Nintendo consoles may not be the most powerful on the market, but their exclusive games are good enough that we can all forget about power and focus on quality. Unlike Zelda, Animal Crossing and Pokémon are two of Nintendo's major franchises that tend to wait a bit when a new console is released . Luckily, New Horizons arrived just in time to ease the bitter taste of the pandemic . In this post, we'll tell you everything you need to know about the game, from its development to its differences from previous installments.
When was it released?
Animal Crossing: New Horizons arrived on Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020. This life simulator had already proven itself to be a system seller, much like the Pokémon titles have always been. The release, according to many fans, was quite late; three years passed between the Switch's launch and the release of this new installment.
The video game faced the difficult task of surpassing Animal Crossing: New Leaf, released in 2013 and the previous title in the main series of the franchise. In between are other games such as Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer and Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival on consoles , and Pocket Camp on smartphones . Over time, New Horizons has not only surpassed its 3DS predecessor but has also integrated the mechanics of the spin-offs into the main game, as we will see later.
Game development
This time, our character will move to a deserted island . They'll do so through the Deserted Island Settlement Program , an initiative by Tom Nook to revitalize remote and forgotten locations. Just like in the 3DS game, we'll be able to influence the island map to some extent . After a while, we'll land on the island in a small plane, courtesy of Dodo Airlines.
The beginning of New Horizons might be a bit of a shock for those who have already enjoyed previous Animal Crossing games, as we arrive on an island with no town hall, shops, or museum . Only two villagers will accompany us in the early stages of what will become our island paradise. As the days go by, the Nook family will give us different missions . We'll establish the town hall, Isabelle will come to lend a hand, we'll help Timmy and Tommy build their business, and we'll decide where to place the homes of the future animals who will come to live with us on our island.
Once the island's base is established, we'll continue completing tasks until we reach a key objective : attracting K.K. Slider to come and perform live on our island. Once you achieve this, the game's story will be complete —though it's more of a tutorial, so don't be alarmed when the credits roll. From this point on, we can freely explore our island , modify it as we please, and spend our time doing whatever we want.
Differences between New Horizons and its predecessors
This edition of Animal Crossing has quite a few differences compared to previous games , which followed a very similar formula. Some of the most interesting changes are the following:
Item Crafting
Animal Crossing: New Horizons borrows heavily from Minecraft and other games that have found success thanks to similar mechanics. However, the evolution of the franchise suggested that, at some point, we would eventually implement this mechanic in the game. In New Leaf , we could already customize our items. In Pocket Camp , crafting was introduced to Animal Crossing for the first time. And this mechanic is the foundation of New Horizons . For the first time, tools can be crafted . And they also break with use —until now, this only happened with the axe. We can also craft furniture and all sorts of items using recipes given to us by our neighbors and received as messages in bottles on our island's beaches.
Terraforming
In New Horizons, we'll also be able to change the environment to our liking. This new feature allows us to alter the course of rivers, create mountains, and make valleys wherever we want. However, it's not available from the start of the game ; we'll only gain this ability once our island receives the approval of visitors.
Miles Nook
The game includes a huge list of small missions that we must complete. In return, we'll receive Nook Miles, which are essentially redeemable points . We can exchange them for a multitude of items at our island's town hall.
wild islands
Using Nook Miles, you can hire Dodo Airlines to drop you off on a deserted island. The islands are procedurally generated , so you can never return to a specific one once you leave. There are islands of all kinds. Most islands will be incredibly boring, but on others, you'll find exotic species of fish or insects, minerals to craft quality tools, or even the dreaded Scorpion Island, which is the bane of many players of this game.
