Animal Crossing: New Horizons

 Switch
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6446 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,257 out of 6446
  2. Mixed: 529 out of 6446
  3. Negative: 2,660 out of 6446
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. lolo2178
    Mar 20, 2020
    5
    While the game itself is great, really relaxing and gorgeous, i can't ignore one thing that ruins the whole experience for me and a lot of other people as seen by the different user reviews.

    That thing is that you only have 1 island per console. This decision limits to one person being able to enjoy the full experience. It also nukes any creative control of the island, since you have    While the game itself is great, really relaxing and gorgeous, i can't ignore one thing that ruins the whole experience for me and a lot of other people as seen by the different user reviews.

    That thing is that you only have 1 island per console. This decision limits to one person being able to enjoy the full experience. It also nukes any creative control of the island, since you have the other users
    house and furniture. I hope nintendo can soon fix this big issue, because for now, this killed any intentions i had to play the game.    … Expand
  2. ouschmitz
    Mar 28, 2020
    7
    Updating my review - sharing a single island stinks, and I wish both of us in our house could have an island to place things where we wished, however my previous low review was a bit too harsh. The additional islands make resource sharing easy, so at least both of us can play the game. I really wish Nintendo would push out an update to allow saving 1 island per user account though ...
  3. Drud
    Mar 20, 2020
    7
    Im Currently 18 hours in, with over 2 months worth of time skips. Game seems worse than its predecessors, Overall its a fun experience, but its limited in ways that i can only believe are to allow more copies to be sold before people can see the lack of content. Im on my 4th house expansion with a town of 6, shop upgraded. And it seems like im at the end of the museum collection. TheIm Currently 18 hours in, with over 2 months worth of time skips. Game seems worse than its predecessors, Overall its a fun experience, but its limited in ways that i can only believe are to allow more copies to be sold before people can see the lack of content. Im on my 4th house expansion with a town of 6, shop upgraded. And it seems like im at the end of the museum collection. The little things that made the previous games feel special are missing, while new mechanics are in place to create a facade of advancement. Tons of things are missing from previous games that have become staples. Removal of the stat system for catches also removes half of the excitement of catching the same stuff over and over since you cant get a New best because size simply no longer exists. Controls could have been improved alot for this game, There are no touch functions despite having alot of use in many areas, such as home design and patterns or basic inventory management. Information is sparse. The game expects you to understand what your doing and why your doing it with zero direction for majority of the game. Honestly if this was any other game it would score much lower and i haven't even gotten into the multiplayer aspect both locally and online.… Expand
  4. mercurysmessage
    Mar 20, 2020
    6
    An awesome Animal Crossing Experience. Being able to build out your island the way you like is an awesome feature. It's almost like having a crossover episode between Minecraft and Animal Crossing.

    The only negative is the one Island per console. If we could have even one per User I would have given this game a higher score.
  5. YoungerReviewer
    May 5, 2020
    7
    I was very excited for this game and when I got it I was hooked. But that feeling only lasted a few weeks and after that I put down the game and didn't pick it back up. Enjoyed it but thought the wonderful experience would last longer. Eventually you'll get bored.
  6. glittergoose
    Aug 24, 2020
    7
    Initially, I could not put down this game. I spent two weeks after getting a "4-star" island rating trying to raise it to 5 but... I hate it now. I hate the way my island looks and feels. I look to other player's 5-star islands and it is not my jam. I've ruined so much of the natural beauty of my secluded island to please Isabelle, but she's never satisfied. Can't even start a fresh islandInitially, I could not put down this game. I spent two weeks after getting a "4-star" island rating trying to raise it to 5 but... I hate it now. I hate the way my island looks and feels. I look to other player's 5-star islands and it is not my jam. I've ruined so much of the natural beauty of my secluded island to please Isabelle, but she's never satisfied. Can't even start a fresh island without deleting all my progress. Do I really want to back to a time when I only had one outfit?… Expand
  7. vxtxlxj
    Aug 29, 2020
    7
    It's a good game with beautiful graphics but it gets quite boring after some time and it just doesn't grip me as New Leaf did.
  8. Almonds
    May 18, 2021
    6
    I love Animal Crossing, but this game just feels like a let down.

    Visually, this game looks FANTASTIC. There are so many small details that affect the world around you like the wind speed, how trees and other objects look in the rain, the sounds of different kinds of shoes walking across the ground, it’s great. Terraforming is nice, putting furniture outside is cool, and crafting is    I love Animal Crossing, but this game just feels like a let down.

    Visually, this game looks FANTASTIC. There are so many small details that affect the world around you like the wind speed, how trees and other objects look in the rain, the sounds of different kinds of shoes walking across the ground, it’s great.

    Terraforming is nice, putting furniture outside is cool, and crafting is a fun idea. I actually really love how this game starts out. I love that each day the island is growing, you get new items, and meet new characters as they slowly come to your island. But I feel like after this “tutorial” ends, I don’t really want to play anymore. In New Leaf your always building up stuff even after the beginning. I feel like New Horizons just stops in giving you major reasons to play the game.

    Villagers are also a major issue. I never feel like actually interacting with a villager anymore. If I do I just mash the A button barely processing what the villager is saying because they’ve already said this exact thing a million times before. They just aren’t interesting to talk to. I also hate that when you give them items, they seemingly always accept it. This behavior just comes off as so fake to me that I don’t like it. Please just say “no, this isn’t my style” or something. Animals clearly have preference as sometimes they’ll wear the clothing you give them and other times they’ll wear it one time and just place it in there house the next day to never be used again.

    I also find that furniture sets have less variety. So many items have been removed from New Leaf, it’s sad. Speaking of which, why did they completely cut gyroids from this game??? I thought before New Horizons that they would never remove Gyroids because they were in every single Animal Crossing game beforehand. But yet, here we are.

    Also why is there only one shop upgrade? Seriously? And this can be done in like 1 month... Also why is Mable the only one to get a store, what about Kicks and Leif? Couldn’t they have been a similar thing to how Mable worked?

    When this game can out, it was SUPER bare bones. Though this game was heavily reliant on updates for content... so okay I guess. Until you realize that most of the updates focus on some one day event that has already been in the previous Animal Crossings game. It’s disappointing how much new content were in these updates.

    As many people have described New Horizons as a Happy Home Designer sequel. And that’s really what this game is. It focuses a lot on customization. But that’s not really my favorite feature. It’s the villagers. New Leaf didn’t really have the best villagers. I thought, “they can’t get any worse right? They can only get better.”

    Well... guess my “hopes” were too high.

    This game is fine on its own but Animal Crossing has been separating the main theme it started from, which is “family, friendship and community.”    … Expand
  9. becster95
    Apr 28, 2020
    7
    I really like this game, but I think there is a lot of room for improvement I have played just about all of the AC titles at this point and this in my opinion is the second best (New Leaf first).
    -There is a big lack of variety in dialogue with the villagers in the sense talking to them more than 2x per day gets them all mad and complain that the island is not big enough for the two of    I really like this game, but I think there is a lot of room for improvement I have played just about all of the AC titles at this point and this in my opinion is the second best (New Leaf first).
    -There is a big lack of variety in dialogue with the villagers in the sense talking to them more than 2x per day gets them all mad and complain that the island is not big enough for the two of you.
    -Not enough buildings. As of right now there are only 2 shops and all other NPC's only visit once in awhile on unpredictable schedules.
    -What is the point of Isabelle announcements at the start of each day if she's not going to tell me when I have visitors like Sahara or Celeste just to name a few. I have defintely missed days with them on my island simply because I did not know they were here.
    -Rugs sold from Sahara cannot be placed outdoors, why bother buying these if they can only be placed in my house when they would go PERFECTLY with the furniture I set up outside? Big opportunity missed there...
    -Buying clothing from the Able Sisters shop is so time consuming, especially if I'm visiting someone else's island in the sense that I can only purchase one type of clothing at a time (ex buying the same shirt in multiple colors, I have to enter and exit the changing room several times). If there are other people waiting to use the single changing room available, it really slows everyone down.
    -The crafting / DIY setup is really great, but I'd like to be able to craft multiple items at a time and have my in home work bench connect to what's in storage in home. Having all the materials in my pockets and trying to craft just takes up too much space (even with fully expanded inventory).

    This seems like a long list of complaints, but the good really does outweigh the bad!    … Expand
  10. XV_
    Apr 18, 2020
    7
    Once again I was allured to Animal Crossing more than ever, it was fun, it was great, but soon, slowly but truly its charm disappeared a fair amount.

    I'm not a fan of review bombing, but I'm surely counting negative aspects that a lot of people are complaining about, if not for them, this review will be easily a 9 or so, but as it is, I believe a 7 is a fair score, without further ado    Once again I was allured to Animal Crossing more than ever, it was fun, it was great, but soon, slowly but truly its charm disappeared a fair amount.

    I'm not a fan of review bombing, but I'm surely counting negative aspects that a lot of people are complaining about, if not for them, this review will be easily a 9 or so, but as it is, I believe a 7 is a fair score, without further ado my thoughts are as follows:

    Starting with the positive things, NH is as ever an incredible time if you're up to the task of giving your heart to it, long gone are those days when you could only customize your house, now the full island has customization, and almost every furniture or item is placeable wherever you want, and it gives a lot of freedom and customization. As it was in New Leaf where you could make public structures, like arches or statues, now they're just items like it should have from a long time ago. Another good addition is its new point system called 'Nook Miles' in which you have to meet certain requirements like achievements and you'll be rewarded with miles, this system comes as unique achievements and a daily wheel of minor achievements that can be done over and over, in contrast with past entries where at a certain point you simply turn off the game because you didn't have more things to do for that day, these miles can be exchanged for several things like furniture, clothes or unique DIY recipes, this new mechanic in form of DIY is easily one of the most enjoyable things in NH, they come as gifts from villagers, message bottles, rewards, etc, the fun part is that you need certain items to make them, so a lot of your time will be invested in acquiring items to make your recipes, pure joy.

    By far, the best thing that NH has to offer is terraforming, although it has its limitations, it's easily the most entertaining addition: do you want to make your island like a crater? maybe a fortress? or how about a city? the limit is your determination and creativity (and maybe at times money), but it surely is the thing that a lot of veterans were waiting, think of it as a Minecraft ripoff, but with Animal Crossing makeover.

    As for the negatives, there are a lot of issues that can be resumed into 4 main problems, at least to me, they weren't a problem at first but everything went a little downhill once you notice them. First and the most common issue for everyone is the one island per switch, when the official trailer launched and stated that this game will be multiplayer with a common island I was really into, I and my partner were daydreaming about the things and possibilities of playing co-op, turns out that the local multiplayer is more a gimmick and the second player is basically a background PC, although the biggest issue is that the only the 1st resident can advance through the "main quest" so good luck if your 1st resident is not as active as you. The second issue is its online mode, if you're playing with one friend is just serviceable, but if you're going to play with two or more persons (friends or internet people) you'll notice that every single time a person arrives or leaves your island, every player that is in the island have to watch an unskippable (quite long) cutscene, not only that, for some unthinkable reason, you can't navigate through menus or inventory in that particular moment, otherwise, the cutscene will be delayed. this is a serious problem particularly if you're planning to play this with several friends or if you're into the stalk market, prepare to loose 15-20 min per arrival.

    My third issue is more a quality of life issue, you see, Animal Crossing have ever being a game about of time, you have to wait a lot in order to have the best of it, but, at this point, selling, buying and navigating through menus is quite a burden, not only that, there are too many nitpicks to list in here, but, certainly it seems more like the game is keeping you away from having fun, is not like there aren't a lot of things to do, so it feels more like cheap padding than anything.

    The last issue and the one that I hate the most and it seems that no one is talking about, is its "free updates", when the first official trailer launched with its terraforming promises, it also mentioned something that bothered me a lot, the fact its main events will arrive as free updates as if they need to be charged or something, in past entries these seasonal events wherein the main game, so it feels way too worrisome that now they're extra, if this game was a MMO or online specific, I wouldn't mind but, it's more like I paid full price for a game that is not finished, so if you're like me and want to play this game in some years, good luck finding those "free updates".

    If you took your time to read this whole thing, I appreciate it a lot, even if you agree or not, I like this game a lot and have played 100 hours to this point but, is important to address its issues.    … Expand
  11. ConsoleArgonaut
    Oct 13, 2020
    6
    This opinion on the game is without including the new updates!

    I hated this game for one reason: It absolutely wastes your time in every aspect of the game. Why can't I craft multiple items of one type at once? Why is the inventory so limited from the start? Why are there always so many clicks you have to do for everything? Also, Nintendo. Why can't I cloud save this game? I would    This opinion on the game is without including the new updates!

    I hated this game for one reason: It absolutely wastes your time in every aspect of the game.
    Why can't I craft multiple items of one type at once?
    Why is the inventory so limited from the start?
    Why are there always so many clicks you have to do for everything?
    Also, Nintendo. Why can't I cloud save this game? I would like to uninstall it and come back to it later once there are quality of life updates, but I still have to have the icon on my switch no matter what? That just seems wrong.

    Verdict: This game would be great with enough quality of life updates. As it stands tho it's a giant waste of time.

    Rating:
    Gameplay: 1/5 - Time wasting
    Level Design: 4/5 - Great looking islands with nice exploration.
    Soundtrack: 5/5 - Fantastic
    Story: 2/5 - Everything this game needs, but nothing special
    Graphics: 5/5 - Beautiful.
    Length: 5/5 - As long as you want to. Played it for 30 hours and was still on the start of the game.
    Replay Value: 2/5 - There's no real reason to start over again since you'll repeat everything just with other characters on your island.
    Enjoyment: 1/5 - It just got frustrating the more I played.

