Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise

 Switch
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 31
  3. Negative: 3 out of 31

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  1. supstar
    Nov 13, 2021
    8
    Everything in this is a well thought out and fun addition to the game that encourages daily, slow play instead of grind. Overall an excellent addition to the game that makes it feel far more like a finished game than it did at launch.

    My problem with Happy Home Designer on the 3DS wasn't that it wasn't fun, but that designing homes felt too much like a chore to be done all on its own.    Everything in this is a well thought out and fun addition to the game that encourages daily, slow play instead of grind. Overall an excellent addition to the game that makes it feel far more like a finished game than it did at launch.

    My problem with Happy Home Designer on the 3DS wasn't that it wasn't fun, but that designing homes felt too much like a chore to be done all on its own. It needed to be tied to a normal animal crossing game so you could do some designing then go back and chill, and that's exactly what we got here, with some very significant rewards for doing it.

    My only problems preventing me from giving it a 10 are the fact that you cannot use the room size options in your town, neither on your or your villagers' houses, you can't add second floors to your villagers' houses in your town, and the end reward for Happy Home (not spoiling) is not a weekly repeatable thing, because it was awesome and it's a shame we only get to see it once.

    The content is really excellent, however it's just such a huge bummer that you can't use it to it's fullest in your own town.    … Expand
  2. Happyspelling
    Nov 8, 2021
    10
    Both the 2.0 update and DLC added tons of new content to get players playing again. Happy Home Paradise is pretty much just an enhanced version of Happy Home Designer on the 3DS, which was already a pretty fun game. If you've played that you get the basic idea of the game. There's been a lot of improvements to the formula this time around. Firstly, building houses is quicker and moreBoth the 2.0 update and DLC added tons of new content to get players playing again. Happy Home Paradise is pretty much just an enhanced version of Happy Home Designer on the 3DS, which was already a pretty fun game. If you've played that you get the basic idea of the game. There's been a lot of improvements to the formula this time around. Firstly, building houses is quicker and more satisfying, which makes unlocking new stuff faster. You can invite villagers from your island, and there are a lot more customization options for houses that you can even take with you to your island. The gameplay is generally better overall, and I'd say it's worth the $25 price tag. One thing Happy Home Designer does better is the facilities. In that game you could do them whenever you wanted and they were huge, leaving tons of room for creativity. In this game, you are forced to complete them at certain points, and you can't leave until you finish. That would be okay if it gave you the option instead of just throwing you into it without warning. Also they are way smaller this time. I only did the first two facilities, so maybe it allows more freedom later on, but those first two facilities felt very restrictive. They were still fun overall, and I'm really enjoying the DLC so far. Probably the best part is that it technically allows you to have all 400+ villagers in the game. I wish the update allowed more villagers on the island, but this DLC fixes it in a way. The 2.0 update has fixed nearly every problem with the game, and now I am addicted to New Horizons once again. Please send help. Actually don't, this is the best addiction I could ask for.… Expand
  3. greninjaX
    Nov 13, 2021
    10
    yo, this new mode is awesome. i found some of the villagers i had in the wii game, and now tanks has a casino. it's frickin awesome.
  4. Syhlcam
    Nov 17, 2021
    9
    Excellent DLC qui ajoute des dizaines d'heures de jeu au titre. Le concept n'est pas nouveau mais terriblement efficace grâce aux nombreux villageois et thème de maison qu'ils demandent. Le fait d'avoir un grand nombre d'objets permet une vrai créativité et de personnalisation, que ce soit intérieur comme extérieur.

    Et le fait de débloqué les fonctionnalités progressivement est cool    Excellent DLC qui ajoute des dizaines d'heures de jeu au titre. Le concept n'est pas nouveau mais terriblement efficace grâce aux nombreux villageois et thème de maison qu'ils demandent. Le fait d'avoir un grand nombre d'objets permet une vrai créativité et de personnalisation, que ce soit intérieur comme extérieur.

