3/24/2024 0 Comments Animal crossing in a nutshell![]() ![]() It has timers, which you can pay real money to accelerate. It has microtransactions for items and perks. If you'd only seen that game, you might assume the Animal Crossing series is a cheap Farmville clone, because the 2017 smartphone version is everything that the AC series' best games are not. However, the series' identity has been sullied in recent years by the smartphone-only spinoff Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. You go about life in a small town, do errands, talk to your colorful neighbors (all packed with reams of text, matched to the sound of 8-bit digital gibberish), accumulate and arrange furniture, and take on a series of admittedly repetitive tasks. What is Animal Crossing? On a macro level, the series lands somewhere between a feng shui simulator and a digital version of a bonsai tree. I then came to learn that the rest of the game doesn't sound nearly as creepy. I named mine after a certain Texas cult leader's compound, due to how creepy some of the game's intro text sounded out of context. You only get ten characters to write in an island name. Clearing the air about what this game is not So let's treat the game like a Tom Nook field of flowers: stop to smell the roses, then pick the interspersed weeds. And if older games in the series have left you cold, or if you don't much care for sandbox-y, building-and-gardening games, New Horizons has left too much the exact same to change your mind. If older games hooked you at the outset and then lost your interest, this version's updates have you in mind the most. If you're a lifelong AC fan, or if the idea of a pre-Internet, "building a community" sandbox video game sounds deliriously quaint, this will be in your year-end top-ten list. I have really enjoyed playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and it's the kind of game that will reinforce whatever bias you bring into it. But even in my cozy, quarantined apartment, where the game's repetition and old-school sensibilities shined brightly, I found myself puzzled and annoyed by just enough content to furrow my brow. As a longtime Animal Crossing fan, I have loved slipping into something comfortable, and that's been doubly delightful with an incredible HD-resolution overhaul. Which isn't a bad thing-especially for anyone who somehow missed the game's last monstrous entry on the 3DS in 2012. In spite of the "New Horizons" subtitle, this game leans heavily on existing mechanics, systems, characters, and even Easter eggs. And I can hop on a plane and fly to other islands without facing scrutiny from community leaders (which, in this game, means a talking, sweater-wearing raccoon named Tom Nook). I can wander freely and finish a series of zen-like errands and chores. I can help strangers with everyday tasks. Yes, I can go to friends' houses (friends who happen to be cute, anthropomorphic animals). As each day passed, citizens were encouraged to become more vigilant: to work from home, avoid large gatherings, engage in "social distancing," adjust travel plans, and otherwise reduce contact with the outside world.Īs such, my impressions of Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be forever colored by how it fit neatly into a quarantined life-and I imagine I won't be alone in that impression.įor nearly every real-life scenario that I've become anxious about, I've gotten a comforting virtual version on my new Nintendo-designed island. I received my review copy of the game at the end of February, pretty much the moment when my hometown of Seattle went on high alarm over coronavirus fears. While reviewing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the year's first major Nintendo Switch-exclusive game, I was pretty distracted. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |