Welcome back to The Backlog, where we review video games based on a certain topic each month. In April, we’ve been exploring “relaxing” games to dispel the tension and stress from upcoming finals. Although the popularity of this title has died down since its release, I still believe that “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” deserves to be mentioned in this column.
Nintendo released “ACNH” for the Nintendo Switch in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to its sales because audiences were stuck in their homes and needed more forms of entertainment. I distinctly remember playing the game while sitting at my desk on Google Meet calls with my class — trust me we all did it. “ACNH” is the fifth main entry to the “Animal Crossing” franchise. Other games were playable on systems like the Wii and the Nintendo DS.
Generally, each game involves the player moving to a town or city as a new resident, but “ACNH” expands on this by having the player move to a remote island as its first inhabitant, courtesy of Tom Nook’s getaway package. You are joined by two other residents who come with their own quirky personalities. You must turn the island into a five-star destination by building infrastructure and greenery and adding more residents.
The closest thing to a plot that “ACNH” has is building the necessary infrastructure and upgrading your own home. A tanuki named Tom Nook loans the player bells — the currency in all the “Animal Crossing” games — in order for you to progress. Essentially, the game is about taking out loans and scrambling to pay them back. In retrospect, it’s not quite as relaxing when put this way since it reflects the experience of many college graduates.
It’s much easier to repay loans by selling bugs, fish, flowers, fruit and other goodies on your island. There is also no interest added onto these loans (wish the same could be said for mine). Some buildings you help create are the museum, Nook’s Cranny, the Able Sisters and the Campsite. Certain NPCs are designated to each of these facilities: the twins Timmy and Tommy (also known as the Nooklings) run Nook’s Cranny, the hedgehogs Sable and Mabel run the Able Sisters as a clothing store and the owl Blathers runs the museum.
Personally, I’ve always loved the museum the most in all of the “Animal Crossing” games, collecting all the creatures and fossils scratches the completionist part of my brain. In one of the recent updates, the museum has also become the home of The Roost, a cafe operated by the pigeon Brewster. Even though I don’t like the taste of coffee, I do appreciate the aesthetic associated with it, plus the little cafe cups are cute!
The “Happy Home Paradise DLC” was released in November of 2021. It comes with more customizable features in your home along with the opportunity to create vacation homes for more NPCs. As a member of the Paradise Planning Team, players can fulfill their dreams as interior designers and have fun sharing their designs with others.
Although “ACNH” is a great way to unwind from society, it also comes with multiplayer features through online or local play. Multiple people can play on the same island on the same Switch, but only the player who started the game can be the Resident Representative, who can make buildings and such. You can also have players visit you from different islands, meaning different Switches. This feature is what made it so appealing during the pandemic, people could interact and play with each other during quarantine and still feel connected.
The main pitfall with all of the “Animal Crossing” games is that once you’ve grinded out all of the quests, there’s nothing left to do besides customize. “ACNH” is no exception to this. Once you’ve decorated your island and moved all the buildings to your pleasure, there isn’t much else to do in it. The seasons do change in real time so there is some incentive for you to play and collect all the fish and bugs but beyond that it can become dull. Once all of your loans are paid, there isn’t much else to do. Also, players may find themselves exhausted with how much time and effort they’ve put into their island. Once the initial excitement wears off you come to realize you’ve played the game to completion, even though there is no real ending to the game. At that point, the only thing left for you to do is restart the game and begin from scratch again.
Rating: 4/5