Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Is It Still Worth It?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons was my first encounter with the 19-year-old Nintendo series about chatty animals. The game almost immediately knew this, and the introductory instructions on 'how, where, and what' took about half an hour. This would have been the case even if I were already familiar with the series. At the outset, they asked me all sorts of things, like which hemisphere of the planet I lived in, to ensure I wasn't a flat-earther because the Earth isn't flat in this game. They asked me this to determine the season in my location so the game would synchronise with my region. I heard that this is a hallmark of Animal Crossing, following the real-time clock and calendar. This game is no different – when you play it in the morning, it's morning in the game, and in the evening, spiders come out to dance. But let me go back to the beginning of my adventure: raccoons Timmy and Tommy Nook offered me a trip to a deserted island, which was a bit strange because they didn't ask for any money. They were chattering so much that I didn't have time to ask: who can pay for this anyway?

This game came out in March of 2020 when the global pandemic hit and was a huge hit. It even inspired scientific studies. But is it worth getting?

The Story of Animal Crossing: New Horizons

I landed on the island with two other unfortunate souls, Sparro the parakeet and Reneigh the horse. I didn't panic when we found ourselves on a deserted island – after all, I'm a veteran of the reality show Survivor. I've been watching it for almost two decades. Raccoon Tom Nook told us to find our spot for a tent, and I immediately ran off in search of an isolated location. Just in case, God forbid, a viral outbreak occurs someday, it's good to have a house at the end of the village. Raccoon Nook maliciously omitted to tell me that each relocation from the selected location would cost 50,000 bells. What a racket!

Later, we gathered in the main square, and that's when the hard work began. I had to collect branches to make a fishing rod, which foreshadowed my fate in the rest of the game. Before going to bed, the raccoon bid me farewell with a bill – you have to pay for your island's land, but not with real money because he saw that I was broke. Instead, you must work, just like in Rihanna's famous song.

My work is paid in Nook Miles currency; the silver lining is that you earn it with everything except running and breathing. Have you pulled out twenty weeds? Great – here are some Nook Miles cookies. Have you caught a tire instead of a fish? Hooray, you still get a reward! Are you hanging out with Reneigh, the horse in her tent? That's a reward, but here are some Nook Miles anyway!

The Gameplay

Over time, I made the necessary tools like an axe, shovel, fishing rod, and watering can. I smashed and chopped trees and rocks with these tools, collected resources, and earned to pay off my debt. Fortunately, I didn't have to pay for utilities, at least something. But when I paid off the land debt, raccoon Nook threw me into another loan – this time for a house. However, this loan couldn't be paid off with Nook Miles currency, only with Bells – cash only. He said I was lucky because he didn't charge any interest but didn't give me a deadline. As if paying off the loan wasn't a heavy burden on my shoulders, Nook forced me to invite new neighbours to our island. So I flew with Dodo Airlines to other islands, cut down all the trees and dug up all the flowers, destroyed nature, and returned with pockets full. I did this a few more times.

I realised that the game repeats only 2-to 3 different islands, and I could never choose where I wanted to go. Sometimes, I needed rocks to build a bird fountain, but Dodo Airlines dropped me on an island entirely of bamboo and coconuts. They're worse than Ryanair – 2,000 Nook Miles for a ticket, and then I can't choose where to go. Well, at least they don't charge me for visiting other players. Nintendo charges that part because it requires a subscription to Switch Online.

The Grind elements of Animal Crossing: New Horizons

I spent my days in a brutal and unrelenting routine. Hit a tree three times and pick up materials three times. Catch a yellow butterfly, and hear a lousy pun every time that all butterflies should be yellow because BUTTERflies. Cast a line, and the fish doesn't notice, rinse and repeat. The shovel breaks from digging, so make a new one. Daily tasks for Nook Miles were always the same:

1. Plant a tree.

2. Sell fruit.

3. Spend money to make money.

4. Pull up 500 weeds for a reward.

5. Catch 1,000 bugs.

6. Grind more than in Korean MMOs.

   
   

But I can't say that the cyclic futility of AC's existence, New Horizons, didn't have its charm. Oh, how I rejoiced when I used a slingshot to pop a balloon from which 30,000 Bells fell. What a lottery, man. I found it endearing when I encountered an owl who told me that stargazing at night makes sense because if you see a shooting star, you can make a wish, which will pay off financially.

The Long Haul Play

Animal Crossing is still a game designed to be played "in the long run" day by day, all year round. I respect that, but in my first adventure before the game's release, it wasn't pure fun but constant shifts between sympathy and exhausting repetition. I could endure the repetition of various tasks, but every time, I had the thought in my head that the game intentionally slows down with awful menus and interfaces. Every in-game action triggers unnecessary notifications that halt progress.

Here's an example. One day, the store charges double for selling a table. I have enough materials to make ten such tables, but the game doesn't allow me to make them ten at a time, but one by one. And it goes something like this. You come to the crafting table, press the button, and then it asks if you want to use that table to craft something. You press the button again. Then it offers options Yes and No. Yes, I want to. Find what you want to make, and pressing the button again asks if you will make it. Yes, I want to. Ten tables - ten crafting animations, fair enough. Notification: Look, I've made what you told me to make. Okay, great, let's move on (press the button again). A menu appears: do you want to continue crafting, or are you done? So, like this: making ten tables in this game requires eighty button presses on the controller. I'm not kidding; I counted. And those are just tables. The game assumes you'll craft thousands of things during gameplay.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons doesn't stop there

Here's example number two. I want to convert Nook Miles into cash by buying vouchers. Can I buy five vouchers at once? No way! Theoretically, I can – I have enough Nook Miles for it, but why would it be that simple? When I approach the machine, there's always a welcome message (press the button). Please select the following option (press the button): choose the Redeem NM option (press the button), and select the Bells Voucher (press the button). Do you want to? (press the button), yes, I want to (press the button). Your Voucher has been printed (press the button to continue). Please take it to the store to redeem (press the button to continue). Do you want anything else (press the button to continue)? No, I don't (press the button once more). Thank you for using the service (PRESS THE BUTTON). So, if I want to buy five vouchers in a row, the game will tell me where to redeem them five times. I must press the A button on the controller 55 times for five vouchers.

In Conclusion

If you're already a fan of this series, most of these positive and negative critiques are probably familiar to you. In this regard, New Horizons doesn't bring "new horizons," but it emphasises the problematic interface with a focus on crafting that has been present for years. However, it's far from saying that no progress has been made. Now, up to four players can play in local multiplayer, and up to eight can interact online. There's a rudimentary tool for designing things so that you can create shirts and furniture with your designs and more. It's vital that the environment can finally be modified as desired, meaning you can create your own rivers, lakes, and so on. Progress has been made in the inventory system with a broader and automatic stacking of same-type items. This seems like a minimal shift for a series almost two decades old, but it will be of great significance to the fans.

If, like me, you're encountering Animal Crossing for the first time, I can attest that the game has exciting things and adventures. Among other things, I talked to ghosts, completed the museum's fossil exhibit, built bridges, planted gardens, had a photo shoot in the photography studio, ran away from wasps, designed an island flag, composed melodies, and so on. When it comes to fun activities, it's best to enjoy them in short bursts of 15-20 minutes per day, even if there's some repetition involved. If your kid is discovering Animal Crossing, this is the perfect start for you two to play together.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has an ESRB rating of E for everyone, and we can't recommend it enough... If you're into this sort of thing.