    Overall rating: 25/40 => 6.25/10 => 6/10    … Expand
  12. gregpla
    May 4, 2022
    7
    This game gets the job done but of course a lot can be improved. Graphics can be better for sure.
  13. djplanetb
    Sep 12, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Look, this is a very cute and diverting game. I got it when it came out even though I had never played another AC game before, though I have put many hours into Stardew Valley so I thought it would be a good fit. Then the pandemic came and I got into it especially at the beginning. Didn't even time travel until late May or so. I've bred all the varieties of flowers, collected all the fossils in the museum and just finished getting all the artwork too (I'm not some sucker that's going to not TT and wait 3 frigging years of real life to get all the art), terraformed my island several times over, so it's not like I don't appreciate what is in the game. The problem is the seeming hatred Nintendo's programmers have for the players of this game. Talking to Gulliver or Gullivarr, you literally have to hit the A button almost 20 times to get through the dialogues to get your task from them. This is similar for interactions with EVERY NPC that isn't an island villager. Why does Kicks even come to islands? He never sells anything worth having and that's just one more day until you can get some useful like Redd on the island. Crafting DIYs is a pain. I gave up crafing bait probably back in July, once I had caught all the fish available to that point. IF I ever pick up the game again (and it's less likely every day), I will never craft bait again OR terraform again. Terraforming is one island pixel/cell at a time. Like everything in this game, it is beyond tedious. This isn't so much a game as a part-time job and about as enjoyable after the shine wears off. I'm to the point where I cringe every time I hear the Isabelle music when starting up the game, then close my eyes and hit the A button until she's done saying nothing... again.

    Back to the villagers... so boring. It's like you're supposed to talk to them every day, but when you do 9 times out of 10 they say the EXACT same thing they said yesterday. Reading online about how the villagers have been dumbed down and made nicer since the earlier games makes it seem like a really poor choice. When you get to the late game - having plenty of bells in your account and upgrading the house and shops to the max, and having the villagers you want - there's NO reason to go to other islands with Nook Miles Tickets. I now have about 150,000 NMs and NOTHING to spend them on. And I have a few achievements left to earn more but they are grindy AF and it would take me another 100 or 200 hours to get them (I'm ashamed to say I've played this over 500 hours, but I blame that on the pandemic). Not interested.

    To sum up: It's a pretty game with no soul and in the end, will bore the cr*p out of you.    … Expand
  14. CaptianGinyu
    Dec 11, 2020
    5
    While I understand why people like this game... it's just not for me. I just couldn't keep playing it, and I just ended up moving on to other games. To me there just wasn't a whole lot to do, and every time you thought you were doing something cool you would have to wait a day for it, and don't even get me started on the menuing... Honestly, my favorite part of the game was catching bugsWhile I understand why people like this game... it's just not for me. I just couldn't keep playing it, and I just ended up moving on to other games. To me there just wasn't a whole lot to do, and every time you thought you were doing something cool you would have to wait a day for it, and don't even get me started on the menuing... Honestly, my favorite part of the game was catching bugs and fish, and while I can see why people like this game, it was just boring to me. My advice: wait for a big sale, or even better, just buy Stardew Valley.… Expand
  15. Swerv
    Dec 30, 2020
    5
    This is the first review I have written. Im not normally one to write reviews although I depend on them for all purchases. AC is not a bad game but while others find it enjoyable, I find it more of a chore with Nintendo forcing me to play the game the way they want.

    1) One island per switch is annoying. This tied with the fact that only ONE person can do things like move / build    This is the first review I have written. Im not normally one to write reviews although I depend on them for all purchases. AC is not a bad game but while others find it enjoyable, I find it more of a chore with Nintendo forcing me to play the game the way they want.

    1) One island per switch is annoying. This tied with the fact that only ONE person can do things like move / build bridges, stairs, & housing plots makes it extremely annoying when the island "rep" stops playing. Also, my partner & I have different tastes & playstyles. Forcing one island per switch was a terrible idea (but im sure they just wanted to force people to buy more Switches)

    2) Load times are LONG. Breath of the wild, which is more intensive and large then this game, loads up in like half the time. One of the biggest reasons I dont play anymore, is because it just takes so long to get into the game and do the daily tasks.

    The amount of dialog you have to sit through repeatedly + lack of bulk crafting added to the load times adds up.

    3) Outside of events, the game is pretty stale. The amount of villagers keeps things interesting but after a week you heard all of Isabelle's basic greetings. Your person says the same cringy line EVERY TIME you find a fossil, catch a fish, ect.    … Expand
  16. stibba
    Nov 21, 2021
    5
    Disappointing.

    i've seen very polarising reviews here, on one hand you have game critics universally giving every game a 9/10 and never critiquing anything, not this game either. And on the other hand you have the barrage of user reviews slamming a 0/10 because of stuff unrelated to the game or not being able to have several islands per copy. Im gonna try to save gaming and actually    Disappointing.

    i've seen very polarising reviews here, on one hand you have game critics universally giving every game a 9/10 and never critiquing anything, not this game either. And on the other hand you have the barrage of user reviews slamming a 0/10 because of stuff unrelated to the game or not being able to have several islands per copy. Im gonna try to save gaming and actually review the game.

    Animal crossing is in everyway except for graphical fidelity a step down from new leaf.
    After the tutorial there is no real progression and it really shines a light on how little there is to do in the game. You can go grind ingredients for recipes you dont have, listen to the 4 possible repeating sentences your villagers can say, or catch bugs/fish. Why is talking to your villagers such a bore? talking to them brings up a submenu basically asking "are you sure you want to listen to the repeated dialogue again?". In new leaf, you could talk to villagers for a long time before they started repeating themselves, i really dont know why it is so limited here, since its such a crucial aspect of the game.

    With these main gripes clear, i would like to say that the game isnt all bad, designing your island and home is fun. Fishing is also fun, filling up your museum is the replacement for any progression the game otherwise lacks.

    Overall this is a clear downgrade and the praise the game has gotten (perhaps because of release timing and new players) is not promising. I would recommend new leaf over this every day of the week, and you'll save 30 euro!

    What a shame.    … Expand
  17. davidb1080
    Aug 2, 2020
    5
    At first I loved this game because it was addicting and relaxing but overtime the game became tedious and boring. Pros: -addictive -easy
    -relaxing -slow-paced Cons
    -tedious -tons of inconveniences that shouldn’t be in the game —if you share a switch with someone you have to share an island with them
  18. Zezuca
    May 15, 2020
    5
    I'm generously giving this a 5/10, because the gameplay is full of flaws and ages terribly.

    This title's multiplayer "feature" is complete and utter garbage. First off, every single time a new player joins, a lengthy cut-scene (about 40 seconds) will display to EVERYONE on the island. Also, no one is allowed to use Nookphones or have a dialog while a new player tries to connect. Then,    I'm generously giving this a 5/10, because the gameplay is full of flaws and ages terribly.

    This title's multiplayer "feature" is complete and utter garbage. First off, every single time a new player joins, a lengthy cut-scene (about 40 seconds) will display to EVERYONE on the island. Also, no one is allowed to use Nookphones or have a dialog while a new player tries to connect. Then, comes the biggest issue: the game DOES NOT SAVE while another person is visiting your island. Imagine you've been playing with your friends for one hour or so, and suddenly your connection fails (even a second is enough). Every player will be disconnected and ALL the progress made by EVERYONE in the last hour will be COMPLETELY ERASED Even the host will lose all the progress. The game only saves at two moments, when in multiplayer: when a player leaves or when someone arrives on your island.

    Then, there are the crafting mechanics. Poorly thought and limited, you cannot craft more than a single item at once. If someone needs 15 fish bait, the player will need to craft fish bait 15 times, go through the lengthy dialogues 15 times and endure the cut-scene 15 times. This issue is somewhat fixable by having a Turbo controller.

    What can't be fixed is the lack of recipes. I've only got one recipe a day by opening the bottles that come ashore, and a random villager will also gift you a random recipe once a day. I have got duplicates on many occasions. And that's about it for obtaining new recipes. You'll need a thousand years to complete the recipe list.

    This game has a ton of new fishes and different species. But to get them all for your museum, you'll need to travel using Nook Miles Tickets. While those aren't particularly expensive, there's only about 1% of chance of visiting an island with different fish or bugs. I'm 70 hour into the game and NEVER managed to travel to an interesting island. Most of the times, players'll get sent into a small island that has the exact same resources as the home island. So, if you think exploration is a forte in this game, rethink.

    Then comes the arbitrary limitations: players are not allowed to send more than two letters a day, cannot purchase or view custom designs when someone is visiting, cannot terraform when online, trading or giving fish or bugs in any way is not possible. Redd will only sell a single piece of art a week (original or false). Terraforming is full of limitations, such as not building waterfalls in a diagonal or leveling the edges of an island.

    Building mechanics are mediocre. The house interior is very customizable, and player designs are very well used in the game. But the lack of crafting recipes and the Nook store's 4 itens a day limitation will cripple your creativity. There are nearly no counters or tables to furniture the house.

    Getting attached to villagers is also not recommended, as they'll randomly move away, even if you talk to them everyday and create friendship bonds, the'll eventually leave you. I like to think that each villager is a tickling bomb, when their internal timers reach zero, they'll vanish from my island and a new random'll take up their space . There's also no getting around to this.

    So, the good things: the graphics are really cute, well made and unique. The music is also very good, the new mechanics (although sloppy and poorly thought) are a welcome addition to the series. There has been some good quality of life improvements, such as inventory space and item catalogues. But all in all, the problems of this game overcome the improvements. And they have added interesting new content via updates, although nothing was game-changing.

    I can only recommend this to VERY enthusiast newcomers into the series that have never played sandbox videogames before, or to die-hard Animal Crossing fans that are willing to swallow its many problems while paying 60 dollars for a clearly unfinished game that lacks a lot of polishing. Even though, a warning for those people: like Pokémon, this game has NO CLOUD SAVING. If something happens to your console or the save data gets corrupted somehow, your island is done for. Users cannot manually backup the save, because it's stored inside the console (not on the gaming card, not on the SD Card memory).

    I have played this for about 70 hours, but the frustration with the lack of polish and overall unfinished or pre-test project feeling this game has is too much for me to keep on playing. I now seriously consider selling the cartridge to get something else. This game is nowhere as polished as Breath of the Wild, and its quality is substandard for a console-seller title. A lot of people will hop into ACNH because of the hype and, like me, will be frustrated when they realize this game ages like milk.    … Expand
  19. Average_user
    Mar 30, 2020
    7
    Hi, as a 14 year old with two siblings I have a few problems with this game. I have been so hyped for this beautiful game! So when I heard my mum had let us get the game for being good during her stay at the hospital, I was ecstatic! This game is £49.99 and it is worth every penny. It is stunning. The best looking animal crossing game ever. Once downloaded, my brother let me watch him IHi, as a 14 year old with two siblings I have a few problems with this game. I have been so hyped for this beautiful game! So when I heard my mum had let us get the game for being good during her stay at the hospital, I was ecstatic! This game is £49.99 and it is worth every penny. It is stunning. The best looking animal crossing game ever. Once downloaded, my brother let me watch him I was so excited seeing him play and I was dying to make my own island. However, I soon realised I couldn't do that. There is a limit of one island to a console. Now I understand the reason. It is a great business technique but it is just unfair. My mum was barely able to afford the one we have now and me and my siblings will not be able to share the one island. It'll cause too much frustration. Resource limitation and progression differentiation is irritating to say the least. Me and my sister won't have the same choices and things that my brother will get because he is the representative. I love animal crossing because it's a chill game. I can take my time and do what I want on my own file. But this makes it impossible to have as much fun as I'd have on New Leaf. I seriously just want to give up and let my brother have his fun and it breaks my heart. In this current time with this pandemic I just wanna go to a deserted island and forget what's is going on since I can't see my friends. But this limitation will tear me and my siblings apart which is not what we need.
    I don't want to drag this game because it doesn't deserve that. It has been amazingly developed and it has so many positives! I wish I could give it 10/10 but I can't. This one island per console is too unfair and too expensive. This game is advertised for families with kids and most kids will have siblings who will also want to play the game and that is not including the parents. Now, I don't know about you but my family can't afford 4 switches. I hope Nintendo fix this so I can give it the 10/10 it deserves!    … Expand
  20. swavmirj
    Apr 15, 2020
    5
    TL;DR: This game locks out anyone wanting to share a console with a household by removing core game functions (story progression, infrastructure tools) to players 2 to 8, and only allows for complete collection of elements if players engage in local co-op with other game owenrs or they subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online (see below for details).

    4.5 out of 10 seems a fair score to give    TL;DR: This game locks out anyone wanting to share a console with a household by removing core game functions (story progression, infrastructure tools) to players 2 to 8, and only allows for complete collection of elements if players engage in local co-op with other game owenrs or they subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online (see below for details).

    4.5 out of 10 seems a fair score to give a game that put in a huge amount of effort to create a beautiful, well executed, addictive game that alienates half its player base. For each player in a household to have the full experience, you would need to spend $408AUD per person ($79 for a copy of the game, $329 for a Nintendo Switch Lite). Safe to say, no game is worth $408.

    Here are some of the features that players 2 to 8 on a single game miss out on: Story elements, bundles of free recipes, and island editing tools (infrastructure projects, moving buildings/houses, terraforming).
    This would be the equivalent of BotW only allowing the first person to boot the game to fight the Divine Beasts and Fight Ganon, but allowing all other players to collect hearts, stamina, and resources for player one.
    Or, it would be the same as only allowing the first player to boot up Super Mario Odyssey to collect moons, while every other player could only collect coins.

