REVIEW: Animal Crossing New Horizons is an invitation to relax and have fun

Discover your own island to explore in Animal Crossing New Horizons

Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo's most beloved series. All games have the same style, with some changes here and there in the form of different features. Here the goal is to build your village, make friends and, most importantly, have fun! With Animal Crossing New Horizons, the series reaches the best style on the Nintendo Switch and guarantees hours of fun for players and their new friends on an island of their own.

Showmetech had access to a copy of the new Animal Crossing New Horizons to Nintendo Switch and, after a few days playing in this small and fantastic world, we bring a complete analysis of this adventure that arrives in good time to bring to several players a generous dose of joy and comfort with the pandemic crisis of the new coronavirus COVID-19. You can also check out the video review of the game, available on our Youtube channel:

An adventure beyond horizons

My first experience with the Animal Crossing series was playing Animal Crossing New Leafon the Nintendo 3DS. I must have spent more than 600 hours taking care of my little village. It was a lot of fun to take care of the plants, tidy the house, manage the place and, most important of all, interact with the other residents. I could never imagine that such a simple game would be so engaging.

At the beginning of his adventure, Tom Nook will give you a tent so that you can spend your first days on the island

However, the game mechanics of the Animal Crossing series do not work the same way as a traditional game in which you have a goal and the game ends as soon as you achieve it. As it is a simulation game, eventually the day will come when you will drop the game and return to it only on holidays and during special events. Fortunately, it seems that the new entry for Animal Crossing New Horizons is willing to change that style of the players.

The first days of Animal Crossing: New Horizons they are more focused on what you can't do than what you can really do. After creating your character you are taken to a desert island and accompanied by two random animals, who will be your first neighbors (mine were an antelope and a chicken, both very nice).

In addition to changing seasons, the weather can change from one hour to the next, so be prepared

After a brief introduction by Tom Nook, you are named "Resident Representative" and sent to find the perfect place for your new home. This is when you discover the first restriction of the game: you cannot explore your entire island right away.

Regardless of the island design you choose, the rivers are too big to jump and there are no bridges you can cross. Unfortunately only some time later you will be able to acquire the jumping pole and the ladder to facilitate your movement. At least, if you don't really like where you first settled, know that within a week or more, you can move to your preferred location. But, like any feature in the game, you will need to work a little to unlock it.

“Create the key to everything in Animal Crossing New Horizons!”

While the focus of the Animal Crossing franchise has always been on exploring the open world, New Horizons expands on that idea with continued progress. While in previous games you arrived in cities that had already been established, everything here is new for you to discover and create!

Not just you, your two neighbors, Tom, Timmy, Tommy and the Dodo brothers, Orville and Wilbur. The latter two are new characters that equip the island's airport. In the museum, neither Cranny Nook’s, nor the Sable and Mable. To get all this and more, you will need to complete tasks and collect items to help build these establishments.

You will be able to fill your island with different objects, but this can take time

For that reason, create the key to everything in Animal Crossing New Horizons! You will create just about everything you use, including all your tools (which, unfortunately, can break). The items with the word “fragile” in the title are not very resistant, but as you continue to build your city, learn new recipes that will allow you to create stronger versions.

To make these tools, you will need the right ingredients and, most important of all: a DIY recipe (from English Do It Yourself, or “Do It Yourself”) for you to learn how to make the item. And where can you keep all these recipes? In your Nook Phone, clear. This simple smartphone, but with powerful features allows you to access the island's animal catalog, check out their recipes, see the map and even take pictures!

The Nook Phone offers quick access to practical functions such as photos, recipes and map of the island

To collect the resources needed to build tools and other items, you need to explore every corner of your island. Shaking trees drops branches that you can turn into tools and hitting rocks creates supplies that you can use in buildings. Even empty cans, rubber boots and tires that you take from rivers and the sea can be useful.

In addition to getting more resources needed, most of his activities are rewarded with Nook Miles. They are new currency that you can use in the game, in addition to the classic Bells. Almost everything you do on your island counts for some program task Nook Miles.

Your island, your rules

To keep players earning miles more regularly, you can unlock Nook Miles +, which has a set of tasks with continuous update that you can complete in a more immediate period, like catching 10 fish or taking a photo. Always keep an eye on the Nook Miles app on your smartphone to redeem miles and find out what next task you need to complete!

