Table of Contents
- An adventure beyond the horizons
- Your island, your rules
- My dear little piece of ground
- Animal Crossing New Horizons, a unique experience for anyone
Animal Crossing is one of Nintendo's most beloved series. All games have the same style, with a few 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 arrives in the best style on Nintendo Switch and guarantees hours of fun for players and their new friends on an island of their own.
Techlifers had access to a copy of the new Animal Crossing New Horizons protocols for Nintendo Switch and, after a few days playing in this small and fantastic world, we bring you a complete analysis of this adventure that arrives in good time to bring several players a generous dose of joy and comfort with the crisis of the new coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. You can also check out the video review of the game, available on our YouTube channel:
An adventure beyond the horizons
My first experience with the Animal Crossing series was playing Animal Crossing New Leaf, on the Nintendo 3DS. I must have spent over 600 hours tending to my little village. It was so much fun taking care of the plants, tidying up the house, managing the place and most importantly interacting with the other residents. I could never have imagined that such a simple game could be so immersive.
However, the mechanics of the Animal Crossing series games don't work the same way as a traditional game where you have an objective and the game ends as soon as you conquer it. Because it is a simulation game, the day will eventually come when you will drop the game and return to it only on holidays and during special events. Fortunately, it looks like the new Animal Crossing New Horizons entry is willing to change that style of players.
the first days of Animal Crossing: New Horizons they are more focused on what you can't do than what you really can. After creating your character you are taken to a deserted island and accompanied by two random animals, who will be your first neighbors (mine were an antelope and a chicken, both very friendly).
After a brief introduction by Tom Nook, you are appointed “Resident Representative” and sent to find the perfect location for your new home. And that's when you'll discover the game's first restriction: you can't explore your entire island right away.
Whichever island design you choose, the rivers are too big to jump over and there are no bridges you can cross. Unfortunately, only some time later you will be able to acquire the jumping post and the ladder to facilitate your locomotion. At the very least, if you're not too fond of where you first settled, know that within a week or so, you'll be able to move to your preferred location. But just like any feature in the game, you'll need to work a little to unlock it.
“Crafting is key to everything in Animal Crossing New Horizons!”
Even though the focus of the Animal Crossing franchise has always been on open-world exploration, New Horizons expands on that idea with continuous progression. While in previous games you arrived in cities that had already been established, everything here is new for you to discover and create!
At first it's just you, your two neighbors, Tom, Timmy, Tommy and the Dodo brothers, Orville e Wilbur. The last two are new characters that equip the island's airport. There is no museum, no Nook's Cranny, nor the store Sable e Mable. To get all this and more, you'll need to complete tasks and collect items to help build these establishments.
For that reason, crafting is key to everything in Animal Crossing New Horizons! You will create just about anything you use, including all your tools (which, unfortunately, can break). Items with the word “fragile” in the title aren't very sturdy, but as you continue to build your city, you'll learn new recipes that will allow you to craft stronger versions.
To make these tools, you'll need the right ingredients and, most importantly: a DIY recipe (Do It Yourself, or "Do It Yourself") for you to learn how to make the item. And where can you store all these recipes? in your Nook Phone, clear. This simple but powerful smartphone allows you to access the island's animal catalog, check out their recipes, check the map and even take pictures!
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 you can use in construction. Even the empty cans, rubber boots and tires you pick up from rivers and the sea can be useful.
In addition to getting more needed resources, most of your 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 towards some program task NookMiles.
Your island, your rules
To keep players earning miles more regularly, you can unlock Nook Miles+, which has a continually updating set of tasks that you can complete in a more immediate timeframe, like catching 10 fish or taking a photo. Always keep an eye on the Nook Miles app on your smartphone to redeem the miles and find out what next task you need to complete!
The Resident Resident title is more or less the same role your main character had as the mayor in the last game. Although at the beginning of the adventure it seems that you don't have much responsibility on your hands, the fate of this island rests on your shoulders. You choose where your neighbors live, where the shops 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 New Horizons has to offer, you have to stick with the game for the long haul. For example, until you reach the same point where you start in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, in terms of what's available in your city, it's going to take you a few weeks to dedicate yourself exclusively to the game. However, considering the current scenario of quarantine imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have found a perfect isolation partner in Animal Crossing New Horizons.
“It is very gratifying to see 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 Animal Crossing series amiibos to invite characters to your island (although only a few characters are eligible so far). It is very gratifying to see your community grow, especially when you are primarily responsible for the development of your small digital world.
My dear little piece of ground
New Horizons is the typical Animal Crossing experience, only much prettier 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.
Your island is a very welcoming place for you to express yourself. You can dress your character however you like (no issues with gender or style issues) and the villagers will always have some interesting comments to make about your new look.
Interaction with the other characters is much better developed in New Horizons than in past games in the series and it won't be uncommon to see multiple players (like me) create deep bonds with their neighbors in the game. So, never forget to be a good neighbor and always chat with other residents, share items, take pictures, and most importantly, never miss a birthday party!
“Your island is a very welcoming place for you to express yourself”
Definitely one of the mechanics that I and most players will spend more time in New Horizons will be the task of furnishing and decorating your house. In addition to being fun, keeping your house tidy can pay off thanks to Tom Nook's rating system.
Also, focus your efforts early on in 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'll need a lot of Nook Miles to get the license needed to manipulate the island's internal layout, but this is a feature that's worth the effort if you want to make your world look more like a cozy village.
In contrast, one mode you can avoid is the two-player co-op functionality. In addition to not bringing any significant new 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's much more worth focusing on the online mode that allows your friends to visit your island and treat it as if it were their own (and vice versa), you can interact with special characters and collect unique items during events.
Animal Crossing New Horizons, a unique experience for anyone
As an open-world simulation game, any expert reviewer or writer would admit that just a week is a short time to produce a comprehensive and concise review of a game. However, that 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.
There are many things that I still don't know about this game and that I will certainly have a lot of fun discovering during several hours on my own island. Based on what I've already been able to experience, it's more than enough to say that New Horizons is the Animal Crossing series at its finest and purest. Even with a slow start, the game is an invitation to relax and have fun in a world of its own. Whether with the island's residents or with your friends, Animal Crossing New Horizons is a perfect experience for an idyllic digital escapism in times of crisis.
Have you already purchased your copy? You can find Animal Crossing New Horizons on sale for R$ 250,79. Don't forget to share your experience in the comments!
