For the player looking to simply pass the time, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” is a cheerful family-friendly game to live out world-building fantasies.
It’s the fifth installment in the main series. Released on the same day as its gaming polar opposite, “DOOM Eternal,” fans greeted it with eager anticipation.
The game works in real time and allows the player to create a world within their control for their ideal getaway.
It starts off with the player, a human, in an airport talking to two tanukis, or Japanese raccoon dogs, which work for a company called Nook Inc.
Players can then choose which hemisphere to place their fictional island to better match the seasons of the real world in the game.
The real-time aspect can be seen as a negative for people who prefer quick-paced games.
Once you arrive at the island you will be given a tent and are instructed to place it wherever you want.
It is also at this time you discover that you came to this island without paying and are now in debt to Nook Inc.
The airport on the island opens up and allows the player to travel to other islands, find other non-player characters and bring them back with them to populate the island.
These other islands will also provide unique resources that can be collected and brought back to further expand your island.
Once there are enough residents living on your deserted island, you may begin constructing the town.
A multiplayer option allows for one user to interact with up to eight others.
While previous games of the series required players to exchange a code to play with one another, “New Horizons” allows for players to open the island to visiting players.
Players’ friends can now fly over to the island and visit while playing.
Safeguards are in place to prevent rogue players wreaking havoc.
Other players on the “Best Friends” list of your in-game Nook Phone can interact with the island the same way you can.
This system has its appeal as it brings together all who play the game and provides a platform for friendships to be made.
Local play is also supported for those that do not have ready access to the internet.
Players on the same system can play couch co-op, though the game only allows for one island per Nintendo Switch.
Players can then trade items locally or online with one another, as each island is determined by general location as well.
Trees that produce fruit native to your island or swiped from elsewhere can be planted to grow more fruit for selling purposes.
The game includes numerous activities such as bug collecting, fishing, gardening, woodworking, marketing and establishing a museum.
Activities can earn the players Nook Miles or Bells, the in-game currencies, to pay off their debt.
This continuous dedication to the game comes with perks as each new day has something to offer.
On the beach there is a daily message in a bottle that contains recipes for the player to craft new items.
These items can be used to decorate the island or have practical applications or even be used to pass the time.
A rock will randomly spawn on the island that can be hit multiple times for Bells.
Each day brings something new for gameplay as well.
Once the first-day tutorial has been completed, players can build a museum, turn their tent into a house and build a shop on the island.
The restriction of access to certain items can be tedious as there’s only so much that can be done in the small
starting area.
The implementation of real time and seasons can be frustrating when trying to collect insects and fish that only appear during certain times of the day and year.
A lot of the activities can be done within a few days with patience and dedication, or one could time skip with certain items.
Regardless of the playstyle or one’s genre preference, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” is the charming game one plays as a simple escape from the world.
Kick your feet up and relax during the COVID-19 quarantine and play this relaxing game to pass the time.
