Animal Crossing: New Leaf

 3DS
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 920 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 799 out of 920
  2. Mixed: 76 out of 920
  3. Negative: 45 out of 920
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  1. omfgkj
    Jul 21, 2023
    10
    The game is amazing! Calm and fun, where you aren't forced to do anything. The characters are lovable, the music fits perfectly, and it's a fun calm game at general.
  2. romapavlov
    May 15, 2023
    10
  3. MythicallyLegen
    Apr 8, 2023
    9
    I think to this day it’s the best animal crossing game there is. Much was added compared to the previous versions, town was lively and interesting, multiplayer was casual and fun. Only downsides are it can get quite repetitive but thats kinda animal crossing in a nutshell.
  4. oopkp
    Apr 1, 2023
    10
    FINALLY THEY GOT FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA TO DIRECT AN ANIMAL CROSSING GAME! He made 'em an offer they couldn't refuse and got his spot in the director's seat for the first time since the Godfather Part III (although I've never seen that movie). His influence shines through in every part of the game. First of all, the weeds of Wild World are massively toned down since this game came out 8FINALLY THEY GOT FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA TO DIRECT AN ANIMAL CROSSING GAME! He made 'em an offer they couldn't refuse and got his spot in the director's seat for the first time since the Godfather Part III (although I've never seen that movie). His influence shines through in every part of the game. First of all, the weeds of Wild World are massively toned down since this game came out 8 years later, meaning there hasn't been as much time for weeds to accumulate in my town. But also, Tom Nook is clearly inspired by crime boss Michael Corleone. Nook's corruption peaks in this entry, as he scams the player with really expensive houses. They also made him have a more sinister personality which I really appreciated. My only problem with this game is that it lost some of the charm that the other games had, but it's still a masterpiece in my eyes.… Expand
  5. SatinFoil
    Jan 1, 2023
    10
    My favorite 3DS game, and most favorite animal crossing game (other then original)! If you have a 3DS, I definitely recommend playing it!
  6. Dairy
    Sep 19, 2022
    10
    An absolute masterpiece of a game, it has everything an animal crossing game has ever needed, it isn’t watered down like New Horizons, I would say NL is the most balanced in then series feature wise. The music is simply outstanding like 5pm, 7pm, and even the main street theme! Only complaints are grass deterioration, and the lack of other minor special npcs like Frillard, or Serena butAn absolute masterpiece of a game, it has everything an animal crossing game has ever needed, it isn’t watered down like New Horizons, I would say NL is the most balanced in then series feature wise. The music is simply outstanding like 5pm, 7pm, and even the main street theme! Only complaints are grass deterioration, and the lack of other minor special npcs like Frillard, or Serena but that’s pretty much it. If you have to play only one game in the series it has to be New Leaf.… Expand
  7. varkaromlu
    Jun 13, 2022
    9
    The game was very addicting. I played it for two hours or more a day, everyday, for months. After a while, it gets really repetitive, so I dropped it. But the time I spent on the island was magical, a really great experience.
  8. Paperplayer
    Apr 13, 2022
    10
    To be honest its better than new horizons because of the villagers they have more emotion in this game than the villagers in new horizons but you can't build outside allthough there are items that would look better placed outside but okay I always wanted a steamroller inside my house.
  9. Anthony_is_AFK
    Mar 9, 2022
    10
    While I may sound like pretty much everyone in the Animal Crossing community, I think this is one of the best AC games, I think the mechanic of being the mayor is one of the best ideas, it really changes the gameplay compared to the games before it. The character customization is great with tons of different options for clothing and tons of new hairstyles (with some of them not evenWhile I may sound like pretty much everyone in the Animal Crossing community, I think this is one of the best AC games, I think the mechanic of being the mayor is one of the best ideas, it really changes the gameplay compared to the games before it. The character customization is great with tons of different options for clothing and tons of new hairstyles (with some of them not even appearing in New Horizons to this day). The UI is easy and simple to understand for new players, and also has that Animal Crossing charm to it of course. The special NPCs are very charming and unique (my personal favorite being Digby), the music is great, and the online is fun. If your thinking about getting an Animal Crossing game soon would 100% recommend you to pick up a cheap 3DS or 2DS and get this game because it is one of my favorite video games of all time, and I think you should play this if you are interested in playing life simulation games, but speaking of life simulation games, I just want to say Animal Crossing is absolutely nothing like Tomodachi Life, they are completely different games with completely different art styles, gameplay, UI, and controls.… Expand
  10. albegres
    Feb 5, 2022
    9
    89/100
    This game has so much charm and is so incredibly relaxing. Animal Crossing is unique in the gaming industry and you need to play it to understand it. At the beginning you might not understand it, but the more you play it the more you enjoy it
  11. MunhozMCM
    Nov 4, 2021
    9
    My Score:

    (9) - Great!

