My lockdown obsession and happy place
KaipoNat·1 min read
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)
Other reviews of Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Link8/10What have I done to myself...
I am writing this review on one of the lull periods in Animal Crossing New Horizons, which I am very grateful for or I would rarely put down my switch! I didn't jump on the Animal Crossing hype straight away because I didn't understand the premise, especially considering my most recent play-throughs on switch have been Fire Emblem: Three Houses and Zelda BOTW. Drastically different style of games. But with being an avid Reddit reader and having friends who have spoke highly of the game, I decided to take the bait... all I can say Is, what have I done to myself?! (And also, I really hope it isn't just another sea bass!!) I found myself debating over player name, island layout and island name far longer than I probably should have, but I felt from the moment I started the game I was trying to think 10 steps ahead to what I wanted my finalised island to represent. Unfortunately I should have been thinking 200 steps ahead! Every small decision seems to matter, where I placed my tent, what fish I decided to sell, what hemisphere I wanted to live on, who I invited to live on my island, what tree I decided to shake to get my tree branches etc, you get the point! For now, I am thrilled with my Fire Emblem theme (helped by the ability to download designs via QR codes).  I completely understand peoples frustrations with the real time aspect to this game, and there has been times I have been tempted to time skip, but I have found some positives to not doing this. Since lockdown begun, I woke up the earliest I have done this morning, just to check which creatures roamed my island in the early hours of the morning. I settled down to a no distractions movie last night because I had completed all the necessary tasks I had to do during the day on my island. Finally, during the pretty insane times we are living through at the moment, its quite nice to know you have some surprise waiting for you the next day in your mailbox or the excitement of how a construction site will end up looking once its complete!  I find the online game play with friends just hilarious, why does sending a text message to someone seem so much better when its taken you 5 minutes to type one sentence via the friends app on your nook phone?! Also purposely and wastefully spending your bells on buying clothes just to annoy your friend by stealing their style!  I only have a few negatives about this game, I do not like the fact you cannot freely change the camera angle as you wonder, I keep missing weeds behind trees!! Secondly I find it slightly annoying to hear the same sentence from a character if I'm selling or donating several times in one day. Lastly, I wish they would allow even small shifts in layout and design because I don't want to spend loads of bells just because my first two neighbours houses are one step out of sync with the other!! Although there is no deep strategy involved in this game, this makes it a real gem for me. I so often rush through games just to say "Right well completed that game" so when there is no actual end game, it makes gameplay a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. I guarantee I will spend many more hours and days on this game, finding myself in wonderful and sometimes very strange/creepy places..... (I'm talking about you Harvey!)  Originally published on 29 April 2020.
Token9/10My Chance to Just Get Away
On the morning of March the 20th this year, I was relishing the opportunity to get stuck into slaying demons, performing glory kills and just enjoying the gunplay that I was expecting with Doom: Eternal. Then, Animal Crossing: New Horizon dropped through the postbox and changed everything. It was meant to be a present for my girlfriend, but I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Surely it wasn't that good of a game? So I popped it into my Switch. source: Imgur/ Titmouseman Right from the get-go, I was hooked. I was not expecting to enjoy this sedentary pace of life quite as much as I did. Arriving onto my chosen island I got to meet the master and commander of the island, Tom Nook, and his two twin cubs Tommy and Timmy. They talked me through the basics of how to get set up and where to go to begin collecting my bugs and fish. So off I went... These last few weeks since purchasing Animal Crossing have really shown me how important games like this really are. When I need a pick-me-up or a game that will place a smile on my face, it's this game. I merrily wander around my own (semi) deserted island, gathering materials and crafting whatever items I've needed to decorate and expand my little home away from home. I have no need to wander around outside, I can do that on this idyllic retreat I have created myself. There are certain aspects of the game that I'm not overly keen on, but they are few and far between when compared with the things I love about it. For example, not being able to do things in bulk, such as crafting multiple items. Having the same species shown over and over to me when I collect them, and I don't like how much it is to move things around on the island. When I began this game I was a total and utter noob in the Animal Crossing series and had no idea that I would be building houses all over the place, putting down fountains, statues, pavements and even museums; so I had just thrown them down. This is very likely an oversight on my behalf, but I genuinely had no idea what the game entailed. Here she comes, showing off her summer dress and about to decimate my island for resources. Another frustration was not being able to allow my girlfriend (yes, we bought two copies in the end!) to visit my island whenever she wanted. Instead, I have to go to the airport and fling the gates open for her. Then when she arrives, much like she does in real life, she stops me being able to do things (jokes, she's very good to me!). If I try to perform Actions such as crafting or selling then I am greeted with a message that I have to wait for my visitor to leave. But to be honest, that's where my criticism of the game ends. Yes, this game contains a lot of repetitive actions. Gather resources, break tools, build items, sell items, build tools, gather resources... But this is the beauty of the game in my eyes, you create a cycle of chores that instead of becoming a detractor from the game actually instils a sense of calm. I know that when I pick the game up each day, I'm going to have to do the same things as I did yesterday. It's no bother. Though basic, I love being able to customise my property. So far, I've upgraded my property a number of times to give me more space to decorate. Then I've invited a load of new buddy animal creatures to come and stay on my island and helped Mr Nook out on a number of projects. I'm enjoying it. Every damn day I log in to keep up with my nook miles through the ATM machine. Every day I go and catch myself some fishies and bugs. Every day I check turnip prices and hot items. This cycle is similar to a cookie clicker game, and it has me hooked. I'm determined to make my island a thriving metropolis, even if it takes me a lot longer than everyone else. I want to see it develop and grow. I want to create and nurture these in-game friendships and I want to use Animal Crossing as my escape from the craziness that is the reality at the moment. ##Pros • Quick to up into and get up to speed with the mechanics • Unbelievable amount of items to collect, craft or find • Very satisfying when you find a new species or complete a fossil • Very appropriate graphics, that although basic, truly convey happiness ##Cons • Can get repetitive and samey after periods of play • Wish there was a way to skip all the dialogue • Would love to be able to bulk do actions, such as eating or buying. • The amount of Bass in the sea! ——— Original ratings: • Visual Design: 9/10 • Sound Design: 7/10 • Gameplay: 8/10 • Longevity: 9/10 • Fun: 10/10
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