‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ review
Delve into a relaxing game to calm your quarantine stress
Animal Crossing: New Horizons features an easily accessible multiplayer feature. Players can now visit their friends’ islands through their airports.
One of the things keeping me alive during this quarantine so far is “Animal Crossing: New Horizons.” With its calm atmosphere and goal-setting nature, this game is perfect for social distancing mode.
“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” came out on March 20, and ever since then I’ve been obsessively playing it. The game starts out with the player moving to a private island with limitless possibilities. Players start out living in a tent, but as time progresses they can build their own houses. Later on, they can even customize the entire island.
An important part of the game is the Village Representative’s house. This can be expanded quite and bit and it can hold any and all items the player needs.
One grounding aspect of this game is it’s slow-paced gameplay. Some buildings take a day or even two to be built, therefore making the players focus on other things such as gathering resources and spending some time decorating their house. The player can play in the moment and really appreciate the game more.
It’s also very different compared to its earlier versions like “New Leaf.” In “New Horizons,” there are more options for customization, such as the placement of the player’s town. The possibilities of the towns are endless in this new game, which makes playing it even more fun and immersive.
New Horizons offers a wide variety of fish and bugs to catch. Each critter offers a unique pun to go with it.
Another section of the game I love is the DIY projects, which add a new layer of gameplay because they open up the use of items not available in prior games. For example, in other games, the player would have to shake trees and get bells (the currency for the Animal Crossing games) and wasp nests, but now shaking trees gives the player better incentives, such as tree branches, to actually craft items.
The game also has amazing graphics. This is the first “Animal Crossing” that is in 1,080 pixels, and I can definitely tell a difference. Everything is so beautiful and crisp, and the picture really takes the game to another level.
As you progress through the game, the player can gradually get more villagers on their island. There are 402 to choose from, but the player can only have 10 on an island.
The section of the game that I love the most, though, is the multiplayer option. With “New Horizons,” multiplayer has become easier, and it adds such a unique element to the experience. Being able to go to a friend’s island and see their interpretation of the game, how they play and how they design their island is super interesting.
Overall, I have fallen in love with this game for many reasons, from its design to its easy-going gameplay. “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” will give players months, maybe even years, of entertainment with its well-thought-out details and enjoyable tasks.
Hi! I’m Brianna Henry, and this year I am so excited to say that I am Design Managing Editor this year on The Journal. This is my senior year at SHS,...
