite characters to live on your island. This makes more sense than previous titles from a narrative standpoint. But again, there really isn’t much story for you to follow; you make the story. You go about daily activities, pay your loans, complete tasks to build your island, invite residents to live there, and just live your best life. Optionally, you can invite friends to visit your island, or you can visit theirs, and some of the best stories are going to come from your interactions with them. You can do this via local or online play, but just keep in mind that online multiplayer does require Nintendo Switch Online.

Because New Horizons literally has you starting from scratch, it’s perfect for those who are new to the franchise to jump in. It’s not a complex game, and you’re given instructions that are easy to follow. From there, the game is all about discovery and chasing after your dreams — along with plenty of butterflies! There’s a wide array of animal characters who can visit or live on your island, some of whom are series staples that veteran fans will recognize, but you’ll soon get to know them even if you’re new the series.

Live your best life

Once you’ve done a few basic tasks, such as deciding where you’re going to set up home on your island, you’re left to your own devices, although, you won’t initially be able to explore the entirety of your island due to natural barriers such as rivers. You’ll need to hunt and forage in order to progress. Trees can be shaken or chopped. Weeds and flowers can be pulled up. Fish and insects can be caught. Holes can be dug. The goal is to collect items and materials that can be crafted or sold in order to earn money or Nook Miles, a secondary currency, both of which can be used or exchanged to buy items, learn “DIY recipes” for crafting items, or fly to remote islands. The game is marked by a series of progressions that unlock quickly, although if you’re the type of player who’s going to put a lot of hours into the early portion of the game, the first couple of days may feel a little slow. The game runs in real time, so when it’s daytime in real life it’s daytime on your island. Animal Crossing has an in-game calendar that matches your real-world experience, so seasons occur when you would expect them and holidays are celebrated at the appropriate time. If the game tells you that something is going to happen tomorrow, you’ll literally have to wait until the next day to see it.

New Horizons has more things to do on a daily basis than previous installments.

Shona (newbie): After the first day of playing, I still wasn’t sure if Animal Crossing was for me. Pulling up weeds, shaking trees, and catching insects and fish became tedious after a while, and I got to the point where there was nothing else to do except wait for my house to be built, my airport to open, and for a dude named Blathers to arrive. Fortunately, the variety of things to do opened up soon after that, especially once my airport was open. By the third day, I was excited to play and see what was new to discover. It was addictive!

Stephanie (veteran): Just like in previous installments, sometimes things can take a while to get done. It may take a day or so to get certain buildings or unlock certain regions of your island. Granted, New Horizons has thus far provided something to do daily, but players in a rush may want to use the method of time-traveling. While I do not personally recommend it, as it may shorten playtime in the long run, it is always an option.

This game definitely has more things to do on a daily basis than other installments, and there are a few new things that have been included that can spice up your island strolls. Fishing and shaking trees were staples in previous titles, but now, if you walk along your shores every day, you can stumble upon a DIY recipe in a bottle!

The mechanics do not stray too far from previous installments of Animal Crossing, so most of it will feel familiar if you’re experienced with the franchise. Nintendo has fixed many of the minor inconveniences from past titles, such as by including an easy-to-access tool ring and a pocket space (inventory) expansions. Dialogue has been shortened so that you don’t have to go through quite as much when doing common tasks, although there’s still potential to make it more efficient. It would also be nice to be able to craft more than one item at a time (we’re looking at you, fish bait).

Shona (newbie): I found myself getting impatient at having to go through the same dialogue repeatedly for common tasks, like donating to the museum, so I was surprised to learn that it’s considered short in this game when compared with previous ones!

Someone clearly had a jolly time coming up with clever comments or puns related to every fish, bug, and item you can catch.

Another big improvement is the ability to choose what your character looks like right from the start, and you can also change your appearance whenever you feel like it. You do not have to rely on a hairstylist to change your ‘do or color, which also means you don’t need to pay 3,000 bells every time you want a new style. There’s a lot of variety to the ways that you can customize your appearance, and as you buy or unlock new items and styles, you can wear them almost immediately.

Your Nook-branded smartphone gives you access to many of the game’s features.

You’ve got your essential Animal Crossing tools such as the shovel, fishing rod, bug net, and watering can, but being on a new island setting, there are some places that are harder to get to in this wild world. For exploration, the vaulting pole and ladder are now included as essentials and make traveling around your island feel even more like an adventure. Unfortunately, many of your tools will break regularly, in a similar way to the weapons in Breath of the Wild. It’s a little frustrating when you’re in the middle of something, but it’s merely an inconvenience because you can easily craft replacements — and you can earn Nook Miles for doing so. If you really don’t want to craft you have the option of buying them instead.