    Furthermore, none of the promotional materials, nor any reviews of the game have indicated that collecting all the materials within the game is capped for anyone looking for a purely single player experience. As an example, a single console and island has access to a maximum of half the fruit species available unless they engage in local co-op with another owner of the game, or subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online. Datamining revealed that players visiting Mystery Islands will only be exposed to their Native Fruit, and a "Sister Fruit". No matter how many Mystery Islands you visit, these will be the only two fruits you'll be exposed to.

    The shady nature of the promotions around collecting, combined with the lack of autonomy given to all players beyond player one, is why this game is getting slammed by players. That is why such a beautiful game, with addictive gameplay, does not deserve the full praise it deserves, when it is so clearly trying to force people into purchasing multiple copies and consoles to fulfil the experience.    … Expand
  21. Savarunl
    Apr 7, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is great in some aspects, and really bad in some others/
    What i really like in the game:
    - The detail of everything in the game
    - The, mostly, well written dialogues
    - The relaxing vibe of the game

    What i dislike in the game:
    - Having the same dialogue every time for basic functions (this is also the rare case where the dialogues are not well written, surprisingly) like selling things or turning something in to the museum
    - Being allowed only one island per Switch
    - The apparent randomness of some things like stacking items (some stack to 99, some to 10, some don't stack at all, etc.)

    What really grinds my gears in the ame:
    - The horrendous multiplayer. Clicking through 8 dialogues, watching an obnoxious cutscene that also plays for ALL other players in the island you go to and not being able to do basic things when your island is open for other players.
    - The speed at which tools breaks, even the improved ones. Making tools over and over and over get's RALLY tedious after a while.
    - The placing of items outside your house is absolutely terrible, where you have to hope that you 'aimed' correctly. This get's more apparent when you want to move, for example, a house, and you misplace it by 1-2 tiles, after which you have to pay to move it again.

    All in all, i have some enjoyment at times in the game, but the mentioned issues really keep me from enjoying the game to the fullest. If some those points would be improved upon, this game would be magnificent, but for now i can not give it more than a 6/10.    … Expand
  22. kuehnau
    May 14, 2020
    5
    It's Animal Crossing. It's always been Animal Crossing. And while they add some quality of life improvements to the game and some more polish, it's still pretty much the same game you've played since the DS era.

    And the game still suffers from it's biggest drawback. Animal Crossing is a game that has no direction, it's about you personally finding stuff to do. And unfortunately,    It's Animal Crossing. It's always been Animal Crossing. And while they add some quality of life improvements to the game and some more polish, it's still pretty much the same game you've played since the DS era.

    And the game still suffers from it's biggest drawback. Animal Crossing is a game that has no direction, it's about you personally finding stuff to do. And unfortunately, everything there is to do is the same mundane schlock you've come to expect from every other previous iteration of the game.

    The "mystery islands" could have been a nice touch, but they are a quarter of the size of the normal island. Islands are picks from a small selection of pre-made islands instead of being procedurally generated. So instead of constantly finding new islands, after a weeks worth of playing the game, you'll begin to constantly see the same island types over and over again.

    The developers made an attempt to give you more to do, but it ends up boiling down to being rewarded for doing the same stuff you have always done instead, while locking rewards behind "Nook Miles", a secondary form of currency in the game. The end result is, they've managed to already take a core mechanic from the game and turn it in to even more of a grind than it was before.

    Animal Crossing's popularity isn't surprising; it was simply a coincidence, it managed to be released around the same time a massive pandemic was taking place. If it weren't for that, I doubt it would be getting such high accolades from people, because at the end of the day, this version is just as mediocre as any of the other releases.

    For whatever insane reason, Nintendo has also decided to put in a bunch of really weird restrictions to the game that are ultimately unhelpful, frustrating and counterproductive to what a game should be.

    Animal Crossing needs to be BETTER, not the same.    … Expand
  23. thedstrat
    May 22, 2020
    5
    It’s a fine game but I got bored pretty quickly and the coop is so bad that it’s practically unplayable with 2 people.
  24. EdwardG
    Jul 3, 2020
    6
    Cute, but tedious and more of a long chore than an engaging game. That's the impression I've been left with after 40 hours with Animal Crossing, and I'm honestly surprised I lasted that long. Then again, it is designed to get you playing every day as you're drip fed progress whilst you do the same boring tasks every day like picking up stones one by one or fishing where you can't move yourCute, but tedious and more of a long chore than an engaging game. That's the impression I've been left with after 40 hours with Animal Crossing, and I'm honestly surprised I lasted that long. Then again, it is designed to get you playing every day as you're drip fed progress whilst you do the same boring tasks every day like picking up stones one by one or fishing where you can't move your line after casting it without just casting it again altogether. There's a lot of quality of life improvements that could be made here that even fans of this game have to admit, like being able to craft multiple items at once, for example. There's a lot of repeat dialogue that gets annoying as well, and when you give Blathers a new fish, insect or fossil in the museum you have to click through the same bunch of stuff every time for every item you bring before he'll tell you an interesting fact about it.

    I can see the appeal a game like this might have to some people, as it is an escape from the real world where everything is pretty chill and you can design your island as you please. I found it really stressful though, and I know that might seem weird to some people. But the daily grind got to me, slowly ticking off those menial tasks and stressing over how to decorate my home. That might sound silly but if you're not the most creative person or you fuss over the little things, you might get a little stressed too.

    There are some things I liked. It's got a very cute aesthetic and the museum is a really nice way to show off all the things you've caught and found. There's a lot of freedom in what you wear, and how you design your island and house which is great for creatives.

    I wish I could've loved this game like it's many fans do, but I found it boring and stressful. It's got the Nintendo polish you'd expect, but also some quirks about not being able to have islands linked to individual accounts instead of the console that many people have complained about. Overall, I'd have to score this game 6/10. I might check it out again some time down the line, as it is getting updated with new seasonal events but I doubt those would fix my personal issues with the game.    … Expand
  25. MICKticken
    Apr 15, 2020
    7
    this game gets a lot of flack for being boring. And I 100% agree. Upon starting this game, the player realizes how much of a time sink this game is. The first literal week of playing is a dull time. If the game progressed at the early game's pace it would be a failure. that being said, once you get the ladder things pick up dramatically. Animal Crossing evolves so wonderfully into thisthis game gets a lot of flack for being boring. And I 100% agree. Upon starting this game, the player realizes how much of a time sink this game is. The first literal week of playing is a dull time. If the game progressed at the early game's pace it would be a failure. that being said, once you get the ladder things pick up dramatically. Animal Crossing evolves so wonderfully into this symphony of good vibes that you can't help but smile. everything is charming. The idle pose for your villager is putting his arms on his hips, similar to how I feel every time I do something right. there are 3 big downsides if you play this game. Online Multiplayer is a slog and really uninteresting. In fact, it takes a minute for anyone to even join your island. Nintendo has never seemed to understand how online multiplayer works, this game only proves that. The 2nd downside is the slow start. The first week or so is a disappointment. Nothing seems to ever happen. you get told to do menial tasks with the goal of god knows what. the clunky tedium of every action gets on your nerve quick. the 3rd thing is no mini-games. in the first Animal Crossing, you could unlock a bunch of NES games to play. there isn't any equivalent in New Horizons. the closest thing is running away from bees/spiders. the tedium is the gameplay. If you want action and adventure, Do not buy this game, If you want a serene yet flawed experience I would recommend.… Expand
  26. Rav3
    May 7, 2020
    5
    Unfortunately, Animal Crossing New Horizons is a game that rode on the back of serious anticipation, and a complete dry spell of games for the Nintendo Switch. Having spent over 60 hours in the game, I finally had to take a step back and ask myself “what is it all for”? Great for creativity, but lacking in anything meaningful or providing longevity, this game is a hard one to recommendUnfortunately, Animal Crossing New Horizons is a game that rode on the back of serious anticipation, and a complete dry spell of games for the Nintendo Switch. Having spent over 60 hours in the game, I finally had to take a step back and ask myself “what is it all for”? Great for creativity, but lacking in anything meaningful or providing longevity, this game is a hard one to recommend over cheaper, better alternatives.… Expand
  27. bananajamslam
    Apr 16, 2020
    5
    Game gets boring very quickly. Same as every other game, you complete chores to earn money and increase the size of your house. The crafting system is interesting in the beginning, but gets stale very quickly and can't be used for anything actually important, like infrastructure.
    Additionally, the "island" from the last game which was a good place to make some quick money, was removed and    Game gets boring very quickly. Same as every other game, you complete chores to earn money and increase the size of your house. The crafting system is interesting in the beginning, but gets stale very quickly and can't be used for anything actually important, like infrastructure.
    Additionally, the "island" from the last game which was a good place to make some quick money, was removed and replaced with randomly generated islands that are usually devoid of anything interesting. Ok if you're stuck in the apocalyptic COVID-19 quarantine nightmare... but there are more fun ways to spend your time. Also, I can't believe there isn't a voice chat on the switch, it's so annoying to have to type things to your friends with a ~20 character limit.    … Expand
  28. neel603
    Apr 21, 2020
    5
    For the most part this game is really good but if you have one switch console in your house and have multiple people who want to play this game then it sucks for anyone who isn't the first player.
    This is my first animal crossing game.
    Nintendo marketed the switch as a home console for families to share. so why would they make such a kid friendly game so restrictive to the other players?    For the most part this game is really good but if you have one switch console in your house and have multiple people who want to play this game then it sucks for anyone who isn't the first player.
    This is my first animal crossing game.
    Nintendo marketed the switch as a home console for families to share. so why would they make such a kid friendly game so restrictive to the other players?
    Biggest **** up of 2020.    … Expand
  29. HailedMainEvent
    May 19, 2020
    5
    Although I like the game, it looses half of its score due to the one island rule. It is incredibly stupid, that my wife and I cannot play our own islands on a $60 game.
  30. Daisuk
    May 26, 2020
    7
    By and large a good game, this, but it does get very repetitive, unless you love decorating - as that what it simply boils down to in the end. I played this lots more than I expected when it first came out, and was pleasantly surprised about that, but as soon as the "story" mode was over - the game was essentially over for me, there's very little incentive to real play any further unlessBy and large a good game, this, but it does get very repetitive, unless you love decorating - as that what it simply boils down to in the end. I played this lots more than I expected when it first came out, and was pleasantly surprised about that, but as soon as the "story" mode was over - the game was essentially over for me, there's very little incentive to real play any further unless you're really into decorating and getting lots of stuff. I personally don't know why everyone seem so bothered about which villagers they have - sure, they're charming up to a point, but I found them all incredibly shallow - very often repeating themselves, and offering little sense of the AI I expected seeing how attached some people seem to get to these characters. Overall, a positive surprise, but it does get very repetitive and boring eventually.… Expand
  31. malicousness
    Jul 22, 2020
    5
    First off, the game is beautiful and I haven't experienced any glitches since launch. It's fun and the new details are very cute and a big upgrade since the last games. The ability to customize your island is so cool and it gives your island a sense of uniqueness. There is a lot more customization that you were only able to dream about in the previous games....
    However, what forces me to    First off, the game is beautiful and I haven't experienced any glitches since launch. It's fun and the new details are very cute and a big upgrade since the last games. The ability to customize your island is so cool and it gives your island a sense of uniqueness. There is a lot more customization that you were only able to dream about in the previous games....
    However, what forces me to give this game a 5/10 is the fact that it is not finished. Right now, we are at a stand still in the game. If you have ran out of ideas on how to decorate the island, then there is nothing else for you to do. There is no additional store upgrades, no Roost, Dream Suite, or anything else that we use to have in previous games. We are essentially stuck in the early phases of the game until Nintendo decides to give us an update.
    Also, the use of updates is a cop out for Nintendo to sell us a full priced game that is NOT FINISHED. There is also very limited villager interactions as well. In pocket camp, the villagers actually use the furniture that you have set up. They actually use the half pipe, Ferris wheel, etc, where as all they do is sit down on the chairs or benches in ACNH. That is very frustrating when I have spent days decorating a carnival, a wedding venue, a dinner, and a library and they don't even use them.
    This game can be fun, however it is not finished. It is different from the animal crossing that I have known and loved because it has turned into more of a decorating game. Especially since there are currently no further advances in the game (store upgrades/ additional stores), so you pretty much reach the "end" like you would when you have played after 5 years and have nothing else to do. I really want to love this game, but playing it makes me really want to just pull out my 3DS and play Wild World or New Leaf.
    I say wait a few years to purchase until Nintendo gets it's stuff together and actually finish the game.    … Expand
  32. mastergaming
    Jul 6, 2020
    7
    In the end of the day, it's a fun game that you can spend long hours into and it's a good game to pass your time by.

    Really liked the amount of things you can collect (e.g. furniture, fish, clothes, etc. ) and the level of customization you can have on your island, house, character and so on. The fact that they keep updating the game with new content and events to bring more to the    In the end of the day, it's a fun game that you can spend long hours into and it's a good game to pass your time by.

    Really liked the amount of things you can collect (e.g. furniture, fish, clothes, etc. ) and the level of customization you can have on your island, house, character and so on. The fact that they keep updating the game with new content and events to bring more to the game is also a plus and it gives value to it. The sound and graphics are simple but fine for this kind of genre. The gameplay is good and easy to learn.

    The one island per console was a really let down for sure, I bought this game not only for me but for my girlfriend too, and despite the fact that I already knew about this issue, I didn't think it would be as bad as it was. Has I played first I got to be the Citizen Representative and that removed a lot of gameplay, which includes assignments and objectives, from the second player. The multiplayer in the same console is also really weak, not giving many things to do to the player that is not in command.

