desertcart.com: Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Nintendo Switch :
Nintendo of America: Everything Else
Review: Beautiful, relaxing single player and console-to-console
multiplayer game - From the adult single player perspective, this
is the most involved version of Animal Crossing to date.
Customization is virtually limitless and it introduces the option
of terraforming the land itself. The ways you can build up your
island stretch beyond the imagination. New Horizons introduces
crafting, seasonal items and recipes, download-based events that
last longer than one day so they really feel like holidays, and
advanced character customization right from the beginning. I'll
break down the pros and cons at the end of my review. I think
there is some confusion, especially for people new to the series,
regarding how multiplayer works. Animal Crossing has always been
a ONE town/island game, with the option for up to 3 more players
to share that land, since the idea is that you'd be building your
oasis together. Unfortunately the co-op in this version is
lackluster, especially since the Switch is marketed as a more
social console than others Nintendo has released in the past. The
multiplayer in a single town is, plain and simple, not worth it.
Like others have said, you can really only play follow the leader
and collect things together. It kinda defeats the purpose of true
multiplayer mode, which is much more comprehensive in the
console-to-console visiting (as it has been in the past as well).
The true fun in multiplayer for ACNH is in visiting other islands
entirely, seeing how they have built and organized their land,
and exchanging exclusive fruits and rare items with each other
(not to mention hitting each other endlessly with nets). If you
have multiple consoles in your house or have friends with their
own Switch and copy of the game, you'll find LOTS of enjoyment in
the multiplayer. PROS: - Character customization is great. Skin
tone is finally a choice, alongside many hairstyles and colors
which become unlockable over time. Many basics are included right
from the beginning and can be changed whenever you'd like. - Able
Sisters is a true boutique. Every day they have a large stock of
clothing, including many color variants. You can also layer
multiple facial accessories. - Designing is a joy. The designer
feature seems to "read" what shapes and colors you use and will
round out sharp edges. This means any user-designed paths,
stones, and clothing will blend in seamlessly with the soft
graphics of the game. You can choose from different styles of
clothing while you design, such as sweaters, robes, bowler hats,
and beanies. Additionally, there is now an option for transparent
patterns. No more having 4 different stepping stone designs for
every season so the grass around your rocks will blend in with
the natural grass. There is also a "face paint" option, which is
very useful for equipping your character with eyebrows, freckles,
etc. - Nook Miles ticket islands are worthwhile to work for, and
allow you access to more crafting resources that you may have
exhausted out of your own island for the day. They also have a
chance to spawn rare creatures, Bell rocks, foreign fruits, and
hybrid flowers. - The graphics have received a huge update.
Everything in the game, including returning items, has a new
model and looks better than ever. Wind rustles trees, flowers,
and even items that have hanging bits, such as the clothing
racks. - Your storage system is automatically built into your
home, and home design is streamlined into a drag and drop menu
for easy decorating. - Being able to put any item outdoors and
build pathways has transformed the possibilities in this game.
You can make so many things: trading booths, actual gardens, shop
stands, playgrounds, cafes, spas, raffles, relay races, you name
it. I've seen an incredible amount of creativity in the first
week of release. - You can choose where your new villagers will
move, and move any building at any time, save for the plaza and
Resident Services within it. There is a cost involved but it's
well worth it if you hate where something is placed. - So far I
have not yet reached the cap on constructing inclines and
bridges. You can make a bunch. CONS: - Terraforming takes a bit
to unlock and can be finicky to navigate. You may think you're
standing on the correct tile to place a path or build a cliff,
but you'll be pushed to another tile, have to erase, and try
again. Understanding where you are in space is just a little more
difficult because the layout of your island looks a lot less
geometric than it did in the past, but overall that is still a
positive. Just makes terraforming a bit harder. - In the 3DS New
Leaf: Welcome Amiibo version, scanning an Amiibo card would allow
you to replace any resident villager with the one on your card,
and they would move in the next day. In this version, scanning a
card will put the villager in your campsite, but you must invite
them to move in THREE times before they will agree. It just seems
like a bit of work, since any random villager you find on a Nook
Miles Island will move in the very next day after you ask them. -
This is my big one: Blathers' museum, while changed drastically
to be incredibly beautiful, no longer displays facts for donated
creatures. Reading a sign will just give you the name of the
creature and donor. To learn about a creature, you need to have
it in your inventory and give it to Blathers under the request to
learn more. This feels like a huge hit to the museum which is
already lacking features. It seemed like they removed the one
main reason to visit. - No sign of my favorite NPCs, Katrina
(fortune teller) and Brewster (cafe owner). Hopefully, though,
there are plans to implement them at a later date, as the game
receives regular updates. Overall, this is a staple in any casual
gamer's collection, a great intro for anyone new to the series,
and something pleasant to pick up whenever and wherever,
regardless of whether you have countless hours or just a few
minutes. Give it a try!
Review: So fun! - I bought this for me and my sisters and we love
playing it so much! Such a fun game!
