It offers a wonderful visual, relaxing soundtrack, history with good hints of humor and, above all, an alternative to the adrenaline culture and constant challenges that games in general bring. In the following review, see the pros and cons of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Story It all starts at the counter of an airport, where raccoons Timmy and Tommy ask a series of questions about their trip to a desert island. Both are assistants to Tom Nook, a kind of president and owner of the territory you are moving to. It is at this point that you make your basic choices, such as name, physical characteristics of the character and birthday. An interesting detail is the option to choose the hemisphere where the island will be located. It is an interesting care, as the seasons of the game are in tune with the real world. Once all the logistics of moving to the new island have been done with two other residents (who are random for each player), it’s time to start your journey towards community development. Its role is to bring more resources and infrastructure to make it more comfortable and pleasant for all residents. This is how Animal Crossing: New Horizons begins. Good humor is one of the pillars Anyone who knows other titles in the franchise knows that the story of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is not that deep. Do not expect moral dilemmas, major conflicts between characters or complex psychological issues. The greatest virtue of the story lies in the simplicity and good humor with which everything is dealt with – things that the game does very well. From the beginning, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is very direct in reporting that it is a game about the development of a small colony of inhabitants. For this reason, most dialogues revolve around the growth and arrival of new residents. Tom Nook, for example, talks about ways of growing the island all the time, as well as the inhabitants, who do not get tired of talking about how they are taking advantage of the resources that the island offers. Animal Crossing: New Horizons brings good humor in situations that, despite being repeated, are presented under original optics to the player. A good example is in the capture of insects, fish and the like. The game evades the traditional standard phrase “you caught a new insect!” and make sure to deliver a pun with each different species you capture. In the end, it is these little details that demonstrate all the affection committed by the developers in writing the story of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Nothing is too urgent, rest assured Animal Crossing: New Horizons is definitely a game in which you have no sense of urgency when carrying out the development of the island. There are a number of mechanics that could be present, such as a proper clock system, character energy management or the need to control your crops. However, the game turns a blind eye to all this so that you can evolve in your own time, according to your wishes and priorities. In other words, Animal Crossing: New Horizons does not require as much organization of time and resources, unlike other games of the genre. It can take minutes, hours or days to complete a task. If you want, you can spend the whole day decorating your home, building new furniture and planting your garden – and that’s fine. In practice, you don’t have to rush and plan in a notebook for everything you need to do a game day to maximize your income (as in the successful Stardew Valley). In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the logic is different: they give you a mission and you take as long as you want to accomplish it, without any rush. This is the main point that makes Animal Crossing popularly known for its relaxing essence. The soundtrack, the choice of colors, the characters and the friendly environments are fundamental pieces for this image, of course. But it is the level of demand of the game that makes any player manage to evolve naturally in their own time. Pride in the development of the island As you might expect, his journey on the desert island of Tom Nook begins with scarce resources. His first home – like that of other residents – is a simple tent, with little furniture and objects. Their first tools are fragile and, after a few uses, become unusable. As the infrastructure becomes more refined, it is practically impossible not to get carried away and feel a hint of pride when you see the entire development of the island. Doing the quests that the game brings are key to bringing a sense of zeal to the community you are helping to build. The quests include helping to found a museum on the island, raising funds for the construction of his house and that of other residents, in addition to gathering materials for the opening of a specialized store, for example. Visiting and welcoming friends is also an interesting and very welcome action in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Each island has its particularities, such as flowers, fruits, residents and even items available in stores. This not only brings unique value to each island, it also encourages you to visit other places to see your friends’ development. Tailored rewards system Overall, Animal Crossing: New Horizons quests are not that innovative. Just like in other games with crafting systems, you receive a mission and have to raise funds around the island to complete it. So far, there are no major news or difficulties. Like other games in the franchise, Animal Crossing: New Horizons follows the clock of the real world. This is an interesting factor because the resources are replaced according to the times of your reality. If the fruits, wood and other materials are exhausted, you must wait at least until the next day or visit other islands to collect raw materials. This is not a problem, and it ends up being a fundamental point for you to explore other aspects of the game. Another aspect that encourages broad knowledge of the game is the reward system. Basically, the game has two types of resources: Bells – conventional currencies – and Nook Miles, which are a system of achievements within the game. Plant some trees to earn some points. Catch as many fish as you can and you will earn even more points. These Nook Miles, therefore, are used to purchase specific items and resources within the game that are not sold by conventional currencies. Within this logic, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is very generous in offering achievements. Virtually any new action yields a few Nook Miles, which in practice encourages the player to test new experiences within the mechanics of the game in the hope of earning more points. Conclusion Animal Crossing: New Horizons is undoubtedly a game suitable for a variety of player profiles. Several games work with the idea of success and failure from some established mechanics. This is common and characteristic of video game culture in general. Animal Crossing New Horizons is contrary to all this: it respects the learning and development time of anyone who dares to build their own island. Of course, it brings everything that a good title can offer, such as refined visuals, a beautiful soundtrack or interesting mechanics. However, it is in the fundamentals that Animal Crossing: New Horizons stands out as a democratic game and, above all, a lot of fun for different types of people.