    In summary, as I said, I liked it, but after spending more than 20 hours into the game I kinda felt a little bored with the the concept and the fact that after some time you keep doing the same things all over again, and you lose the purpose to play. In the future with the new updates and new content that they keep adding I may feel tempted to give it another try and spend a few more hours into the game.    … Expand
  33. eecho
    Jul 7, 2020
    7
    it's a polished game but graphics could have been better. and should have more than one island for one system
  34. Spaghettichaek
    Aug 6, 2020
    5
    I’ve never played an AC game before. I love life-sim games. This AC reminds me of the Sims, but if the Sims bred with Minecraft and made a game with a terrible UI and a slight superiority complex through the stupid real time method- you MUST wait 24 hours to build this museum, HA. HA.

    It has four main facets of gameplay. Resource grinding, hunting, customisation/crafting and    I’ve never played an AC game before. I love life-sim games. This AC reminds me of the Sims, but if the Sims bred with Minecraft and made a game with a terrible UI and a slight superiority complex through the stupid real time method- you MUST wait 24 hours to build this museum, HA. HA.

    It has four main facets of gameplay. Resource grinding, hunting, customisation/crafting and multiplayer. I‘ll go through these.

    1. Resources

    Grinding for resources, which you have to do with constantly breaking tools, is painful and will lead to mild insanity early in the game. You need wood? Hit that tree. You need stone? Hit that rock. Never-ending. Also, there aren’t enough resources on your island, so you have to fly to other ones created for resource grinding- this costs a stupid amount of in-game currency.

    2. ‘Hunting’.
    You can catch bugs, fish, sea creatures and dig up fossils, all of which you give to the museum. This is fun enough and relatively interesting.

    3. Customisation.

    You start on a deserted island. By the third realtime day if you’ve played quite a lot you’ll get some cool furniture to craft. By the 9th or 10th you’ll get terraforming. The customisation options are relatively wide ranging once you acquire them- but the time it takes is stupid and irritating. However, you can immediately design clothing, which is pretty awesome.

    Placing furniture, however, is one of the most frustrating things- without a useful placing system you just have to drop it and hope it lands in the right place. Sometimes, even when there’s loads of room, the game says ‘no room to place things here’- one of the many irritating unskippable dialogue boxes. Also, moving things like trees is irritating- you have to eat. One. Apple. At. A. Time. Dig the tree up. Plant it. Making a forest is difficult to say the least.

    4. Multiplayer.

    If you have Nintendo Online, for 4 dollars a month you can visit other’s islands with full chat facilities (beware if your kid is young and you don’t want them talking to strangers). This is good, because you can see people’ efforts to customise their islands and hang out with them.

    So, in conclusion- this game is both fun (because of the customisation options) and deeply frustrating. For a game based on creating a desert island in your own way, it takes a ridiculous amount of time to unlock customisation options and there’s much, much too much grinding. Time travel is necessary to avoid deep boredom.

    Buy it if you like life sims and aren’t bothered by grinding for resources.    … Expand
  35. Ridleymain
    Aug 25, 2020
    5
    On one hand, I actually like the durability system and the fact that you can craft so many different things, and also the game will always be relaxing and relatively stress-free. On the other hand, the characters are incredibly dry, you can only have one island per console, and for me, the game gets stale after about a week. Also pretty much everything is locked behind a time wall. I don'tOn one hand, I actually like the durability system and the fact that you can craft so many different things, and also the game will always be relaxing and relatively stress-free. On the other hand, the characters are incredibly dry, you can only have one island per console, and for me, the game gets stale after about a week. Also pretty much everything is locked behind a time wall. I don't think it's a bad game, and definitely recommend this to anyone who has not played an animal crossing game before, but it is nothing compared to New Leaf.… Expand
  36. Para_
    Sep 11, 2020
    5
    This game is the most disappointed i've ever been with a game I was hyped for. The first 2 months was a great time. It was fun filling out my fossil, bug, and fish collection, and trying to rank up my island. I hit 5 stars, got my fossil collection to 100%, got my house to max rank, and slowly lost my will to play. There is nothing else to do. The landscaping tools are too slow andThis game is the most disappointed i've ever been with a game I was hyped for. The first 2 months was a great time. It was fun filling out my fossil, bug, and fish collection, and trying to rank up my island. I hit 5 stars, got my fossil collection to 100%, got my house to max rank, and slowly lost my will to play. There is nothing else to do. The landscaping tools are too slow and cumbersome to incite me to redesign my island. Catching new bugs and fish stops being exciting. I have 10,000,000 bells from how easy and exploitable the Stalk Market is. You and other people can't modify an island while hosting, leading all multiplayer sessions to devolve into you becoming a tour guide for 10 minutes. The animal dialogue is repetitive and boring. Nook Miles stop being an incentive to do anything later on due to the absurdly grindy goals you have to do.
    The core gameplay loop stops being fun after a month, and makes me regret spending $60 on the game. Nobody I know that picked the game up at launch still consistently plays, and ive heard countless people say the same thing online. They're trying to add new content, but it's far too little, too late and I couldn't be bothered. Whenever I turn the game on, I play for less than 10 minutes, and go play something else. I want to love this game so bad after playing New Leaf daily for *years* but I just can't. Its a rushed, boring mess that has no right to be in the same prestigious series as Animal Crossing.
    If you want to play an Animal Crossing game, you're better off playing New Leaf or Gamecube. This is not worth your time or money. The game is beyond saving with seasonal updates. The core gameplay loop is not fun. I am a long time fan that only wants the best from the series, and New Horizons isn't it.    … Expand
  37. BennyDahBoi
    Feb 3, 2021
    7
    An interesting introduction for me to the Animal Crossing franchise, but a forgetful one at times..

    I was browsing in a store one day with my family till I saw the Animal Crossing game on the shelf. Hearing everything that was great about the game, I thought I would give it a go. I absolutely loved the first few weeks of playing, with tutorials being idiot-proof whilst also bringing    An interesting introduction for me to the Animal Crossing franchise, but a forgetful one at times..

    I was browsing in a store one day with my family till I saw the Animal Crossing game on the shelf. Hearing everything that was great about the game, I thought I would give it a go. I absolutely loved the first few weeks of playing, with tutorials being idiot-proof whilst also bringing adventure to your mind, where you can ponder what is behind that river on your island.

    I also absolutely loved the fact that you could buy tickets to visit new, intriguing areas where you can expand your own island's population from. The art style is very pleasing on the eyes and I the music when I boot up the game almost always gives me a joyous feeling. However, I rarely hear that music anymore...

    After around 1 and a half months of playing, I just stopped. I had accomplished everything I had wanted to, bridging to new areas, getting nicer equipment and upping my population. I had realised then that the game mostly was about collecting and decorating. It just did not feel satisfying when I placed a piece of furniture or caught a new fish where a few more pixels where coloured than the other fish I caught 2 minutes ago.

    A few days ago, my sister wanted to hop on and play, but little did we know, a 1 island per console restriction permitted that.

    Another drawback was the date and time "hacks" everyone pulled off with the reselling of turnips, that ruined a lot of fun when friends would just visit me and drop money everywhere whilst I wanted to catch fish and earn bells the legit way.

    Overall, this Animal Crossing game can be quite flawed in some ways but I did enjoy my time while I found it fun. I recommend it still as games with stories can take tens of hours to finish until you stop playing, whereas with this game, HUNDREDS of hours can be put in and you can still be having the time of your life!    … Expand
  38. wydy
    Feb 3, 2021
    5
    There are only two kind of reviews here. The "only one island per console" critic and the people who love the game.

    But I think that's not the only problem with the game. From my side there are two huge problems with the game. You can't do really much on your island. You're possible actions on the island are extremely limited and the size of the island is small. There isn't much    There are only two kind of reviews here. The "only one island per console" critic and the people who love the game.

    But I think that's not the only problem with the game. From my side there are two huge problems with the game.

    You can't do really much on your island. You're possible actions on the island are extremely limited and the size of the island is small. There isn't much discover on your island. The game seems to miss a lot of feature to keep you interested for a longer time to play. Sure there are other Islands to discover, but they are randomly generated, small and don't add something new. They're just like your island with the same actions to do.
    You can't plant different vegetables/fruit and farm it. You can't have animals for milking. There are Apple trees. But you can't make apple juice or marmalade. You can only pick up the apples and sell it. There aren't secret dungeons to discover, mysteries to solve. You can craft new items and furniture, but they're mostly only cosmetic and don't add new features. There is no discovery or crafting system to keep you interested.

    They added a real time day. So it's always the same date and time as in real life. You can't go to sleep and wake up on the next morning in the game. That add a huge time-sink in the game. You can play about 15min and then your daily "work" on the island is done and you have to wait till the next day. The same with the seasons, you have to play for a year to see every season in the game.

    From my point of view, the game seems unfinished and miss a lot of features to keep you interested for a longer period of time    … Expand
  39. Tempsplash
    Apr 21, 2020
    5
    Don't buy the game if you're sharing it with a family member, or someone like that. Overall, the game is great, except for one big problem which reviews are not addressing, and could be a deal breaker for some people. That is how you have to share one island per console, and only the person who arrives on the island first gets the full game experience. I don't understand why Nintendo wouldDon't buy the game if you're sharing it with a family member, or someone like that. Overall, the game is great, except for one big problem which reviews are not addressing, and could be a deal breaker for some people. That is how you have to share one island per console, and only the person who arrives on the island first gets the full game experience. I don't understand why Nintendo would do that, and it ruins the experience for many people including my sister who joined the island second. It just seems greedy to me!… Expand
  40. Sinews
    Apr 5, 2020
    5
    The main issue people will direct at this game is the "same-console multiplayer" debacle. It isn't a huge issue in my eyes, it's not exactly like offering multiple saves was a series tradition or anything. To me, the main issue plaguing Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the endless tedium and monotonous gameplay that gets excused by the series "take it easy, relax, no pressure" conceit.The main issue people will direct at this game is the "same-console multiplayer" debacle. It isn't a huge issue in my eyes, it's not exactly like offering multiple saves was a series tradition or anything. To me, the main issue plaguing Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the endless tedium and monotonous gameplay that gets excused by the series "take it easy, relax, no pressure" conceit. Well, I'd like to relax, but the inordinate time spent between menus, the minuscule inventory, and the lack of meaningful improvements over previous entries is getting in the way.… Expand
  41. TheBestMarioFan
    Dec 12, 2020
    7
    So I previously had a very positive review here. I really enjoyed the first week of the game and it is still pretty good. However, the more you'll play the more basic and uninteresting everything becomes. Characters have not a lot of things to say and they'll even repeat the same line for a few days in a row. To be honest it makes the game feel generic and while the in other games theSo I previously had a very positive review here. I really enjoyed the first week of the game and it is still pretty good. However, the more you'll play the more basic and uninteresting everything becomes. Characters have not a lot of things to say and they'll even repeat the same line for a few days in a row. To be honest it makes the game feel generic and while the in other games the villagers felt like real people, hre it feels like they are just basic NPCs. For me, this was my favorite part of New Leaf so that is why I edited this one. If you only buy this for the building part. Then buy it. It does that part very well, but if you want an Animal Crossing game with villagers that feel alive. I suggest you buy any of the other games.… Expand
  42. A_Mighty_Pleb
    Mar 26, 2020
    5
    A huge disappointment and let down because of a bizarre decision to have one island per switch with all important progress and gameplay mechanics tied to the first account that plays it.

    Context is important here as people seem to be dismissing this issue as not important. Co-op and multiplayer is not the issue, as some people might want to play the way it is implemented. The issue is    A huge disappointment and let down because of a bizarre decision to have one island per switch with all important progress and gameplay mechanics tied to the first account that plays it.

    Context is important here as people seem to be dismissing this issue as not important. Co-op and multiplayer is not the issue, as some people might want to play the way it is implemented. The issue is that any other account on the system that plays AFTER the first person to open the game is FORCED to play a lesser experience that happens to be shackled to the multiplayer experience. It is then not an equapl, stand alone playthrough with all the features of one.

    A lot of reviews are fair in their scores because they played the full game with no problems on one account. That is fine. But a lot of people have more than one account on their Switch. To say that the opinions on the game by people affected by this are unfounded is frankly ignorant and it doesn't address the core problem.

    It's 2020 and we can't have multiple accounts play their own instance of a game? Yes we can, Nintendo has just chosen not to here. For a game that is trying to be a calming community experience, It has only made me feel conned and frustrated and left out because of this.

    As someone who is sharing the game with someone in my household, however being the second account to play, I am forced to be an observer to someone elses enjoyment of the game. If you are not the first person to play this game on your Switch you might as well not play it at all as you do not get the full experience. That is unless you buy another switch to have the privilege.

    This is a frankly disgusting and pointless choice that only serves to ruin the experience for many people who buy the game and line the pockets of Nintendo. Even the person who played it first feels guilty for playing it, even though they had no control other it.

    Be wary before buying this game; unless you play on your own switch, first, on your account from the outset, you will not have the full experience you expected when you bought it. I will be extremely hesitant to buy any future Nintendo games because of this.

    On a positive note, the person who first started playing on their account on my Switch says it's a lovely game. Shame I can't play what they're playing.    … Expand
  43. MaeBeaInTheWood
    Mar 24, 2020
    5
    This new Animal Crossing shows everyone can make mistakes, or just decide they want to be EA. This is very much just a mix of Pocket Camp, Wild World, and New Leaf. The game has an overly-long tutorial before letting you do what you want. There is also the fact that parts of your island are completely locked because you don't have any bridges built at the start unlike other games, and it'sThis new Animal Crossing shows everyone can make mistakes, or just decide they want to be EA. This is very much just a mix of Pocket Camp, Wild World, and New Leaf. The game has an overly-long tutorial before letting you do what you want. There is also the fact that parts of your island are completely locked because you don't have any bridges built at the start unlike other games, and it's a while before you build bridges or unlock the vaulting pole. Nintendo also shows their greed in wanting you to buy more Switch consoles, as it is not 1 island per Nintendo Switch user, it's 1 island per Nintendo Switch console. And the only way to get a new or second island is to delete your first. This game also excludes the character of the fan favorite and my personal favorite, Rover. He does not appear on the plane to the island to help you (instead that role is filled by Nook's little scouts), and he doesn't appear in the game at all. My only things to say in defense of this game is that for once the game lets you decide what your villager's appearance is instead of generating it with cryptic questions like the other games (and usually no matter what you answered for the questions, you didn't like how your villager looked). The other thing is that Tom Nook appears to be less greedy and more friendly. He has general interactions the way a peppy villager, or Isabelle, or one of the Ables would instead of constant badgering and pressuring you about money like he does in other games.… Expand
  44. shopme
    Mar 24, 2020
    6
    For me, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year. As a single-player experience, I'd say going around and improving your island is relaxing and addicting. The Nook Miles system brings me back to the game everyday to try to save up for new rewards. The new crafting system also keeps me coming back to collect more materials. Even with all ofFor me, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year. As a single-player experience, I'd say going around and improving your island is relaxing and addicting. The Nook Miles system brings me back to the game everyday to try to save up for new rewards. The new crafting system also keeps me coming back to collect more materials. Even with all of this, there's one huge issue that cannot be ignored that many others have complained about.

    Animal Crossing fails the most at co-op. The fact that you can only have one island per Switch seems greedy, so that customers go out to buy more switches. Even if you buy another copy of the game, it won't give you another island. That means me and my siblings are forced to live on one island. The leader and follower system can very annoying to deal with, especially if you really want to get things done on your island. The leader retains all of the abilities a regular player would have, but the followers are basically glorified NPCs. The followers can't access their inventory or interact with other residents. Followers can only use their tools and pick things up. When they do pick something up, it goes straight to the recycling bin, for the leader to potentially steal, or for a drawn out sequence where the players have to switch between leaders. It doesn't help that sometimes my siblings sometimes try to cuck me and steal my resources to sell, or for one of them to steal leader from me. It's also annoying that you can shake your controller to change leader. My siblings just shake my hands and steal leader. I'd really like an option to turn that off. I don't get why they locked these features to just one player. It really waters down the experience for me who was excited, since I'll be playing mostly co-op with my siblings.

    The biggest flaw with co-op play, the thing that really kills the experience for me, has to be the Island Representative system. There can only be one Island Representative, the person who first opens the game. They are also the only person who is able to progress the story, along with other exclusive benefits like exclusive DIY recipes. That would be fine if there was multiple save files, but the problem is there isn't. The other players that live on the island just have have a way worse experience. I'm not saying it's not fun to play as a villager, I'm just saying you're not getting the full experience. It can still be fun to decorate your house and to complete daily tasks.

    I think this game is at its best when playing single-player. Co-op at the moment is terrible and not having extra saves can ruin the experience for many. Also, please keep in mind I don't have access to a single-player save. I'd recommend this game to people to people who have Switches that only they use. This game just isn't made for multiple people to with. Even if my siblings did cooperate with me, the game would still be 6.    … Expand
  45. lrn2review
    Mar 23, 2020
    7
    I'm a veteran AC player, and while I like the game it definitely has its issues. A lot of this review is nitpicky, but at the end of the day if you enjoy life sims you will probably like this. It is overall a nice game.

    Pros: -Almost total control over the layout of your island eventually -More customization options for furniture, clothing and even your character than before -HD    I'm a veteran AC player, and while I like the game it definitely has its issues. A lot of this review is nitpicky, but at the end of the day if you enjoy life sims you will probably like this. It is overall a nice game.

    Pros:
    -Almost total control over the layout of your island eventually
    -More customization options for furniture, clothing and even your character than before
    -HD graphics are beautiful, the new museum in particular is stunning
    -The music is great, and has a lot of callbacks to older games in the series
    -Villagers do a lot more things than they have in previous entries and have better dialogue than they did in NL; Blathers will blather again if you let him
    -Seasonal events now last more than one day; a relief for those of us who have jobs but don't want to time travel
    -Extremely large pool of villagers
    -Certain redundant facilities were cut, like Re-Tail
    -New storage and inventory system is pretty great; lots of more items stack, storage automatically organizes your things
    -Tool and outfit rings streamline the UI nicely
    -Nook Miles give a nice sense of direction when you just want to keep playing the game after doing most of the big tasks for the day
    -Crafting provides a nice alternative to waiting for items to show up at the store
    -Outfits are stored in the wand, which saves inventory space
    -Very relaxing atmosphere

    Cons:
    -Touchscreen controls exist for typing, yet are not enabled for pattern creation or inventory use
    -Items that can stack have wildly varying limits, from 10 for fruit to 99 for weeds
    -The tutorial is roughly a week long if you don't time travel, and you don't get to listen to hourly themes until this tutortial ends
    -Autosave system is near pointless because you can still save scum, even detrimental because you can't "save and continue" anymore, leading to short rollbacks at times; Resetti got fired for nothing
    -Seasonal events are locked behind DRM
    -Lots of items and facilities considered series staples are out like gyroids and The Roost, as are some of the best additions from NL like the Dream Suite; veterans are instead left to guess whether or not these might return through updates that may or may not be free
    -Villager dialogue is still relatively toned down if you're a fan of WW or PG
    -No ability to move the town hall despite being able to move everything else not on the beach
    -Online functionality is not particularly reliable, while local multiplayer is messy and requires you to stay in the same area instead of just using split screen functionality; also you have to watch a long cutscene every time there's a visitor
    -No option to disable the smoothing filter applied to patterns
    -Weapon durability in a series that generally did not have it is aggravating, and having the highest tier be breakable is actually a bit infuriating because it defeats the purpose of the best axe in particular
    -Tools aren't stored in the tool ring like outfits are in the wand
    -Islands are tied to console and not cart, meaning you need to pay $300 ($360 if you bought digital like a sucker) instead of $60 to have your own if you were hoping to split up your household
    -The "mayor" returns from NL in all but name, leaving players that come after them left with fewer gameplay options because they can't terraform
    -Your regular inventory is not automatically organized like storage is
    -Many items are locked behind crafting
    -Crafting cannot be done in batches
    -Making a mistake in a long set of choices in dialogue often means starting from the beginning again; there is usually no option to go back to the previous choice you messed up    … Expand
  46. Motmaha
    Mar 24, 2020
    5
    As many have stated the pure stupidity behind the decision for one island per switch amazes me. literally just brought a switch for me and my partner with this game and one of us has to just be a tag along. Imagine any other game doing this it would be stupid please change this.
  47. Clench
    Mar 29, 2020
    5
    1. Only one island per Switch. That seriously sucks, but isn't the end of the world.
    2. Only the "Resident Manager" (first player to start the game) can progress the story. This doesn't jive with #1.
    3. Tools break. Fine. Fishing rods break. Okay... Watering cans break. Wait what? 4. Cannot create multiple tools at once. This doesn't jive with #3. 5. A little confirmation and animation    1. Only one island per Switch. That seriously sucks, but isn't the end of the world.
    2. Only the "Resident Manager" (first player to start the game) can progress the story. This doesn't jive with #1.
    3. Tools break. Fine. Fishing rods break. Okay... Watering cans break. Wait what?
    4. Cannot create multiple tools at once. This doesn't jive with #3.
    5. A little confirmation and animation plays for every single thing that's made. This doesn't jive with #4.
    6. Flowers need to be dug up now in order to be moved, using a shovel that, oh boy, it breaks. Again this would be more acceptable if it weren't for #5 and #4, but now it's just a pain in the ass.
    7. You can cross rivers using a stick! Cool, but first you gotta equip it. Why not just make it automatic with some unused button? Because it's gotta be a chore.
    8. You can climb cliffs using a ladder! Cool, but first you gotta equip it. Why not just make it automatic with some unused button? Because it's gotta be a chore.

    This game is a goddamn chore to play after the first day or two. This is mostly due to the new DIY mechanic and the ungodly amount of steps required to gather materials, make tools that break in 5-10 minutes of use, traverse the terrain, etc. Are chores fun? Not normally, no, but the professional reviewers seem to think chores are a blessing. This game, unlike previous titles in the franchise, feels like a tedious chore. Do you like chores?

    And hoo boy that friend visiting wait time, good god. 1-2 minutes of waiting, when downloading the data of a friend's island would take, at most, 2-3 seconds on any halfway-decent connection. Why was this added? It's fine to see once, but every single time? Five friends visiting each other's islands will lead to everyone waiting for at least 25 minutes in total, sitting there, doing absolutely nothing. It blows my mind that somebody thought "Hell yeah, great idea, let's make them wait more."    … Expand
  48. Bl4ckSh33p
    Mar 25, 2020
    6
    Overall a great game so far but every player should be able to create unlimited islands! At least one for every local player.
  49. glitchboi
    Jul 6, 2021
    7
    EDIT 7/6/21: Yeah... that didn't age quite well.
    The only issue with this game in my opinion, is the fact that the updates are...
    You know, I would have been happy if they delayed the game in order to get the entire game packed into the base game. All we got is a game that is fun at the start, but gets boring because it's early-access. That's about it. Pick it up if you love Animal    EDIT 7/6/21: Yeah... that didn't age quite well.
    The only issue with this game in my opinion, is the fact that the updates are...
    You know, I would have been happy if they delayed the game in order to get the entire game packed into the base game. All we got is a game that is fun at the start, but gets boring because it's early-access.
    That's about it. Pick it up if you love Animal Crossing, but New Leaf is superior in every way (excluding graphics).
    Old review: This game is a masterpiece. It's a game you should ALWAYS buy for your switch no matter what. You can never get bored of it, and you can get so much hours off of it easily. There is so much to do in the game, and there is always something to do in it. You can customize the look of your character, your island, your house, and you can get villagers! This is, without a doubt, one of the best Nintendo Switch games.
    So, you may be asking, why does this game have a 7.0 user review, and why so much hate? Simple, immature review bombers putting 0 on the damn game because of one **** con about it. Don't be surprised, they're just mad because they didn't do research, wait, didn't Nintendo tell us about it, and wasn't it like this for the past AC games? I respect disliking that dumb feature, but don't give this game a 0 just because of that, actually try playing it for a while first.    … Expand
  50. kmcdevitt
    Mar 22, 2020
    5
    I bought this game as soon as it came out since I have always been a fan. I started my own island an character and fully expected my sister, who shares a switch with me, to be able to play her own game too. We find out later that she can not have her own island and that she is extremely limited to what she can do in the game. The whole point to animal crossing is doing stuff in theI bought this game as soon as it came out since I have always been a fan. I started my own island an character and fully expected my sister, who shares a switch with me, to be able to play her own game too. We find out later that she can not have her own island and that she is extremely limited to what she can do in the game. The whole point to animal crossing is doing stuff in the community. What is she going to do? Just walk around in a world she cant even dig in? Great job Nintendo. You made what could have been a perfect game into a dud.… Expand
  51. Starfrighter
    Mar 24, 2020
    6
    Like many people here said before: The game itself is fine BUT the way the game handles shared save files is ridiculously bad!! The worst I have ever seen in any videogame to be honest.
    There is only one shared island per Switch (not cardridge - switch) and the player that happens to be the first on the island is the only one that can basically "play" the game! The others are considered    Like many people here said before: The game itself is fine BUT the way the game handles shared save files is ridiculously bad!! The worst I have ever seen in any videogame to be honest.
    There is only one shared island per Switch (not cardridge - switch) and the player that happens to be the first on the island is the only one that can basically "play" the game! The others are considered villagers and are more like active spectators, than actual players. There is no way to interact with quests or progress in the game if you are not the one person starting the game. My GF and I wanted to share this game, instead she is playing it 95% since I can not experience or progress the story at all. Until this is fixed I hope NOONE buys this game and forces Nintendo to patch this - I really wanted to play this.. I was hyped since its announcement. This just makes me soo mad at this game.    … Expand
  52. Sazero
    Mar 27, 2020
    5
    I thing the game is pretty good if you're the only one playing it, but i was a second player, and as a second player i give this game a 5. My sister wanted the game and she was the first one to play it, and after i started playing too, as soon as i discovered that i couldn't create a new island for myself i knew this was going the same way as new leaf.

    Except this time it's worse and    I thing the game is pretty good if you're the only one playing it, but i was a second player, and as a second player i give this game a 5. My sister wanted the game and she was the first one to play it, and after i started playing too, as soon as i discovered that i couldn't create a new island for myself i knew this was going the same way as new leaf.

    Except this time it's worse and buying another copy of the game isn't gonna solve the problem, you have instead to buy a new switch, and I'm not really willing to spend €200 for a Nintendo Switch Lite just for animal crossing. At this point, i'd be happy even if they added multiple islands as a €30 dlc, even if i know that would upset many people, because that's something i can actually afford.

    I don't even really get why this is supposed to be a good marketing strategy, since most people are just gonna be like me and can't afford another console, the only people i could see buying multiple consoles are people like famous streamers or youtubers.

    Having only one island per switch would have been fine if all the players could do the same thing, but only the first player can progress, and since my sister plays a lot less than me i just feel like i can't do anything and my experience is extremely limited, and due to this i just can't really fully enjoy the game, knowing all the time that your experience is this limited for me is just annoying,

    This review is based on my experience as a second player and i get that you may have a different opinion if you were the first player. If i was the first player too i would probably have the same opinion as you.

    So long story short, it's not a bad game, but if you're the second player your experience is severely limited and you can't fully enjoy the game.

