Entertainment

A revisiting of Animal Crossing: The Best Games

With New Horizons’ release date approaching quickly, fans are biding their time revisiting the series

Reporter Hayden Cleavenger

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the newest iteration of the beloved Animal Crossing series, set to be released in the United States on March 20, 2020. In the meantime, Nintendo fans have been celebrating the older games of the series; but if you’re new to the series, it can seem difficult to find a starting place. As an avid Animal Crossing fan, I know the series very well.

Naturally, the original Animal Crossing released for the N64 is a beloved, yet forgotten gem overtaken by the great games that came after it. It sets the tone for the rest of the games, and introduces beloved characters such as Rover and Tom Nook; however, the graphics have not aged well, especially in comparison to the newer games.

Wild World, similarly to City Folk, was a good game that fell under the shadow of the games that came after it. It was released for the Nintendo DS in 2005, and though the graphics were very buggy and behind, it was another great addition to the series as an underrated gem.

Animal Crossing: City Folk, or Animal Crossing: Let’s Go to the City in Europe and Oceania, is almost criminally underrated. It was released on the Wii in 2008 as the third installment of the series and was immediately met with adoration. However, in later years, it has fallen under the shadow of New Leaf.

The most popular game in the series is the 3DS release, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and for good reason. The visuals and soundtrack are beautiful, and bring to life the lovable characters and the easygoing vibe of the entire series.

All in all, Animal Crossing is an easygoing and nostalgic series, with gorgeous visuals and relaxing soundtracks. Many people don’t like the series due to the supposed, “lack of direction,” but that’s the entire point of the games; Animal Crossing is meant to be a simple, relaxing game where you can simply build your town. New Horizons is already being met with the same pure adoration as the other games of the series.