Speaking of crafting: DIY is a new feature. There are some items that can only be bought in a shop or online with Nook’s services, but most of the gear you get on your island will be handmade by you. You will earn DIY recipes through various means and craft these items by collecting all the required materials around your island.

Stephanie (veteran): Don’t destroy the rocks if you can avoid it — many friends, as well as myself, have destroyed our sources of collecting stone, clay, and iron nuggets by doing this. This had never been an issue, as in the past rocks were not able to be destroyed, so a fair warning is in order if you decide to power up by eating fruit.

If you’re sharing a Nintendo Switch with several people in your home, you will end up inhabiting a single island together. After the first player settles on the island, each account (up to four) that joins thereafter will be able to pick a plot of land for a new house, and players then share the responsibility of creating and decorating their island home. All four players can play at the same time and interact with each other, but they are limited to being on the same screen together. Each player will be saddled with their own house debt and have their own inventory and DIY recipes. However, only the first player that settles on the island will be able to progress the game. For example, only they can donate the required items in order to get Blathers, the museum owner, to appear; any other player will be told to ask the first resident what needs to be done. As a result, only the first resident will ever reap the rewards from completing the major island milestones. So if you plan to share an island together, it’d be wisest to let the person who loves Animal Crossing the most settle first.

From deserted island to idyllic resort

Many familiar characters return in New Horizons, such as Tom Nook, Timmy and Tommy, Mabel, and Gulliver.

While the premise of New Horizons centers around a deserted island, you’ll quickly be interacting with plenty of animal NPCs and, optionally, friends too. There are many essential characters from previous games who make a return in this title, such as Blathers, Timmy and Tommy, and the one and only Tom Nook. Nook will be your guide throughout most of the game, similar to how he was in most games prior to New Leaf. Isabelle will also appear a little down the track, so don’t worry too much about her initial absence, New Leaf fans. Nook’s nephews Timmy and Tommy will run most of the business for him, so you’ll also be dealing with them a lot as well.

The Dodos, who are new, will also be characters that you visit frequently if you plan on using the airport — and trust us, you will. Orville and Wilbur fit in perfectly with the rest of the zany Animal Crossing cast, and you’ll feel like they’ve always been a part of the family.

There are plenty of familiar faces who come and visit the island as well, whether it be the washed-up Gulliver (literally and figuratively); Wisp, the ghost who is afraid of ghosts (don’t ask, just play); and the traveling fashion sister Mabel. Each of these characters, as well as plenty of others, return to offer fun little mini-games that provide rewards or unique shopping items and experiences. Don’t forget to play during holidays as well for Animal Crossing’s fun once-a-year activities.

There’s a huge cast of unique characters, many of whom are looking for a change of sea-nery.

When you take a flight over to a neighboring island for resources or just to explore, you may encounter a potential new friend. These characters will only appear if your island has the capacity for new residents, and you can invite them to move to yours. There are hundreds of residents-in-waiting — 402 in fact — that could appear on surrounding islands. You can only have 10 different residents in your village at a time, but just inviting one doesn’t mean that they’ll become a permanent resident. Villagers will come and go and you can arrange your town’s population to your liking.

Stephanie (veteran): My advice for recruiting villagers would be to only ask the ones you definitely want on your island. If you’re uncertain, don’t waste space. Of course, if you want to be adventurous and meet new villagers, go right ahead! It just may be a while before you can replace them if you decide they’re not the right ones for you. It also may be a while until amiibo cards become compatible with the game — but hang on to those cards because they will be able to be used eventually.

You can have up to 10 residents living on your island.

Shona (newbie): Being new to the series, I didn’t have any knowledge of the characters I met on remote islands or whether or not I wanted them to live on mine. I invited each one I encountered anyway for the heck of it (and to keep making progress in my game!). When Stephanie visited my island for the first time, she saw that Fauna lived there and told me that was great because she loved her, but it didn’t mean anything to me. But that’s OK, because you’ll find out if you like them or not in your own time.

Make it a party with friends

Multiplayer is bigger than ever with this title and it is an absolute blast. Up to eight people can hang out on the same island together via local or online play. It’s certainly fun to see what other people have been making and to show off your own island, and visiting other islands can help you find a variety of items and fruit much sooner than you would by playing on your own. If you visit friends in the opposite hemisphere, you’ll even be able to catch insects and fish that aren’t seasonally available on your own island yet. But the real magic of online play comes through the interactions. Sometimes there’ll be quiet moments when you and a pal are fishing at opposite ends of the islands, but when there’s more than one visitor, it’s usually a party. Ocarina jam sessions, bug-net fights, and games of hide-and-seek are just a few examples of the wide variety of makeshift playtime sessions that multiplayer allows.