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
  12. KNX2501
    Jul 17, 2021
    8
    Es un buen juego sobre todo si disfrutas de realizar pequeñas tareas para pasar el tiempo. Lo recomiendo para jugadores casuales o para aquellos que quieran algo mas relajante.
  13. dojarat
    Jun 16, 2021
    10
    truly one of the best games on the 3Ds, i remember when i first picked this game up in 2013 i continued playing consistently for almost 5 years and i still find myself checking in on my villagers!
  14. TheBlueBouquet
    May 14, 2021
    10
    Even though Animal Crossing: New Leaf is not a perfect game, I think it has way more personality, more things to do, and more life compared to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and is the closest you can get to perfection. When I was playing the game for two to three months, I really got board of the game because there wasn't anything to keep me interested. As of now, there are less buildings,Even though Animal Crossing: New Leaf is not a perfect game, I think it has way more personality, more things to do, and more life compared to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and is the closest you can get to perfection. When I was playing the game for two to three months, I really got board of the game because there wasn't anything to keep me interested. As of now, there are less buildings, shops and other places you can visit, villager dialogue is far more repetitive, there are less special characters to interact with, and most of the "new" features added into the game are honestly nothing special. Sure, teraforming gives the more creative players more freedom when designing their town, but for the interactive players, myself included, are held back by these selling points of the game. Also, the updates in that game are re-adding things from New Leaf that were already in the game at-launch and were spread out monthly to pad out development time and adding things in the game so that they can give the developers more time to implement things at their own pace. Sure, in New Leaf, there was only one update, but it added substantial amounts of content. And in that game, the execution was so much better because of how they envisioned the game. And taking your mark as mayor sure helped to change the conventions of the franchise and gave players more freedom with what they can do. And in this game, there are far more special characters, lots of fun mini-games to play with yourself, or with friends, and much, much more. And since New Horizons was held back by a global pandemic, it was stopped from being the best it could be. And since New Leaf was developed when there was any compromises, they didn't have to worry about delaying content implementation. And New Leaf just is much more special to me, and I will continue playing it for many years to come.… Expand
  15. Hedaki
    May 12, 2021
    9
    Amazing! Amazing! And Amazing! The only thing is that the music in the OG GCN game is better, but in place, it puts you as mayor on a town.
  16. Kefero
    May 7, 2021
    9
    Animal Crossing: New Leaf kept me interested until the end. It's a very good and interesting game. If you want engaging material, then look no further. With Animal Crossing: New Leaf, you become a mayor of a town. I would recommend Animal Crossing: New Leaf to any fan of the genre.
  17. CharlestonBit
    May 2, 2021
    10
    This game.... Its quite powerful,
    To Anyone who has never played it before you need to, the game itself is great but there's something else that is just really amazing. It has this memorable spark of nostalgia after a few months of playing and that never goes away. Which is why this game is a 10 out of 10!
  18. yeet2009
    Apr 11, 2021
    10
    I love this game its really fun its a lot (in my opinion) the best one in the series, better than "New Horizons"
  19. redpandaman
    Apr 6, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. this si my 4th fav game behind 1.cat quest 2 2. cat quest 3. terraria btw reccomend all of them cat quest 1 2 are cheap on switch well terraria isent that cheap its more cheap on mobile and also on pc okay but new leaf is amazing its better than the sequal the costs for the furniture is cheap which is nice you dont have to use your retirement funds to buy the good looking stuff also the progression in the shopping district also the game is just fun i can imagine myself decorating my house over and over and over again because i can afford all the furniture and there is no cap of how many you can get per day well 10 because your mail will fill up but you can then time trave to get the stuff and then boom also the island and tours are so good… Expand
  20. TG098
    Apr 6, 2021
    10
    Really fun, one of, if not the best 3ds game. I have put 100's of hours in and it still has something new to offer every single day. Every villager has so much character, which I can not say about new horizons, in my opinion the best game in the series.
  21. obthegeek
    Nov 22, 2020
    10
    the pinnacle of the series, and one of my all time favourite games. i've sunk so many hours into this game for a reason. i'll always love the memories i made with it.
  22. Luccio
    Oct 20, 2020
    8
    New Leaf brought animal crossing to a whole new generation with marvelous splendor and arguably perfected the gameplay loop. Incredible game anyone can enjoy, however derivative it is of its previous entries.
  23. TEMP0
    Sep 6, 2020
    10
    Best Animal Crossing game of all time, or maybe even one the best games of all time. The 4th installment of the Animal Crossing franchise is an endless experience that can allow hundreds of hours of open-ended gameplay.