    I don't want to sound like just another review bomber who goes like "game bad, Nintendo < EA", I hope i do not sound like one. Hope this sounds more like actual criticism. This is the actual first review I wrote, because i felt like i needed to share how and why i'm not completely enjoying the game.    … Expand
  53. NinjaBiker
    Mar 26, 2020
    6
    Should have disclosed multiplayer limitations broadly. Having one player lead is bad, but not being upfront about it was the real issue. A few days in our primary player quit playing. I was stuck. I had to delete the island and start over in order to “fix it.” There is no way to change primaries apart from starting over which is dumb. We moved all our stuff to another island (we alreadyShould have disclosed multiplayer limitations broadly. Having one player lead is bad, but not being upfront about it was the real issue. A few days in our primary player quit playing. I was stuck. I had to delete the island and start over in order to “fix it.” There is no way to change primaries apart from starting over which is dumb. We moved all our stuff to another island (we already had two copies) before blowing away 3 people’s savegames. Wish journalists would ding the game for this. Again, it was a design choice just like the one island per Switch. I don’t like it.… Expand
  54. Poochingus
    Mar 26, 2020
    5
    It is hard to give this game a lukewarm score, but that is what ended up happening with this game.

    From a gameplay standpoint, it is very surely animal crossing. It includes most of the features from past games, some which were lost including some bugs and fish. This is all nice. It is as expected. The good: -better graphics with dynamic lighting based on weather -customization of    It is hard to give this game a lukewarm score, but that is what ended up happening with this game.

    From a gameplay standpoint, it is very surely animal crossing. It includes most of the features from past games, some which were lost including some bugs and fish. This is all nice. It is as expected.

    The good:
    -better graphics with dynamic lighting based on weather
    -customization of your Island allows for making the exact town you want
    -putting furniture outside for the first time
    -nook miles gives daily and long term motivation to do many varied things in the game and allow for faster progress and reduce boredom
    -You now progress more than just your house and the store, which gives a better sense of growth
    -museum is way more pretty
    -custom items are an amazing addition, custom hats, shirts, pants, skirts, face art(think adding facial hair) , and even ground tiles can be added.

    The Bad:
    -Made multiplayer very poorly
    -multiple people in the same town cannot help add to growing the town, and can get soft locked by recipes that aren't given to them
    -Island tied to your console, not the game save on the cart or even your nintendo account/profile
    -you cannot transfer you Island(save data) to another console
    -Nintendo refuses to provide cloud saves for no good reason(claiming to prevent cheating and manipulation, even though time travel is still possible and used heavily).
    -Not enough new content. The game needed a new villager type or two. Needed way more new bugs, fish and fossils to keep me trawling the waters and carefully treading between trees. At that, different tree types would have been nice too.
    -crafting only 1 item at a time. It gets tedious and annoying to craft tons of items in a sitting. No idea why I can't craft 20 fish bait at once instead of one at a time, watching the animations over and over. That isn't gameplay, that isn't fun, that isn't relaxing.
    -Would have liked to see other static town NPCs make a return, especially bather's kin with the observatory and the cafe. The police dogs are also sorely missed.

    This had the chance to be the quintessential animal crossing, but it failed on all fronts and just became another iteration, a fun one, but nothing special. It isn't a Smash Ultimate, but if you want a relaxing game or just a return to the series, it is adequate. Just don't expect to enjoy any multiplayer, this is a very single player game, and be sure you have the switch console you want to have forever, don't settle for a console you don't want, because upgrading either means a new console, or losing ALL your game progress.    … Expand
  55. isabellamarie
    Mar 24, 2020
    5
    super fun game, just really unfortunate that i got it to play with my boyfriend on his switch and since i was the first person to make a character i am the only one granted to perform all of the more fun tasks that make the game what it is. in other words only the first person who makes an account gets to pick the island and where everything goes and upgrades etc... anyone else after maysuper fun game, just really unfortunate that i got it to play with my boyfriend on his switch and since i was the first person to make a character i am the only one granted to perform all of the more fun tasks that make the game what it is. in other words only the first person who makes an account gets to pick the island and where everything goes and upgrades etc... anyone else after may still love on the island but they do not get their own and do not get to complete any tasks. so if you’re planning to buy this for your kids to share, don’t. seems like nintendo just wants everyone to buy all their kids switches and guess what? more games. pathetic.… Expand
  56. DizzleD
    Mar 25, 2020
    5
    Great single player! I don't know how they messed up multiplayer so badly. The restrictions are mind boggling. They made it seem like you could do so much. But you really don't have any player interaction either.
  57. DocMoney
    Mar 25, 2020
    6
    The game is great if you plan on playing alone. There are no multiple save files to support multiple islands which creates a huge problem. Do not buy this game if you have multiple people who are interested in playing. You all share an island and all the resources. You would have to buy an additional switch console for any player who wants their own island. It comes off as very antiThe game is great if you plan on playing alone. There are no multiple save files to support multiple islands which creates a huge problem. Do not buy this game if you have multiple people who are interested in playing. You all share an island and all the resources. You would have to buy an additional switch console for any player who wants their own island. It comes off as very anti player.

    I'm very disappointed in the developers decision to force people into the choice of not playing or buying another switch and copy of the game. What other game can you think of that would force a player to make that choice?    … Expand
  58. Rediamondragon
    Mar 26, 2020
    5
    Pretty underwhelming to be honest, I wouldn't recommend it if you don't plant to play it with friends or if you're new to the game and if that's the case I recommend that you play any of the other previous games and if you like it then wait some months and then buy it, because this game isn't worth 60 bucks.
  59. Tomatodad
    Mar 24, 2020
    5
    I have pretty neutral feelings about the game it looks amazing and definitely feels like an animal crossing game but im really disappointed with how poorly designed the multiplayer system was i have tried to play with my brother and only the leader can actually do things player 2 can't even get an axe plus you have to share an island with everyone on that one switch it really seems likeI have pretty neutral feelings about the game it looks amazing and definitely feels like an animal crossing game but im really disappointed with how poorly designed the multiplayer system was i have tried to play with my brother and only the leader can actually do things player 2 can't even get an axe plus you have to share an island with everyone on that one switch it really seems like Nintendo is trying to get everyone in the household to own a switch I dont think that's fair to do especially as it was advertised very weirdly and basically no one knew what they were trying to say. My second issue is the fact that you have to buy the Nintendo online service to invite people on other switches to your island and to use the QR code clothing system i know it's not a main part of the game and you can still go through the game without it but im just disappointed in Nintendo for even putting a paywall behind online interactions.… Expand
  60. Franky1993
    Mar 25, 2020
    5
    What an amazing game super fun to play I grew up with Nintendo but i have never played animal crossing and wow i have been missing out. It's fun to play theres tons of things to do and kill time especially with the corona virus going on right now. But i have to give this game a 5 and that reason being is that well to start off i got this game for my wife she loves animal crossing. We wereWhat an amazing game super fun to play I grew up with Nintendo but i have never played animal crossing and wow i have been missing out. It's fun to play theres tons of things to do and kill time especially with the corona virus going on right now. But i have to give this game a 5 and that reason being is that well to start off i got this game for my wife she loves animal crossing. We were excited to play until we found out we couldn't have two islands you would need to purchase a separate switch to have two island's what a bummer :( and you're limited on the second player i hope they listen to the gamer base and change this because we are not happy. Please fix this! I'd give this a ten but the lack of another island baffles me.… Expand
  61. SnackEat1
    Mar 26, 2020
    7
    I actually think this game is really amazing, addictive and all that jazz, but I can’t get behind the “one island per switch” and every player past player 1 is useless and can’t do anything to help the island or have fun in general. It’s just Nintendo’s way of making people pay for another game and switch. It’s abysmal!
  62. ClapTrap229
    Apr 6, 2020
    5
    It's a great game, but there is a big problem: when the first person who create your island don't play anymore or just less than you, you don't have a complete access to the game.
  63. wise21x
    May 4, 2020
    6
    Anima Crossing has it's charms but there is a TON of grinding (at one point it took me a week to get the 30 iron I needed to advance the game because I didn't realize rocks could be harvested without destroying them and you need to dig holes around them to cheeze the maximum amount out of them, I mean really?)

    In the end it takes a lot of work and you get items and abilities you want to    Anima Crossing has it's charms but there is a TON of grinding (at one point it took me a week to get the 30 iron I needed to advance the game because I didn't realize rocks could be harvested without destroying them and you need to dig holes around them to cheeze the maximum amount out of them, I mean really?)

    In the end it takes a lot of work and you get items and abilities you want to decorate your tiny island but there is limited actual interaction and fun.    … Expand
  64. Honest-Review
    Apr 5, 2020
    5
    I brought the game for me and my little 7 year old to enjoy together, I feel terrible that my promises of a game we could share together were a lie. Nintendo cheated us royally on this.

    But tbh I could have overlooked it had Animal crossing been a good game when it's just not. Conversations are repeated over and over and over again every single day! Selling items takes forever! Loading    I brought the game for me and my little 7 year old to enjoy together, I feel terrible that my promises of a game we could share together were a lie. Nintendo cheated us royally on this.

    But tbh I could have overlooked it had Animal crossing been a good game when it's just not.

    Conversations are repeated over and over and over again every single day! Selling items takes forever! Loading screens take forever, tasks are boring and will drive you mad from the monotonous element of it. Everything is so slow, its not relaxing slow, just frustrating slow. There is no story at all! And I know it's not that sort of game, but you have to have some story... And it doesn't. I could go on and on and bore you to death like this game does to its players. Shame on Nintendo for this rubbish.    … Expand
  65. Flexosuarous
    Apr 8, 2020
    7
    Preface: I've been playing animal crossing since the gamecube game and AC is one of my favorite gaming series of all time... that being said, this game is a bit of a disappointment.

    Things I like: -Customizing island via terraforming -crafting items as a means of gaining furniture -the island tours -the graphics -the music - ability to place items outside - the fencing system    Preface: I've been playing animal crossing since the gamecube game and AC is one of my favorite gaming series of all time... that being said, this game is a bit of a disappointment.

    Things I like:
    -Customizing island via terraforming
    -crafting items as a means of gaining furniture
    -the island tours
    -the graphics
    -the music
    - ability to place items outside
    - the fencing system
    -the general gameplay
    - camera controls inside home
    -Happy Home Designer inspired customization features inside of home

    Things I don't like:
    -Very lacking list of obtainable furniture
    -No nintendo items
    - many missing furniture sets from previous games
    - The available furniture is uninspired and bland
    -only two stores available, no brewsters, no kicks, no garden store
    - No ressetti
    -No art, Redd, or art wing of museum
    -Nooks store only upgrades once
    -Can't buy crafted furniture from catalog
    - crafting tools is nothing more than an annoyance
    - Golden tools break so there's no point in unlocking them
    - Isabelle telling me absolutely nothing at the beginning of every day
    - the fish and insects are no longer animated when viewing the fish/insect dex
    - not fish/ bug sizes
    - I've already said this in a way... BUT HAVING TO CRAFT TOOLS EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES IS MADDENING

    This game took 2 Steps forward with the increased customization of the island outside of one's home, placing furniture outside is great and really changes the game - but this game took 50 steps back with all of the cut material. All in all, its a decent enough game and I have enjoyed my time with it... but I'm starting to realize how empty it is. It really just makes me want to go back and play animal crossing new leaf. If i'm only going to have two stores anyways, I'd rather play wild world.
    Being able to customize the island is cool and all, but it really doesn't make up for losing so much of what has made this franchise great. I hope that more of the cut content is added in the future. If we never get more shops, and nintendo items aren't added, I can't see myself playing this game for very long. I'll likely go back to new leaf or wild world. In those games I absolutely loved getting all the furniture I could in order to make my house as unique and homely as possible... in new horizons I have three rooms, two of which are completely empty because the furniture I have obtained is so boring...

