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Nintendo has finally released Animal Crossing New Horizons on the Switch (March 20th, 2020). Previous to this I have only played the Pocket Camp Edition, which was the mobile mini version of the game. New Horizons is similar to this in that you do a lot of the same concepts, but on a different level and there are more things to do/customize. Since I’ve basically spent the last two days obsessed with this game, I thought I would do a basic review of the game. I’m not doing time jumping, so I’m not that far into the game. I’ll probably do some additional posts on this in the future, though it might just be one of those games that I play a lot but don’t write a whole ton about. Since it has a more relaxed feel to it similar to Stardew Valley.
The game starts out by introducing you to Timmy and Tommy, where they ask the basics about your character and allow you to chose one of four layouts for your island. After completing their mini quiz, you’ll head to the deserted island with them, Tom Nook, and two random villagers that you meet upon arrival to the island. Some things that vary on your island besides the villagers include: airport color and fruit (cherries, oranges, peaches, apples, and pears). You can also choose whether you’re in the Northern Hemisphere or Southern Hemisphere, so the seasons match up to the ones you experience in real life. Since unlike other games I’ve played, this game’s time is in synchronization with real life. So, there’s no fast tracking in New Horizons unless you change the time on your Nintendo Switch to do so.
When you arrive on the island, Tom Nook asks you to collect wood for the fire and six fruits native to your island for a snack. For my game, my island has many cherries. Which is funny because I hate cherries in real life. I could’ve reset the game to change this, but I like my villagers (also I didn’t know I could do that). After you get to pick the name of your island.
This will be visible to other users online, provided you synchronize with them on traveling back and forth to their island. Both have to be online at the same time, and open the gates of the airport. Otherwise, there’s no travel. Also, you have to travel to an island first in order to send them mail. Which anyone who doesn’t have friends with a switch will miss out on this experience. I kind of wish they had done is similar to Pokemon Sword and Shield where the online experience was more global, so you could connect with anyone playing online.
Some of the main objectives of the game are: fishing, collecting bugs, finding fossils, popping balloons to get presents, filling out the museum, collecting Nook Miles, and building versus things.
Nook Miles are one of the two currencies in the game. The second being bells which you get from selling items, and are used to pay Tom Nook’s many loans for house expansions (of which there are five). Nook Miles can be earned by completing the objectives in the game. There are long-term goals that yield more miles, and short-term ones for quick points that can be used for upgrades, traveling to deserted islands which have more resources that cannot be found on your island, and versus other perks.
The main things to go for in the beginning is opening up the museum by collecting twenty different new items (fossils, fishes, and bugs), opening up the store by collecting resources (30 softwood, 30 hardwood, 30 wood, and 30 iron nuggets), and building a bridge to connect to another area of the island for three additional islanders. You will also need to prepare their homes prior to them moving in. In order to achieve this you’ll need quite a bit of resources and Nook Miles to take you to the other islands in order to gather those materials. I would recommend saving up 5,000 miles for the expanded inventory before heading out.
Speaking of the museum, after it’s open you can still donate any new discoveries. Which will be put into the displays and exhibits afterwards. For the most part, you’ll end up getting a lot of duplicates which can be sold at Nook’s Cranny to Tommy or Timmy for full price, or the drop-box for 80%. The store is not open 24/7, and anything that is placed in the drop-box will be paid out to your character’s savings account the following day.
Other random villagers or NPCs will show up. Some you can invite to move onto the island, and others are there for the day only. Either to sell something or because they got washed ashore. If you miss them the first time, they will come around again at a later date (or so I have been told).
Overall, I’m really enjoying this game and have not put it down since I got it. I can’t wait to see where the game goes and how it evolves from here. If you have this game, who are your villagers? Mine are Antonio, Deirdre, and Skye (she just moved in). Still waiting on the other two residents to move in, I think I know who one of them is since I invited another to join the island but I have no idea on the third new tenant.
Love ya,
Mae Polzine
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