    New Leaf is something I'd recommend for many people
  24. jikflet
    Jun 26, 2020
    10
    Is July 2020. While everyone is playing AC new Horizons, I had the crazy idea of buying New Leaf for my 3ds. never played any Animal Crossing game before and I thought, why not. ? lets see whats all about. I Still love my 3ds so one more game to play on it. An oh, boy ..! I get it now ! Im obsessed trying to make my town the best I can. this is a 10/10 game. One day ill buy theIs July 2020. While everyone is playing AC new Horizons, I had the crazy idea of buying New Leaf for my 3ds. never played any Animal Crossing game before and I thought, why not. ? lets see whats all about. I Still love my 3ds so one more game to play on it. An oh, boy ..! I get it now ! Im obsessed trying to make my town the best I can. this is a 10/10 game. One day ill buy the switch version, but for now I think I have years of fun on my 3ds. Great game for sure! it relaxes me. is peaceful and calm. is a pleasure to pay your loan and to get money for town development,. Is someone by any chance is reading this and still on 2020, want to buy this game, let me tell you is absolutely worth it. And maybe even more than New horizons, as this one is compete and all content is there. no need to wait for more content updates. The entire game with all items, bugs, fishes, etc is here and I love that as a retro gamer.… Expand
  25. Nico49
    Jun 13, 2020
    8
    I had a lot of fun with this game. The chracters have charm, the gameplay will never be boring, the grafic is nice and the soundtrack too.
  26. Big_Ravioli
    May 23, 2020
    9
    Thank you, loyal citizens of my town, for donating a combined total of 5 bells towards a new trash can while I spend hundreds of thousands of bells in order to complete it. Truly, if it weren't for your help, we'd never be able to throw away our garbage.
  27. AskAtlas
    May 5, 2020
    8
    About eight years ago, Nintendo released this beautiful masterpiece with very few flaws to criticize over. There are native fruits and island fruits, which seems the island fruits have disappeared from the next title: New Horizons. I have enjoyed the role of mayor and because I just got the game a month ago, I decided to time travel backwards to its release date to experience everything,About eight years ago, Nintendo released this beautiful masterpiece with very few flaws to criticize over. There are native fruits and island fruits, which seems the island fruits have disappeared from the next title: New Horizons. I have enjoyed the role of mayor and because I just got the game a month ago, I decided to time travel backwards to its release date to experience everything, event for event.

    I have enjoyed minigames, decorating my town with every fruit (some I got from Harvest Day), and using features like Dream Suites.

    This game however, is not perfect and some things did bother me, such as why an putdoor bench could not be placed outside after buying it from Nook Emporium? However, this added charm to the house interior because no longer did I see a house as a house, but each room for its own story. I was sad when I realized island minigames, island fruits, Gracie, Brewster did not make it to our island adventure practically foretold by tortimer island. I saw there was also a campsite where I vould buy stuff, a flea market where I could put stuff for sale for any villager to consider...this was a charm in New Leaf that sadly never moved forward. How does pocket camp, a mobile game, have more fruits than a Switch title (not that all fruit and vegetables came to New Leaf either)?

    Nintendo should consider making New Horizons a superior title, combing all of what Animal Vrossing games have and could offer. I am thankful for this experience, and I wish New Leaf wasn't superior to New Horizons in my experience, but until all of this could be incorporated there, I prefer my town compared to my island.    … Expand
  28. martimnog
    Apr 22, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is Animal Crossing at its best, even though "New Horizons" came to the Switch this year, I will buy this game myself and I recommend this game to anyone who likes fun RPGs and open world games.
    The fact that you are the mayor in this game unlike any other entry in the franchise helps to grow your creativity by not only decorating and putting stuff in your house but by decorating and putting stuff in a whole town. 10/10.

