Build a Community with ‘Animal Crossing: New Horizons’

April 23, 2020

Right from the start, the bright and colorful world gives players an idea of what kind of game they’re getting into. Image Courtesy of @GameStop on Twitter

Some of the characters for ‘New Horizons,’ each has their own interesting design that already tells something about their personality. Image Courtesy of @NintendoVS on Twitter

Players can craft fun scenarios on their islands since the island is customizable however the player sees fit. Image Courtesy of @HYPERduud on Twitter

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” is the latest release of the Animal Crossing franchise of video games.
Long-awaited, “New Horizons” uses the same formula as previous games, but adds some modern elements to keep it fresh.
Players have the ultimate objective to create their own community filled with cutesy humanoid animals.
This is a simple objective, but the gameplay and characters are so engaging that the game always remains fun.
Players can build their community however they wish, as long as they have the bells, the in-game currency, for it.
This creates a fun loop of gameplay collecting bells, then building up your community and earning new unlockables.
Little events and surprises also keep the player coming back.
For example, there was an Easter event that added new collectibles for only the week of Easter.
These events and surprises are fun and motivating to keep players further interested with some new content.
The game shines in its characters, from the bell-loving Tom Nook, to the sweet Isabelle.
The characters are truly the heart of the game as players will grow bonds with them and care for them like a real community member, or even greater.

“New Horizons” is not without a few issues though.
Most of these issues come down to small quality-of-life matters, such as the inability to access a menu very readily at any given time, or the inability to skip dialogue, if that isn’t the players’ way of playing.
Issues with the game are few and far between, but no game is flawless, so it is worth mentioning.
The small matters against the game are not strong enough versus the strengths and hours of fun the game provides.
“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” is available right now, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch.