Animal Crossing goes back to the days of the Nintendo Game Cube. With every iteration, they have added more to the game to make it more engaging. Animal Crossing: New Horizon does not disappoint. For players new to the series, you will get to choose from one of four island layouts. You are also introduced to Tom Nook. He supplies you with a tent, cot, and lamp. For fans of the series, these seem almost like upgrades to previous starter sets you have received. This time around, before you can get your actual house, you will need to earn 5,000 nook miles, aka rewards points for completing certain tasks. Over time you will get a museum, upgraded store, and a tailor. Every day, you will also get a special visitor to the island. During the week, you have the chance of getting 1 of 8 different visitors: Gulliver(the shipwrecked bird), Kicks(a shoe salesman), Label (the third of the Able sisters), Flick(purchases bugs at a markup), CJ(purchases fish at an increased value), Leif(plant salesman), Redd(art dealer, watch out some of it will be a knockoff), and Sahara(carpet dealer). Saturdays are reserved for T.K. Slider. Much like older games he shows up to perform concerts every Saturday once you receive a 3-star rating for your island. Oddly enough for a game that has no real ending, this serves as the virtual “end game” for Animal Crossing as the concerts are the only time the credit for the game roll. Daisy Mae the turnip dealer shows up on Sunday. Turnips have always been Animal Crossings answer to the real world stock market. In Animal Crossing, you can only buy the turnips on Sundays, and sell them to Nook’s Cranny Monday to Saturday. Much like the real stock market, the “Stalk Market” does fluctuate throughout the day, and can be different on someone else's island.
Where this game shines over previous games in how much customization can be done in the game. As normal, you are able to expand your house to to make it bigger, and adding on 3 floors to the main room, as well as an upstairs and basements. Houses can be decorated with all sorts of furniture, rugs, wallpaper, flooring, and wall hangings. As you play the game, you will be able to purchase items from Nook’s Cranny as well as will receive them from residents and floating balloons. As your town becomes a 3-star island, you will access to the biggest customization feature of the game: Terraforming. Terraforming allows for cliffs to be built, rivers filled in or created, as well the ability for waterfalls to be created. Another component to terraforming is path creation. There are a total of 8 different types of paths that can be created, from brick and wood to dirt and sand. You will be able to shape your island to fit your views, and honestly as you visit other islands, whether your friends or through dodo codes, you will realize that no two islands are truly alike. The island takes on the personality of its owner.
The area that is one of the most beautiful is the museum. Blathers is back for another round of Animal Crossing. The museum starts off with 3 areas: insects, fish, and fossils. The aquatic area is great as it divides the fish into fresh water and salt water, as well as groups the wish within each area by similar types. The variety of fossils really nice and have a nice scale to them. Eventually you will have access to an art wing that will feature famous paintings and statues. The museum will take time to grow, as everything that is on display is donated by the player.
Overall, Animal Crossing: New Horizon is the perfect game for the current landscape the world is facing. It is giving people a creative, artistic outlet as well as gives people a way to hang out with friends while maintaining social distancing. It is easy to get lost in the game and sink 100’s of hours into the game. However, the only downside is that game will get monotonous after you get your island to where you want it to be. That being said there is still plenty of replayability with this game. There are always better pieces of furniture to find as well as new ideas that can come to mind that you want to create. This game will truly be what you make of it. So sit back, relax, and put your tray tables in their upright and locked position as Dodo Airlines lands their seaplane, and take you to the island you get to call your own. I give Animal Crossing a 9.5/10.