    (@martimnog in Twitter)    … Expand
  29. flyingbeaver
    Apr 20, 2020
    10
    This game is unbeatable. There’s so many things to do everyday. The shops are really cool and upgradable. The characters have really fun personalities. The holiday events are something to look out to every year. All the easter eggs in this game are unbelievable. I have played this game for 6 years straight and even the day before ACNH came out, i found new info about this game. A straight 10.
  30. md5fungi
    Apr 1, 2020
    9
    Animal Crossing: New Leaf may very well be the king of casual gaming.

    Having arrived in your new town by train, the local residents mistake you for the mayor. Despite your pleas to the contrary, they are completely convinced, and you hilariously end up taking upon the role. The quirky, humorous charm of the game starts here and pervades every facet of the adorable world you’ll be a part    Animal Crossing: New Leaf may very well be the king of casual gaming.

    Having arrived in your new town by train, the local residents mistake you for the mayor. Despite your pleas to the contrary, they are completely convinced, and you hilariously end up taking upon the role. The quirky, humorous charm of the game starts here and pervades every facet of the adorable world you’ll be a part of.

    The goal of the game is simple but open-ended: expand your town and furnish your house. If the game has one shortcoming, it’s that the various activities you can take part in gradually unlock as you progress through the game. The first few days in particular give you very little to do besides catching bugs and fishing, but after that, there is a massive amount of content that awaits.

    Massive is no understatement: yes, the main activities include fishing, catching bugs, planting and harvesting fruit, buying and selling items and furniture, and doing favors for residents, but there’s so much more here. You can inflate prices of items and convince residents to buy them on the flea market, shake beehives out of trees and carefully swipe the bees for a generous profit (this can be tricky at first to do without getting stung), acquire a golden shovel that allows you to literally plant money trees, open a coffee shop that you can work at, and even travel to a tropical island that has extremely valuable bugs, fish, and a slew of mini-games that provide you with medals to buy special items (not to mention exotic fruit you can swipe mid-game).

    Making money (or “bells” in this series) is a central part of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. You’ll take out loans to expand your house, which you’ll pay back with large sums of bells. Public works projects (e.g. bridges, police station, coffee shop) cost bells, as well as items, tools, and furniture. The great thing about the game is that most activities are very viable for making bells. There are extremely valuable fish and bugs, as well as fossils that sell for very good prices. Shaking trees often results in items and bells falling out, not to mention the aforementioned valuable bees. Even hitting rocks with your shovel will occasionally result in valuable ore or again, a ton of bells. There’s even a sort of stock market with turnips in the game that can yield incredible profits.

    Even more impressive is the fact that the game world is constantly changing without you even doing anything. The game plays out in real time, so if you are playing at night, it’s night in the game, which means you can do certain things like attend nightclub shows that you couldn’t do during the day. As the seasons change in real life, the seasons change in Animal Crossing, which affects the availability of bugs and fish, the look of the town, and what events take place.

    Special events keep the game exciting. On April Fool’s day, a character will show up in your town and impersonate villagers, and you are tasked with figuring out who the impostor is. Every so often, fishing tournaments are held. A fun spin on trick-or-treating takes place every Halloween.

    Overall, New Leaf is pretty close to being the ultimate casual video game. There’s an astounding amount of content here, and one could easily spend hundreds of hours exploring all of it.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best 3DS Game of 2013
4
#4 Most Discussed 3DS Game of 2013
4
#4 Most Shared 3DS Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 70 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 70
  3. Negative: 0 out of 70
  1. Pelit (Finland)
    Oct 7, 2013
    91
    Animal Crossing: New Leaf is excellent for meditation, coffee breaks, grinding, goofing around, self-expression and, naturally, having loads of fun. [Aug 2013]
  2. Level7.nu
    Sep 10, 2013
    70
    It is not too shabby to be a major. Animal Crossing New Leaf continues the series tradition of being as charming as it is relaxing. The repetitive nature of the tasks in the game has an allure that somehow never gets old. Fans will of course feel right at home and welcome the occasional tweaks and news the game has to offer. It’s just too bad that New Leaf while being a game with lots of content still offers very few surprises.
    Read full review
  3. Universo Nintendo
    Aug 26, 2013
    100
    Animal Crossing: New Leaf represents not only the pinnacle of the series, but also the ingenuity of the life simulation genre.
    Read full review
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