Review

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Provides Much Needed Escape

The latest Animal Crossing installment is the perfect stress reliever

Reporter Maxwell Moultenbelt

The Animal Crossing series has long been a favorite of many people, bringing joy to children and adults alike. The latest game in the series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, was released on March 20th of this year, just ten days before lockdown was declared. Even in the midst of lockdown, sales have surpassed that of any other installation in the series.

New Horizons begins much like any other Animal Crossing game: with you indebted to Tom Nook and having to pay it off. However, unlike the rest of the games, you’re on an island. Consequently, what you can buy is incredibly limited, so a new mechanic has been introduced in the game - the DIY workbench. As you explore your island, you will unlock new recipes for furniture and tools, the latter of which can help you explore your island further.

The game was designed to be taken at your own pace. It has few tutorials to encourage you to take things at your own pace and to do what you want on your island. If you’d like to complete your Critterpedia and fill the museum to bursting, you can do that. If you’d like to go collecting things to sell and pay off your debt sooner, that’s also an option. While playing, the player should never feel that they’re being rushed.

This game is a perfect escape from the current epidemic that’s plaguing the world. While other people are worrying about toilet paper shortages and trading blows over cans of tinned food, you’ll be talking to your animal neighbors and collecting bugs. While this game may seem like a perfect game for the situation at hand, it does not come without flaws.

While the game is open ended and lets you go at your own pace, that turns off players who may need some direction. Another flaw is the in-game events. While most are fun with interesting in-game mechanics, the most recent Bunny Day event shows a grim future for ingame events. The Bunny Day event replaced half the ecosystem with collectible eggs for an entire week, and even more eggs would spawn on Nook Miles islands, which many players go to for resources after they’ve expended their islands resources. If this is how our first major event is going, it paints a grim picture for the games’ future.