Some of the Zelda Universe staff got together for a jam session on our ocarinas.

When it comes to online play, Nintendo games have a history of being hit or miss, but New Horizons is mostly decent. You can say whatever you want instead of being limited to a fixed set of responses. Text chat messages are limited in length, but you can send as many as you like. Typing on a docked Switch is tedious; using a finger or stylus in handheld mode makes it a little easier, but the best option is to download the Nintendo Switch Online app and type on your phone. You can also use the app’s voice chat option, although we mainly used Discord.

Be prepared to stare at this screen a lot if you’re playing online.

There’s also a loading screen every time someone arrives at or leaves an island, and the load time for the arrival one is quite lengthy. If you want to be part of a big group of friends popping in and out of the same island, be prepared for lots of interruptions. And as for that fish you were about to catch, expect it to be gone when play resumes.

The game doesn’t handle dropouts very well. If a visitor drops, the game will say, “Looks like someone quietly left,” before sweeping you into a loading screen and dumping everyone still online back at the airport. Frustratingly, your most recent acquisitions are often lost when this happens.

A well-crafted experience

A lot of love and attention to detail have gone into New Horizons, and the result is gorgeous. It blends the simplistic charm of the characters with updated graphical flair. Your character has spheres for hands, lives in a home with decor that looks real, and somehow it works.

There’s a soothing elegance to the game that creates a calming world that you’ll want to spend time in. The villagers are more fleshed out than they have been in the past, and you’ll find them going about their own lives on the island. You might bump into them while they are fishing, relaxing under a tree, or gazing at the stars. It adds to the immersion of being part of the same community. Interact with them and they may reward you, and you can give them gifts, which you’ll later see proudly on display in their homes.

A lot of love and attention to detail has gone into this game, and the result is gorgeous.

New Horizons has what is arguably one of the best video game buildings we’ve ever seen: the museum. Its simplistic exterior belies an amazing interior that feels like a real museum and zoo in one. (On that note, let’s for a moment forget about the fact that the entire island is essentially a zoo.) The exhibits are stunning, and over time they will be populated with everything that you’ve caught and contributed. The creators of the game have put a lot of thought and effort into designing the interior of the museum. The aquarium in particular is gorgeous and will give you almost the same sort of joy you feel when visiting a real-life one, even though the animals aren’t real (but they look real).

The inside of the museum is simply stunning.

There are also a variety of clever references and riffs on the real world, from the Nook Phone, your in-game smartphone, to Dodo Airlines, which is reminiscent of Japan Airlines. And someone on the development team clearly had a jolly time coming up with clever comments or puns related to every fish, bug, and item you can catch. These are just some of the subtle touches that add to the game’s appeal.

There’s so much to do, and New Horizons makes it easy to do it. There are numerous ways that you can customize your island, your home, and your character. If the wide variety of in-game items aren’t enough for you, you can import designs from New Leaf and the spinoff title Happy Home Designer, or even design your own and download other people’s designs. Importing and downloading designs requires the in-game Nook Link and Nintendo Switch Online app.

Final words

Shona (newbie): I came into this game to see what I was missing out on, and it quickly won me over with its charm and simple, fun gameplay. After just over a week with the game, I’ve become pretty addicted to it, and I’m itching to finish writing this review so I can get back to playing! Although, I’m not sure how long that will last as I continue to progress and run out of things to achieve. That said, it’s the kind of game that’s worth playing for the long haul, so I also don’t feel like I will need to play it for hours every single day or rush to do everything all at once. Right now, I want to discover things and progress because I’m seeing my friends do so, but the game won’t punish me if I play less. I’m definitely going to continue playing, and I look forward to seeing things like how holidays are celebrated and how the seasons change. It won’t be the type of game for absolutely everybody, but if you’re not sure about it like I was, I encourage you to pick it up anyway, because I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much fun it is.

Stephanie (veteran): I had high hopes for this game and I was not let down in the slightest. My biggest early complaint was its lack of variety in music, which isn’t a very big complaint to begin with, and even then I was proven wrong after the residential area was upgraded and hourly music was introduced again. The developers did their homework on what the fans wanted: character customization, getting to place the houses of your neighbors, more interactive items, continued use of amiibo cards, and so much more! So many things that I, as well as many other fans, had put on their wish lists for the next installment in the series have been given to us and make the Animal Crossing experience even better. I am so excited to see how much my island grows, knowing what features are still in store for the future. I can personally say this is my favorite Animal Crossing game to date, and I’m not sure how Nintendo plans to top it. We might have another eight years or so before we have to worry about that, though. Until then, I’ll be living comfortably on my little island paradise.