Since version 2.0, we can also visit Captain's islands , paying the same number of Miles to the turtle to row us there. This character, Captain, is known in previous installments for his great skill with vehicles, as we've seen him driving taxis, boats, and even a bus.
there is no mayor
Tortimer had always been the mayor of Animal Crossing . At one point, rumors circulated that the old man had passed away. However, Nintendo wanted to dispel any doubts, clarifying that the poor fellow is still among us, only now enjoying a well-deserved retirement . In his place, we'll have the ' Island Manager ,' who will be the first player to move to the island. He will have the power to move properties and make important decisions for the island . The other human players will also be considered 'original islanders,' but they won't have as much decision-making power.
home customization
Taking its cue from Happy Home Designer , the player can now organize their house in a very convenient way from a top-down view, with access to the entire drawer of objects.
Reorganization of buildings
In New Leaf you could undertake public works projects —which you paid for yourself—and this time, in addition to that, you can move any building. Thanks to this, you can create streets with residents, build your own shopping district, or practically anything you can imagine.
Nook Store
There's a downside to all these changes. Tendo and Nendo had already shown some business acumen. But they're nowhere near as good as their father. While in the previous game we could unlock a three-story shop with an integrated luxury goods store, this time around we have to settle for a rather more modest establishment. Nevertheless, players are still hoping Nintendo will update the game and release a new expansion.
Multiplayer game in New Horizons
As with all previous versions of Animal Crossing, New Horizons allows local and online multiplayer.
Local multiplayer with a single game
Two to four islanders sharing the same game can play simultaneously, each using a Joy-Con or a separate controller. This cooperative mode features a main player (who has access to their backpack) and one or more secondary players. Roles can be switched at any time. This co-op mode is very useful for farming or making money during the early hours of gameplay.
Local multiplayer between consoles
Using the Nintendo Switch's wireless connection , you can visit your friends' islands as long as you arrange to meet them and their consoles. A Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required for this mode.
Online multiplayer
Dodo Airlines can take you to any friend or family member's island, as long as you both have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership . This way, you can experience all sorts of adventures as a couple or in a group. New Horizons ' multiplayer is complemented by the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app , which integrates its own text and voice chat and also allows you to manage your Best Friends list (who will have permission to visit your island without asking, or even chop down trees and take some of your items scattered around the island).
New Horizons Bonus Content
The content of Animal Crossing: New Horizons has evolved significantly, especially during the game's first year. Improvements were introduced gradually. This allowed players to ration their playtime, balancing online play and preventing a few players from gaining too much of an advantage and spoiling the game for others during the early weeks. Apparently, Nintendo had no plans to continue expanding the game beyond its first year, but we've recently seen new updates to the base game , suggesting that it might receive further improvements in the future. A new paid DLC was also added , as we'll see below.
Nook Link
Only if you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership can you link your game to the NookLink app , which is integrated within the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app . From here, you can check island information, such as turnip prices, manage your friends, or even view the catalog of items you've unlocked.
Happy Home Paradise. The first DLC of Animal Crossing: New Horizons
The previous version, New Leaf, was the first Animal Crossing game to receive DLC. New Horizons has followed suit . On November 3, 2021, the base game received a free update to version 2.0 . This added new items, new characters, and some extra gameplay mechanics. A couple of days later, Happy Home Paradise was released, a paid DLC that brought the Happy Home Designer gameplay to this new title on Nintendo Switch.
The DLC introduces us to a vacation agency called Paradise Archipelago . Its owner, Nuria, will invite us to work with her to build houses for clients . Generally, the clients are characters we already know from the base game, and here they'll share their personal stories, which we'll have to understand and decipher to find the perfect house for them. Happy Home Paradise 's projects are actually quite simple, and we can make them more or less complex depending on how inspired we are. Part of the fun of the DLC is taking photos and sharing the designs with other players, so we can get feedback and always find new, fun, and creative ideas.
However, the DLC isn't entirely separate from the base game . It integrates very well, and in fact, you can keep some of the recipes you get in Paradise Archipelago and use them on the island or in your house.
Finally, this add-on can be obtained in two different ways . You can purchase the DLC directly from the Nintendo eShop , where this extra content will be permanently linked to your account. Alternatively, you can purchase a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership , which includes the DLC for free for one year , and also grants you access to Nintendo 64 and SEGA Mega Drive games.