The Animal Crossing series is, above all, a very unique series. There's not quite one other game that does what Animal Crossing does in exactly the same way, even within the same genre. Essentially, if someone wants the Animal Crossing experience, it's impossible to get it anywhere else. That's why fans have been waiting for Animal Crossing: New Horizons with bated breath ever since Nintendo announced Animal Crossing's delay in 2019.
It's easy to see why fans wanted a new Animal Crossing game so badly. The last main entry in the series was Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which was released eight years ago in 2012. Since then, the only source of new Animal Crossing content have been spin-offs like Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, which certainly don't replicate the core Animal Crossing experience. With the series being brought to HD and a slew of new features such as island terraforming, it seems like this could be the perfect Animal Crossing game for fans both new and old.
As early reviews trickle in, fans will be able to see how Animal Crossing: New Horizons is being received across the board. For old fans, hopefully these reviews will show that this game was worth the eight year wait; for new players, these reviews will ideally be a chance for them to justify getting into the Animal Crossing series. Here are a couple of recent reviews of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Destructoid (CJ Andriessen)
Honestly, 18 days is far too little time to generate a comprehensive assessment of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. There is still much I don't know about this game, including how in-game purchases will ultimately be incorporated. But based on what I have been able to experience, it's what I've wanted Animal Crossing to be for many years. While it fumbles its camping-inspired opening, New Horizons makes a nice recovery with a strong focus on player accomplishment, creating a potent sense of achievement in this idyllic piece of escapism.
Score: 85/100
GodIsAGeek (Adam Cook)
As a long-term fan of the series, it’s difficult to find fault in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Everything you’d want to be here, seems to be. I refused to time-skip for the review, because that’s not how I play. And that’s the thing, isn’t it? Many games will ask of you things you don’t want to do, but Animal Crossing allows you to play at your pace. It’s here for you, it’s nice to you, it demands nothing you don’t want to offer. Every time you think you’ve seen all it has to offer, it will surprise you with something new to dedicate hours toward, distracting you from the very important task of flower arranging, filling out the museum, picking up weeds, and making sure your house is “just so”, in order to receive an S rank from the Happy Home Academy (a task that’s much easier with the new 3D house arrangement tools).
Score: 10/10
NintendoLife (Alex Olney)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes Animal Crossing and not only drags it back onto home consoles, but improves upon every single facet imaginable. There's more to do, more to see, more to change, more to mould, and more to love; fans and first-time players are going to find themselves losing hours at a time gathering materials, creating new furniture, and making their island undeniably theirs. Every moment is unashamedly blissful, with excellently-written characters that truly feel alive and an island paradise that gives infinitely back more than you put in. Back when Animal Crossing: New Leaf hit the shelves all those years ago and created a whole new generation of fans, many people were wondering how Nintendo could possibly top it, but here we have our answer. This is a masterpiece that has been well worth waiting for.
Score: 10/10
Screen Rant (Cody Gravelle)
It's interesting to see just how far Animal Crossing: New Horizons pushes the series and just how flexible it has ended up being. With so many twists on the gameplay formula many have come to know and love, there was a chance that New Horizons would do too much and end up a daunting mess. Instead, it's as welcoming as ever with the added benefit of offering the freshest look at an Animal Crossing fans have ever had. While the game can be a bit plodding in places, it's never enough to detract from the way it oozes happiness at every turn. It may not be the most technically impressive or innovative game ever created, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the most enjoyable releases over the last couple years. While it's tough to say how well it will hold up over a span of months or years - and that is one of the selling points - it's not difficult to wholeheartedly recommend as yet another incredible Nintendo Switch exclusive.
Score: 4.5/5
IGN (Samuel Claiborn)
The Legend of Zelda, Pokemon, and Super Mario each found new life on the Nintendo Switch, and following those games in kind is Animal Crossing: New Horizons: An expanded, polished, next-generation reboot of a classic Nintendo game. Perhaps most importantly, like Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is full of surprises. I cannot wait to see what's to come: Seeing cool custom islands from the community, special events, season changes. It took too long to get to the most exciting part of my island renovation (until I cheated), but now that all of New Horizons is spread before me, I have plenty to do, big plans for my island, and so much to look forward to.
Score: 9/10
GamesRadar+ (Sam Loveridge)
This is an Animal Crossing game through and through, and although that comes with some time-based frustrations, that urge to just spend 'five more minutes' on your island deepens with every passing day. As your island evolves and starts to drip-feed fresh things to discover and see, you'll have the urge to check up on your toe bean-boasting critters on a daily basis more than ever before. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has perfected the gameplay loop the series is famed for, and somehow manages to keep its steady pace relevant in a world where there are plenty of genre rivals. Prepare yourself for spending many a year to come with Tom Nook and co.
Score: 4.5/5
Polygon (Russ Frushtick)
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a respite from the current state of the world. I find my general anxiety slowly subside as I run through my town, water my plants, and build furniture for the sassy chicken gentleman living down by the beach. It’s exactly what I need right now.
There are moments when I look up from a long session and realize that I’ve been ignoring everything around me. Then I take a look around at what actually is going on around me, and realize that maybe I’d better stay in my island paradise for a little while longer.
Score: Unscored
With that, it looks like Animal Crossing: New Horizons is exactly what fans wanted from a new game in the series. Similarly to Pokemon, it appears that Animal Crossing: New Horizons sticks to its core gameplay loop—which is part of its entire appeal—while adding new and fresh content in order to keep that loop engaging. At the same time, this sort of slow, calming, social interaction-focused game has a special appeal, especially at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has forced people to isolate themselves. That being said, if someone wasn't a fan of the game before, it doesn't seem like this Animal Crossing game will make a die-hard out of them. But, for fans of the genre and experienced players alike, Animal Crossing: New Horizons seems like the game that they have been waiting for.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons releases March 20 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.
