Review: How ‘New Horizons’ compares to other ‘Animal Crossing’ games

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Nintendo recently released a new “Animal Crossing” game where you get to design your own town on a deserted island. It has been eight years since the last game, so anticipation was high.

Exactly how does “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” stack up to the other games?

“Animal Crossing” (2001)
This was the first “Animal Crossing” game released in the United States, but technically the second in the series behind Japanese Dōbutsu no Mori, which translates to “Animal Forest.” The Nintendo GameCube game followed a non-customizable character who was the only human resident in a town full of animals. This was the game that truly defined the “Animal Crossing” series, as it introduced characters such as Tom Nook, Rover and Mr. Resitti. In addition, the game was played in real-time, observing holidays such as Christmas and Independence Day. You could fish, catch bugs, pay off your mortgage and even attend fitness classes. “Animal Crossing” also came with a memory card that had additional NES games on it.

“Animal Crossing: Wild World” (2005)
Made especially for the Nintendo DS, this game holds a special place in my heart. It was the first “Animal Crossing” game I personally owned and I remember spending hours collecting bugs and fish for the museum curator Blathers to display. Similar to the first game, “Wild World” followed real time, meaning it would even snow during the cold months! However, in this game, there were far more customization options with the help of resident tailors, the Able sisters. The town could also be modified by cutting down trees or planting flowers. If you ignored the game for a while, weeds would pop up all over town. “Wild World” also introduced the ability to draw constellations in the sky and utilized both screens on the DS to display both the ground and the sky.

“Animal Crossing: City Folk” (2008)
This is one of the top-selling Wii games of all time, with 3.38 million copies sold. “City Folk” continues to follow the basic layout of the other two games, but introduced a city aspect where the player could get their hair done, buy clothes or even see a movie. Previously there were only two shops in the village plaza, so this made the game more enjoyable. New characters were also introduced, such as Kicks, a skunk who makes customized shoes, and Phineas, who loved to give out prizes. Unfortunately, the number of villagers decreased from 10 in “Wild World” to only eight in “City Folk.” Compared to the other two games, this one was a lot harder to get into if you weren’t familiar with the other games in the series simply because of all the new controls and activities.

“Animal Crossing: New Leaf” (2012)
“New Leaf” was made available only for the Nintendo 3DS. What made this game fun was that your character became the new mayor of the town rather than just a resident. Similar to “City Folk,” “New Leaf” had a main street with all different kinds of shops. This was also the first time the player could customize the exterior of the house. Some other new features included living in a tent prior to the construction of your home, enacting city ordinances and public works projects, hanging pictures on the walls and a brand new furniture store ran by llamas Reese and Cyrus. New Leaf was a breath of fresh air, as being mayor not only gave you many more customization options but gave you many more responsibilities. (Remember, because Animal Crossing is supposed to be played in real time, it wouldn’t be long before the player ran out of things to do for the day.) “New Leaf” made play time even longer.

“Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp” (2017)
“Pocket Camp” is a free app developed by Nintendo in which the player can create campsites and house animals. Although it is not considered a part of the main “Animal Crossing” games, like the console games, you can fish, catch bugs, plant flowers and buy clothes and furniture. Some aspects of the game are carried into the new “Animal Crossing” game, such as crafting, which is why I am including it in this article. If you are someone interested in getting into the Animal Crossing scene, I would recommend this app!

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons” (2020)
New Horizons not only broke selling records but has also given millions of people something to do during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like the app “Pocket Camp,” the player can craft furniture and tools to have at any time. Instead of traveling to a new town, you join Nook and two other villagers on a deserted island getaway, where the goal is to make the island ready for living. Not only can you fully customize your character, but you can even change their hair and skin color. Additionally, the island contains new collectibles like weeds and stacks of wood that aid you in crafting. For the first time, players can cross rivers without bridges by pole vaulting and can climb cliff sides with ladders.

Personally, I haven’t been this excited for an “Animal Crossing” game since the release of “City Folk” simply because there are so many new things to do and explore! This is also a good introduction game for beginners or new players because the layout is different and there are a lot of introductions and explanations. If you have the time and the money, get “New Horizons.” You won’t be disappointed!

—sydney.dahle@aggiemail.usu.edu

@DillyDahle