You can invite your friends or even your neighbors on the island to have a party or celebration

The title of Resident Resident is more or less the same role that its main character had as the prefect of the last game. Although at the beginning of the adventure it seems that you do not have much responsibility in your hands, the fate of this island is on your shoulders. You choose where your neighbors live, where the stores go, where bridges and stairs are built and, eventually, you can shape the interior of the island itself.

But if you want to experience this and everything else that New Horizons can offer you, you will be dedicated to the game in the long run. For example, until you reach the same point where you start in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, in terms of what is available in your city, it will take you a few weeks to dedicate yourself exclusively to the game. However, considering the current quarantine scenario imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have found a perfect isolation partner in Animal Crossing New Horizons.

“It is very gratifying for you to follow the growth of your community”

For players who want to explore their creativity, pattern design is the best choice. You can create customizable furniture and detailed clothing patterns. You can also get items and design patterns from friends who come to visit your island.

In addition, you can also use amiibos from the Animal Crossing series to invite characters to your island (however, only a few characters are currently eligible). It is very gratifying to follow the growth of your community, especially when you are primarily responsible for the development of your small digital world.

Even the night has its secrets, with fireflies and shooting stars

My dear little piece of cho

New Horizons is the typical Animal Crossing experience, only much more beautiful in high definition on the Nintendo Switch screen. It's the little touches that make all the difference and bring a special charm to this game. The wind and breeze stir the trees, making the world seem alive. In addition, the characters are also more expressive and varied in their activities than before.

How about relaxing a little on the beach?

Your island is a very welcoming place for you to express yourself. You can dress up your character however you like (no problems with gender or style) and residents will always have some interesting comments to make about your new look.

The interaction with the other characters is much better developed in New Horizons than in the past games of the series and it will not be uncommon to see several players (like me) create deep bonds with their neighbors in the game. So, never forget to be a good neighbor and always talk to other residents, share items, take photos and, most important of all, never miss a birthday party!

“Your island is a very welcoming place for you to express yourself”

Definitely one of the mechanics that most players and I will spend time in New Horizons will be the task of furnishing and decorating your home. In addition to being fun, keeping your home tidy can pay off thanks to Tom Nook's rating system.

Also, focus your efforts right at the beginning of the adventure to unlock the Landscape Editor. With it you can literally change the structure of the island, creating paths, opening cliffs, building bridges and much more. You will need many Nook Miles to get the license you need to be able to manipulate the island's internal shape, but this is a feature worth the effort if you want to make your world look more like a cozy village.

Getting the feature that shapes the island's structure is essential to personalize your experience

In contrast, one way you can avoid two-player co-op functionality. Besides not bringing any significant news to the gameplay other than having a partner to help you collect and organize items, the control division scheme is not very comfortable for an experience as personal as New Horizons. It is much more worthwhile to focus on the online mode that allows your friends to visit your island and treat it as if they were theirs (and vice versa), you can interact with special characters and collect unique items during events.

Animal Crossing New Horizons, a unique experience for anyone

In the case of an open world simulation game, any expert or writer would admit that only a week is a short time to produce a comprehensive and concise evaluation of a game. However, this is not the case with Animal Crossing New Horizons. My little time with the game was enough to show me that this experience is unique in the series.

Animal Crossing New Horizons the perfect place to relax and have fun

There are many things that I still do not know about this game and that I will certainly have a lot of fun discovering for several hours on my own island. Based on what I have already been able to experience, it is more than enough to say that New Horizons is the Animal Crossing series in its most beautiful and pure essence. Even with a slow start, the game is an invitation to relax and have fun in a world of your own. Whether with island residents or friends, Animal Crossing New Horizons It is a perfect experience for an idyllic digital escapism in times of crisis.

Have you acquired your copy? You can find Animal Crossing New Horizons sale for R $ 250.79. Don't forget to tell your experience in the comments!

Animal Crossing New Horizons

9.5 / 10

resume

Despite having a slow introduction, Animal Crossing New Horizons is a step forward in style for this Nintendo series that is loved by fans. You will be involved in a small universe full of surprises that are totally yours to explore and have fun.

Pros

• Nook Miles extends the reward system;
• High levels of customization and creation;
• More expressive characters and more interaction.

Cons

• I start slow;
• Weak local co-op mode.

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