    Et le fait de débloqué les fonctionnalités progressivement est cool pour par surchargé le joueurs dès le début. Le fait de récupéré ces techniques et objets sur son île est aussi une excellente idée pour donner plus de personnalisation et de différenciation entre les îles des joueurs. Un excellent DLC qui ajoute un jeu dans le jeu pour un prix raisonnable que ce soit seul ou avec le Switch Online.    … Expand
  5. juanandesign
    Nov 19, 2021
    9
    I dont really know what my browser has to do in order to rate a game here in Metacritic, this web needs improvement guys.
  6. dj188nl
    Nov 7, 2021
    9
    the long awaited dlc for animal crossing new horizons is out now.
    i have played 10 hours of the dlc. And i need to say is is good.
    it did miss a few points
  7. Lesima
    Nov 16, 2021
    0
    Me ha gustado mucho la nueva actualizacion junto con el Happy Home Paradise, hay mucho mas que hacer y es muy entretenido.
  8. tensioly
    Jun 6, 2023
    8
    Un buen DLC que añade la posibilidad de viajar a una isla a trabajar diseñando casas para los animales. Aunque la jugabilidad quizá no es para todo el mundo, yo me lo he pasado sorprendentemente bien diseñando tanto los hogares como las instalaciones que poco a poco van enriqueciendo nuestra isla. Con unos personajes bastante memorables, un argumento divertido y una gran cantidad deUn buen DLC que añade la posibilidad de viajar a una isla a trabajar diseñando casas para los animales. Aunque la jugabilidad quizá no es para todo el mundo, yo me lo he pasado sorprendentemente bien diseñando tanto los hogares como las instalaciones que poco a poco van enriqueciendo nuestra isla. Con unos personajes bastante memorables, un argumento divertido y una gran cantidad de posibilidades a la hora de decorar las casas, creo que este DLC es bastante completo y está muy bien integrado con el juego base; y lo recomiendo a todos los que se hayan quedado con ganas de más Animal Crossing. Aun así creo que es un poco caro (25€) para el contenido que ofrece. 8/10
    (05/2023)    … Expand
  9. tigerboy3050
    Nov 24, 2021
    10
    This is just... Great. It is amazing. I, like many other people, hadn't picked up animal crossing for a while, and then the 2.0 update came out, which by itself is...good I guess? But.. Happy Home Paradise is just a beautiful, perfectly balanced DLC, from the quiet Wardell, to the adorable Niko, and then to the overworked Lottie, the characters are all just amazing. Look.. The price isThis is just... Great. It is amazing. I, like many other people, hadn't picked up animal crossing for a while, and then the 2.0 update came out, which by itself is...good I guess? But.. Happy Home Paradise is just a beautiful, perfectly balanced DLC, from the quiet Wardell, to the adorable Niko, and then to the overworked Lottie, the characters are all just amazing. Look.. The price is quite steep, 25 dollars for DLC. But the DLC is a game in itself, and when you consider that, it's relatively reasonable. And while what tour paying for IS a game in itself, there still are many features that can hook into your main island, like the ability to invite your villagers to the archipelago, the ability to use your skills on your island, and even a Poki ABD to convert your Poki to Bells. There is so much here, and so much progression, which is something the base game lacks.

    Overall, there is so much to love about this DLC, so if your on the edge about it, I'd recommend just going and buying it. 10 out of 10, I love it!    … Expand
  10. sahabu
    Jul 23, 2022
    6
    not baddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd bro. just have fun with this game
  11. Dyl_lionaire
    Feb 11, 2023
    8
    This game was exactly what I was looking for compared to the base game, the interface is easy to understand and the choices for decorating never felt overbearing so overall I really enjoyed my time.

Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Best Switch Game of 2021
87
#87 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Cubed3
    Jan 16, 2026
    90
    Offering a refreshing, polished experience, Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise is an excellent DLC package to sit alongside the core Animal Crossing: New Horizons base game. Refined, flexible decorating options with a large catalogue of unlimited items mixes up the pace for creative freedom without the hording slog of the regular island. Happy Home Paradise is, quite simply, a playground of cosy fun.
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  2. Starbit
    Aug 24, 2022
    80
    Happy Home Paradise is the most ambitious and substantial expansion for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. While it's also the series' first paid expansion, its price is certainly worth it as it nearly adds a whole new game to the original with what feels like a part time job from the game's location. Happy Home Paradise is without any doubt a major contribution towards making New Horizons the most complete and varied game in the Animal Crossing series so far.
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  3. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Mar 7, 2022
    80
    If you really liked Happy Home Designer, you'll be very happy with how Happy Home Paradise improves on its formula, especially after you've worked your way up the ranks. If you're not interested in interior decorating, the only things you'll be missing out on of any note would be the ability to craft room dividers and redecorating your neighbors' homes. [Issue #57 – January/February 2022, p. 27]
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