    Thanks for reading.    … Expand
  66. DemonoidAngel
    Jun 4, 2020
    5
    I don't know if it's just me, but this game seems like an awful grind. Furthermore, the grind comes from having to wait until the next day or 3 for construction or other things to happen. It's kinda sad when I only play for 30-40 minutes at a time, run out of stuff to do for the day, then shut it off to wait for tomorrow. Maybe it's just me, but I'll stick with Minecraft.
  67. markio
    Mar 28, 2020
    5
    This is a great game - for the first person on a switch playing it. For everyone else, like my little niece who has the second account on her brothers’ switch, it’s an exercise in second class citizenship. She can’t build bridges, can’t build inclines, and can’t even build beds. The fact that a little girl can’t have the same experience in a game as her bigger brother makes me prettyThis is a great game - for the first person on a switch playing it. For everyone else, like my little niece who has the second account on her brothers’ switch, it’s an exercise in second class citizenship. She can’t build bridges, can’t build inclines, and can’t even build beds. The fact that a little girl can’t have the same experience in a game as her bigger brother makes me pretty disappointed in this game. What kind of message is this sending?… Expand
  68. Tandem
    Apr 2, 2020
    5
    Great game for a single person using a single Switch console. However, other users on the same console are extremely handicapped. Additional console users cannot further the story and advance the island. It requires the primary user to do all of that alone. Honestly, it feels like Nintendo is punishing the customers who only own one copy of the console and game.
  69. Smokez45
    Apr 4, 2020
    5
    My GF and I are both huge AC fans. However, only one of us is able to enjoy the game. Anybody after the first resident gets a half baked experience. Multiplayer has too many limitations to enjoy regularly. Currently we can afford another copy and I'd gladly buy one. However, we can't afford another Switch and with COVID-19 it'll be awhile before we can responsibly afford it. I don'tMy GF and I are both huge AC fans. However, only one of us is able to enjoy the game. Anybody after the first resident gets a half baked experience. Multiplayer has too many limitations to enjoy regularly. Currently we can afford another copy and I'd gladly buy one. However, we can't afford another Switch and with COVID-19 it'll be awhile before we can responsibly afford it. I don't understand Nintendo's decision to have one island per Switch and not per game or profile. It is seen as a family entertainment system and AC cannot entertain a family at the moment. One person per Switch can truly experience the game and that is not okay. Also, there is no reason not to offer cloud back ups. The Switch is a home and portable console. Being portable adds risks. Nobody should have to feel the heartache of losing their console and their hours of hard work. The game is awesome and I will gladly raise my score once Nintendo gets with modern times and fixes these archaic limitations.… Expand
  70. poopyy
    Apr 5, 2020
    5
    My issue with the game is that the controls are overly sensitive in that if you’re one pixel off the fish won’t see the line and if you are digging a hole or wanting to plant something the odds of it being where you want is about 40%. It’s also too easy to undo something that you wanted because the controls are so sensitive/picky. If you had an update with the options of simpler controlsMy issue with the game is that the controls are overly sensitive in that if you’re one pixel off the fish won’t see the line and if you are digging a hole or wanting to plant something the odds of it being where you want is about 40%. It’s also too easy to undo something that you wanted because the controls are so sensitive/picky. If you had an update with the options of simpler controls and interactions similar to Pocket Camp, the game would be much more relaxing and enjoyable. The other issue is the mystery island AI, there should be a quiz or something at the beginning of the game that is focused on which villager type or style you like because I (and probably many others) have wasted over 20 Nook Miles Tickets and over 40,000 Nook Miles trying to find the villager I want or at least a decent villager to invite. Or the least you could do is make Nook Miles tickets cheaper, or have them be purchasable with bells, because at a certain point it’s hard to get enough Nook Miles. Or there at least has to be a way to invite a villager other than buying an amiibo card. It frustrated me so much that I just reset and deleted the game and it will probably take me 2 more weeks of quarantine to be bored enough to try again.… Expand
  71. Cornpops
    Apr 6, 2020
    6
    Do not buy this game if you are looking to share it with someone; only the player who started the game is able to progress the story and develop the island. The majority of the new and interesting features shown in gameplay trailers will be unavailable to other players. These unnecessary restrictions ruin an otherwise enjoyable game.
  72. m3tr0id
    Apr 8, 2020
    6
    8 years for this.. dont get me wrong it's cute and a bit fun but this game feels dry. Online play is useless to. Besides being cute online what's the point of opening my door lol
  73. SayntMyk
    Apr 8, 2020
    5
    To clarify, if your a single person with a single switch then this game is a 10/10 from just about every aspect except ethically. If your a couple or family with one switch then feel free to continue reading.

    This was my wife and I’s first entry into the Animal Crossing series. We have 1 Switch for our household ( yea you already know where this is going ), and I have to say I’m more than    To clarify, if your a single person with a single switch then this game is a 10/10 from just about every aspect except ethically. If your a couple or family with one switch then feel free to continue reading.

    This was my wife and I’s first entry into the Animal Crossing series. We have 1 Switch for our household ( yea you already know where this is going ), and I have to say I’m more than bummed that the game treats every other profile other than the first to boot up the game as an obvious player 2. Fact is, this game doesn’t work as it is on a multi user Switch.

    I get the reason behind this both from a consumer and business point of view however, that doesn’t excuse what a blatant attempt this is to push more Switch consoles out. And frankly this makes no sense, in fact it goes against their online subscription business model where you can either buy for an individual or family (8). Clearly one console is designed to be used by many users so why aren’t the save features of this first party title. This review comes from 2 people with 1 switch. As the game can only be enjoyed fully by one of us and is useless to the other, it gets a 5/10. Great job Nintendo on successfully torpedoing this clearly entry level game into the series for new players.    … Expand
  74. OwenlyTheBest
    Apr 21, 2020
    7
    Love the game but it can't be understated how ludicrous the one island per switch limitation is. My rating is unfair on the game but Nintendo's being unfair on us, forcing us to buy another £300 system for a limitation that simply doesn't have to be there. Imagine they only had one save for each system for the likes of Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild!
  75. feelinpeachy
    May 4, 2020
    5
    The inability to have more than one island is insane! I love this game and have played every AC game since Population Growing, I'm an avid fan. I'm leaving a poor review because I just found out that you can't have a second island without buying an entire new switch. How could Nintendo alienate their fanbase like that? Especially during a pandemic when we're all broke and can't afford aThe inability to have more than one island is insane! I love this game and have played every AC game since Population Growing, I'm an avid fan. I'm leaving a poor review because I just found out that you can't have a second island without buying an entire new switch. How could Nintendo alienate their fanbase like that? Especially during a pandemic when we're all broke and can't afford a new console! Nintendo if you're trying to get an extra $200+ dollars from your fans, you've failed! Instead you've lost an extra $60.

    Also, give us diagonal paths! Holy moly.    … Expand
  76. TEMP0
    Sep 6, 2020
    7
    I gave this game a 10 score for being a refined island getaway, but I need to take that back. Honestly once you get a 5-star island, a 6 room house, all your favorite villagers in your island, and do a couple of big events, then New Horizons starts to get old. You notice the flaws within the game; it's limited in its features, the graphics & camera angles can feel clunky at times, and it'sI gave this game a 10 score for being a refined island getaway, but I need to take that back. Honestly once you get a 5-star island, a 6 room house, all your favorite villagers in your island, and do a couple of big events, then New Horizons starts to get old. You notice the flaws within the game; it's limited in its features, the graphics & camera angles can feel clunky at times, and it's not even complete yet.… Expand
  77. Zaltys
    Apr 16, 2020
    5
    This series is starting to focus more and more on things that I don't enjoy.
    Nook is even more of a slave driver, and the merit system makes the game feel more stressful. And this time around you need to pay for everything, including bridges and inclines. By the time I was done with those and got access to the new terraforming feature, I was completely exhausted to the point that I don't    This series is starting to focus more and more on things that I don't enjoy.
    Nook is even more of a slave driver, and the merit system makes the game feel more stressful. And this time around you need to pay for everything, including bridges and inclines. By the time I was done with those and got access to the new terraforming feature, I was completely exhausted to the point that I don't feel like playing this anymore. Having to replace broken tools every five minutes certainly doesn't help.

    All of that wouldn't be so bad if the villager dialogue wasn't (against all odds) even worse than in City Folk. I've been playing for a couple of weeks, and have already heard the same lines about 'digging up fossils yesterday' nearly a hundred times. Dialog is more generic than before. For instance, the villagers say that 'you wear that a lot' about everything as opposed to the previous AC games where they'd comment about WHAT you're wearing, etc. And while you can now place furniture outdoors, these too get generic responses from the animals: 'who put a drinking fountain outside? That's so weird'.

    In short, New Horizons is tedious, and I can't see myself playing it for more than a couple of weeks. Not when I could just play Wild World or New Leaf instead, either of which are much superior to this in everything but graphics.    … Expand
  78. OneMariachi
    Apr 12, 2020
    6
    There's a lot of negative reviews complaining about the lack of ability to create your own unique island. Now whilst this is an incredibly valid issue with this game. I realise it may not apply to a large subset of players. On the other side there is a lot of very high marks from people that don't care about that.

    I felt I wanted to give a more full summary and review of this game, to    There's a lot of negative reviews complaining about the lack of ability to create your own unique island. Now whilst this is an incredibly valid issue with this game. I realise it may not apply to a large subset of players. On the other side there is a lot of very high marks from people that don't care about that.

    I felt I wanted to give a more full summary and review of this game, to give those that probably sit in the middle of not being a long time fan, and having played this game for the first time, like me. I've put in roughly 50 hours into this game. With only 2 days of time travel done at the beginning to speed up the nothing you can do in the first 2-3 days of owning this game.

    Effectively, the good parts. Nintendo, as always are very good at creating charming worlds. Filled with lovely character, and look really nice. The graphics are wonderful to behold. One fo the best aspects of this game in my particular view is the designing as pects. There is a lot of items and a lot of ways they can be utilised to make unique little biomes for yourself to enjoy and feel creative. I had a lot of fun organising my house.

    Beyond that though. There really is not a whole lot to do. Once you've built the shop/museum and got a few rooms of your house. This game gets insanely repetitive. The game becomes, pick fruit. fish a little, dig your 4 fossills(which, you run out of unique ones super quick). Hit some rocks, and buy some of the new clothes. Slowly making money to add a new room to your house. It's rinse and repeat of that, for about an hour every day as once you've completed that routine, there is nothing else to do.

    The big thing is that i was doing all of that, to get the terraforming. I spent an hour a day doing this repetitive nonsense so I could terraform and really make the island my own. when I finally got terraforming. I finally had to go, yep that's enough for me.

    See here is the big major issue with this game. The repetitive stuff, lots of people can look past. they find it relaxing and stress free, a nice mindless task to focus on and remove the pressures of life from. Me, I don't really get it, I like being creative, so that's why I stuck to it. The thing is though, that Nintendo seem to be stuck in the early 90's when it comes to game mechanics. There are so many barriers in the way of you trying to enjoy this game to the best of its ability. The constant repetition of dialogue, the inability to organise your inventory properly, the inability to build more than one item at a time, or buy more than one item at a time- which is annoying in the Nook atm machine- but ten thousand times worse when at the Abel sisters house and you have to keep walking in and out of the dressing room if you want more than 1 shirt at a time. The seemingly no reason for why trees wont grow. The multiplayer is gimped hard too, Nintendo and internet simply do not work. You want a friend to come over. Cool, go to the airport and open your gates, hidden behind 10 mintues worth of dialogue. Jesus Christ Nintendo, allow me to have my gates open at all times, or at least allow my friends to request to come over through the use of the Nook phone. A quick invite and join system through the phone. But no, it's a whole infuriating process- even after they've visited the first time and become a "best friend". Either Nintendo are incredibly incompetent at game QOL, or they know how to fix these things and don't in order to artificially increase game time, because they know how little actual game-play there is in this game.

    Terraforming, is without a doubt one of the most poorly implemented mechanics I've seen Nintendo create, and I genuinely don't know if this game was actually tested properly. Because it is a joke. There is no marker for where you are creating, and it will constantly, and randomly, without any logic choose a different square to work on, regardless of if you do the same action. On top of that, you will either fill land in, or remove land, with the exact same button- use the rest of the buttons Nintendo. One for filling one for removing land. How insanely hard is that to think of. Forcing you to work several times on the same squares because of the lack of any guidance and logic to the system. This game reeks if eitehr laziness or incompetence. I don't know which, and I don't much care. But this game is not even close to being perfect, and has a lot of work needing to be done on it to make it beyond a 6/10.

    TLDR; Had some fun with creating, but there are way too many terrible UI/Game mechanics, and repetitive annoying dialogue to allow me to think it is a good game.    … Expand
  79. LucaCritics
    Jul 11, 2020
    5
    Animal Crossing New Horizons Review: 5/10
    Although it can be fun at times, the game limits the player from playing the way they want.
  80. Luahanseng
    Aug 12, 2020
    5
    Great graphics, great concept, tons of random items you can acquire and addictive specially the creativity part. The negatives though, i hate that they limit bunch of things, they basically limit the capability of the switch,
  81. Squishydew
    Apr 28, 2020
    6
    A great game ruined by nintendos lack of polish.

    Online is incredibly cumbersome, there is no way to back up saves, you can only have 1 island per switch screwing other people in your household, and crafting was very poorly done, requiring you to craft one thing at a time with no way to improve that.

    Tool durability is also just completely anti-fun.
  82. Kabegami
    Jun 28, 2020
    5
    Game was pretty fun at first, it however quickly becomes boring due to lack of content. Fans say its to span out recurring players by adding back ditched content later, but I was bored after the first month anyway so that didn't turn out well for them, the updates are way too small and far in between and I can't rate this game based on what it will become, that's Bethesda territory.Game was pretty fun at first, it however quickly becomes boring due to lack of content. Fans say its to span out recurring players by adding back ditched content later, but I was bored after the first month anyway so that didn't turn out well for them, the updates are way too small and far in between and I can't rate this game based on what it will become, that's Bethesda territory. Previous games supposedly had plenty of stuff like Nintendo themed furniture and exploring islands with friends, but here there's none of that and I don't care if they add it later, its not the game you get on cartridge. You should however keep all the content, and add on top of it. Not remove them and add them later like they're doing here.

    Everything takes forever, building new bridges and relocating a house takes a day and you can't do more than one, all this to just drag your time without a good reason, which is why people time travel, if you want to discourage time travelling by removing content, how about not making things take so long to do and putting up so many roadblocks?

    I do check back into it every few days but I'm never hyped to play more or partake in any tiny events Nintendo adds, they're completely deaf to fan feedback, like that infamous egg festival and the randomness of item recipes and such can lead to lack of tables to put stuff on, making you have to use cardboard boxes or place everything on the floor. Its also lacking the simple ability many life sims have...Craft. In. Bulk.    … Expand
  83. Cross2killer
    Jun 20, 2020
    5
    It is just another animal crossing game. It's long and kinda boring most of the time but partly by design. I do fell like like they have stripped away a lot of the NPCs personally.
  84. AuthorityBottle
    Aug 21, 2020
    5
    i honestly don't like graphics. whenever i see realistic or modern graphics the game will be mediocre and thats what i feel about this game. there isn't much to do. And no i don't think adding more fish or more items will make this game any better. i was hoping for more things to do with construction tool but nope there is limit to it and there isn't any activities like hopping for morei honestly don't like graphics. whenever i see realistic or modern graphics the game will be mediocre and thats what i feel about this game. there isn't much to do. And no i don't think adding more fish or more items will make this game any better. i was hoping for more things to do with construction tool but nope there is limit to it and there isn't any activities like hopping for more like when i had wash cars in the old animal crossing not just holidays. i hope to travel somewhere interesting place like, city or just small house. Just some thing interesting not just island and islands and animals to bring. i also don't want put every retail i meet in my island.And you can't kick villager which is annoying, and there villagers don't have any personality , no dislikes, no unique dialog , and no unique rooms. except the five special characters and people are wondering why people wanted that cat so much because he hes unique… Expand
  85. Cecchi
    Apr 28, 2020
    6
    You can't build two different island on the same console also with two different account and this is very bad. Just 6 for this game
  86. lestrangerface
    Apr 15, 2020
    5
    I love most of this game. I really do. I have had so much fun. Only allowing one island per console, though, is a bunch of sh*t. Also, I hate how the first player gets to make all the calls and make the changes. I would be fine if after we unlocked everything, the other players could go in and request new bridges or inclines, but we can't. if my wife stopped playing, I'd have to restartI love most of this game. I really do. I have had so much fun. Only allowing one island per console, though, is a bunch of sh*t. Also, I hate how the first player gets to make all the calls and make the changes. I would be fine if after we unlocked everything, the other players could go in and request new bridges or inclines, but we can't. if my wife stopped playing, I'd have to restart the f*cking game in order to do anything to the island. How stupid is that!!? I understand that they want to sell more consoles, but they could have just sold more games. We'd by 3-4 copies of the game so that we could swap out islands.… Expand
  87. Terryd21
    Apr 17, 2020
    6
    I really wanted to like that game, but it was just plain boring. I never played AC, I used to love the sims and generally really like cute Nintendo games, but that one just did not click.

    I can see the appeal for some but I just didn’t get into it, worst thing is I mostly can play at night where I can’t do **** I spent 3 days in a row trying to save some money but the grinding it’s just    I really wanted to like that game, but it was just plain boring. I never played AC, I used to love the sims and generally really like cute Nintendo games, but that one just did not click.

    I can see the appeal for some but I just didn’t get into it, worst thing is I mostly can play at night where I can’t do **** I spent 3 days in a row trying to save some money but the grinding it’s just so boring, as I was about to concede to just sell some ressource at night in the mailbox shop, once again my axe broke and I was so done with this game     … Expand
  88. NotoriousRPG
    Apr 19, 2020
    6
    I’m beyond frustrated with this game, this is the first animal crossing I ever play, I know the new leaf players had it worst but this stressed me out.
    I bought this game because everyone was raving about how awesome and relaxing it is, knowing we were going to be on lockdown I thought this was the perfect game for this! I’ve clocked many hours on stardew valley so I thought this was right    I’m beyond frustrated with this game, this is the first animal crossing I ever play, I know the new leaf players had it worst but this stressed me out.
    I bought this game because everyone was raving about how awesome and relaxing it is, knowing we were going to be on lockdown I thought this was the perfect game for this! I’ve clocked many hours on stardew valley so I thought this was right up my alley, but it’s not.
    The first days were very entertaining, everything is new and you feel progress in the course of the initial settlement of your very own island where you are the representative! But slowly but surely you become what you are escaping from in reality, just an employee, in this case, an employee of Tom nook.

    You want a bridge? Pay up
    You want a ramp? Pay up
    You want to relocate a building? Pay up
    More storage? Pay up
    Another room? Pay up
    Travel to random islands? Pay up Furniture? Pay up
    Clothing? Pay up

    Even the things you do daily consist on a exchange of currency, if you want to relocate a tree, you have to consume fruit to be able to relocate it, your tools break so you have to constantly get materials to craft them again.

    And every time you move 1 ramp, one bridge or one building it takes 1 whole real life day, yeah, it won’t be finished until 5 am the next day, 1 ramp/bridge per day, if you want to destroy and build another bridge (you can’t relocate them, you have to pay again) you have to wait til the day after tomorrow! On the positive side the game looks gorgeous, there is an IMMENSE amount of items, furniture, clothing, wallpapers, floors etc The art of the game is impecable.

    But the problem is that this is a game of collecting items and decorating, it may not be for everyone, there’s not much to do story-wise after you finish paying the 5 rooms you can expand on your home and achieve a 3 rating star on your island , so you are left with decorating and collecting items, and that’s it, a beautiful shell of a game with no much gameplay but shake trees and mine ores.

    Also, you can’t build more than 8 ramps in your island, you can’t build ramps next to another, you can’t build a ramp that leads straight to your museum because they are made of 2 blocks and the museum is 5 blocks wide, the lack of symmetry on some parts makes me irrationally mad. The cherry on top is that you can only have 1 island per switch, the dialog is very unintuitive and the online functionality is ok but a pain if you have more than 2-3 visitors with unnecessary repetitive loading animations.    … Expand
  89. SirPigeon
    Apr 20, 2020
    5
    I don't understand why this game is so highly praised, after about a month of owning it I can say its 'just okay'.

    When you start the game, you're drawn in by the charm of the character designs and the laid back feeling. You aren't pressed for time and can do what you want. I spent my first two weeks catching a wide variety of creatures to fill the museum, creating my own house and    I don't understand why this game is so highly praised, after about a month of owning it I can say its 'just okay'.

    When you start the game, you're drawn in by the charm of the character designs and the laid back feeling. You aren't pressed for time and can do what you want. I spent my first two weeks catching a wide variety of creatures to fill the museum, creating my own house and trying to make money.

    However, I then spent the next two weeks doing the exact same thing.
    You need allot of money to progress in this game, so you're going to have to go catch creatures and craft items to sell. Once you upgrade your house you are then presented with another option to upgrade (progress in the game, essentially) so you'll have to go catch creatures and craft items to sell so you can get another upgrade and do the same thing again and again.

    This isn't just limited to the main game either, filling out the museum requires you to spend hours catching fish and bugs over and over and finding fossils (you have high chances to keep getting creatures and fossils you've found before).

    The character dialogue? repeating. You start to notice the same dialogue being used over and over after about a week or so of playing, and while that may be fine normally this is a game that's supposed to be some sort of long term investment and is praised for its supposed 'small details' and charm, which I found ran out after the first week as the game kept trying to repeat the same tricks over and over to try and impress and engage me. This game is essentially a one trick pony, after the initial 'wow' there's not much left to be impressed by.

    Its fun at first but everything about this game screams repetition, its more like a chore than a fun game.

    I can't really recommend this game, its not the worst game I've ever played, but its just dreadfully boring.    … Expand
  90. Kbenz
    Apr 22, 2020
    5
    PLEASE please please add more custom design slots. This limitation is MAJORLY affecting my enjoyment of the game, and will be the reason I stop playing. I can't continue to customize my island without a LOT more design slots. They fill up so fast and if i delete one to add another, the design changes in the game. I have stalled out on game play and the only enjoyable part left isPLEASE please please add more custom design slots. This limitation is MAJORLY affecting my enjoyment of the game, and will be the reason I stop playing. I can't continue to customize my island without a LOT more design slots. They fill up so fast and if i delete one to add another, the design changes in the game. I have stalled out on game play and the only enjoyable part left is customization and now I can't continue that either.… Expand
  91. Sophiexxx73
    Apr 22, 2020
    5
    This review would basically be the same as the other negative review on here, so just read the majority of them. To put my on review though I would say this game is good, I've so far enjoyed my experience and that's as a solo player even then I'm disappointed in the solo save feature, I've seen that apparently having 8 people on one island is "multiple saves" but that isn't true, that'sThis review would basically be the same as the other negative review on here, so just read the majority of them. To put my on review though I would say this game is good, I've so far enjoyed my experience and that's as a solo player even then I'm disappointed in the solo save feature, I've seen that apparently having 8 people on one island is "multiple saves" but that isn't true, that's one save for multiple people. I can see that critic reviews are positive and I can only imagine that they won't actually play this game like most intend or like family with one console for the family. Silly idea for a brilliant game, and all for the money. Very sad.… Expand
  92. Batmanishguy
    Apr 23, 2020
    5
    I really like this game, and personally for myself alone it's a 10/10. But the fact that my roomate can't play the game at all mean's it's a very valid 0. I've read people saying that a 0 is non nonsensical, However, this is a game play rating, and this setup allows for literally 0 game for him to play. How is that not a 0? Roaming around my island with nothing to do is not a game, it's anI really like this game, and personally for myself alone it's a 10/10. But the fact that my roomate can't play the game at all mean's it's a very valid 0. I've read people saying that a 0 is non nonsensical, However, this is a game play rating, and this setup allows for literally 0 game for him to play. How is that not a 0? Roaming around my island with nothing to do is not a game, it's an interactive museum at best (coincidentally, this game has an amazing museum set up!).

    I digress, assuming you're actually able to play it, it's a very good game. Super fun to build up an island, collecting artifacts is surprisingly fun! I'm in the end game and having the ability to terraform is amazing! I love creating things, and hunting for bugs and fish! I also love visiting friends (outside my own household) islands and snagging fruits I don't have.

    Any who, if there is a 1:1:1 ratio between people who are going to be playing, game cartridges owned, and game consoles owned. I HIGHLY suggest it, especially if you have friends who play it. If that ratio is off, there's no way I can suggest it. It's too good to not be able to share fully.    … Expand
  93. multizernez
    Jun 27, 2020
    5
    the first 2 months or so of playing this is pretty fun, but once you complete the minimal content that the game offers it becomes extremely boring to play. if you're planning on buying this game, I recommend to wait until it has enough content. also if you're looking to buy this to play with your kids or something of that caliber, do not because it turns out the first person to boot up thethe first 2 months or so of playing this is pretty fun, but once you complete the minimal content that the game offers it becomes extremely boring to play. if you're planning on buying this game, I recommend to wait until it has enough content. also if you're looking to buy this to play with your kids or something of that caliber, do not because it turns out the first person to boot up the game on their nintendo switch profile is in control of the island and the rest that boot the game up on their profile are barred from most of the content. other than that, pretty fun game.… Expand
  94. Mordgesr
    Jul 21, 2020
    5
    So, I have never played a game of this genre before. And having bought it during the height of the coronavirus, it became a great entertainment.

    But as soon as the epidemic subsided and there was an opportunity to meet friends, the game lost some of its appeal - communication with the inhabitants of the island. All that remains of the game is endless customization. Some people like    So, I have never played a game of this genre before. And having bought it during the height of the coronavirus, it became a great entertainment.

    But as soon as the epidemic subsided and there was an opportunity to meet friends, the game lost some of its appeal - communication with the inhabitants of the island.

    All that remains of the game is endless customization. Some people like it, but I soon got bored.    … Expand
  95. Jessicaw
    Jun 22, 2020
    7
    I can definitely agree that the one island per console is a poor decision. My five year old loves this game and that can make sharing an island difficult, but not completely awful (though I'd still prefer we each had our own island). The real time pacing also sets this game back. Not everyone wants to wait 24 real hours to construct a tiny piece of your island or move one building andI can definitely agree that the one island per console is a poor decision. My five year old loves this game and that can make sharing an island difficult, but not completely awful (though I'd still prefer we each had our own island). The real time pacing also sets this game back. Not everyone wants to wait 24 real hours to construct a tiny piece of your island or move one building and other assorted tiny bits of progress. Otherwise this is still a pretty fun game.… Expand
  96. KasperNyvang
    Jun 21, 2020
    6
    I have "finished the main story" if you can say that.
    First time playing a Anaimal crossing game, and i was captivated the first couple of days. But it ended up feeling like another free to play games that you play on your phone and come back everyday to complete tasks. Except this game cost 449DKK when i bought the game …
  97. bymanabat15
    Jun 23, 2020
    5
    It's a fun game. The only flaw is the 1 island only policy but overall, the game is best on what it has to offer.
  98. Darkmagician13
    Jul 8, 2020
    7
    The game is beautiful, but the lack of objectives and the fact that you have to wait a whole day for certain thing makes it feel like a mobile game instead of a triple A experience.
    Although I really enjoyed visiting other islands and the clothing customization.
  99. lemon1921
    Jun 24, 2020
    7
    This is my first AC game. It's an adorable, relaxing game. I love setting up my island as I want it, and I love finding my ideal villagers to come live with me. The biggest issues I have with this game are:

    1. Terrible UI designed to make you take the maximum number of clicks to do any single action 2. After you've set up your island.. there's really nothing else to do. It's    This is my first AC game. It's an adorable, relaxing game. I love setting up my island as I want it, and I love finding my ideal villagers to come live with me. The biggest issues I have with this game are:

    1. Terrible UI designed to make you take the maximum number of clicks to do any single action

    2. After you've set up your island.. there's really nothing else to do. It's really not a very replayable game.

    It's fun while it lasted, but probably not the kind of game I'll play over and over again.    … Expand
  100. Zayzor123
    Jun 24, 2020
    7
    The multiplayer part of the game needs to be better. I think everyone should be like the leader and everyone should have the same DIYs. I would also like it if every account had their own island.
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Switch Game of 2020
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 111 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 110 out of 111
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 111
  3. Negative: 0 out of 111
  1. Universo Nintendo
    Dec 19, 2020
    95
    Animal Crossing New Horizons is basically perfect. Full of wholesome content that helped us cope with the COVID-19 pandemics, the game keeps the heart of its predecessors while innovating enough to make it unique. It may not have won Game of the Year but it'll be the game we all remember from 2020, for sure.
    Read full review
  2. The Digital Fix
    Jun 22, 2020
    80
    Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a stunning new instalment in the Animal Crossing franchise, hindered only by its lack of immediate content, quality of life issues and missing returning characters and features While future updates will give the game long-term playability, for those already sipping vacation juice on their five-star islands, island life feels pretty mundane right now.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    May 12, 2020
    95
    It’s full of detail, pretty small things, and surprisingly well working simulations and systems – everything polished in such a way that the player really does care about everything that’s going on. [06/2020, p.40]
See all critic reviews »