User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6617 Ratings

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  1. Jul 8, 2020
    7
    The game is beautiful, but the lack of objectives and the fact that you have to wait a whole day for certain thing makes it feel like a mobile game instead of a triple A experience.
    Although I really enjoyed visiting other islands and the clothing customization.
  2. Jun 24, 2020
    7
    This is my first AC game. It's an adorable, relaxing game. I love setting up my island as I want it, and I love finding my ideal villagers to come live with me. The biggest issues I have with this game are:

    1. Terrible UI designed to make you take the maximum number of clicks to do any single action 2. After you've set up your island.. there's really nothing else to do. It's
    This is my first AC game. It's an adorable, relaxing game. I love setting up my island as I want it, and I love finding my ideal villagers to come live with me. The biggest issues I have with this game are:

    1. Terrible UI designed to make you take the maximum number of clicks to do any single action

    2. After you've set up your island.. there's really nothing else to do. It's really not a very replayable game.

    It's fun while it lasted, but probably not the kind of game I'll play over and over again.
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  3. Jun 24, 2020
    7
    The multiplayer part of the game needs to be better. I think everyone should be like the leader and everyone should have the same DIYs. I would also like it if every account had their own island.
  4. Jul 20, 2020
    6
    ONE ISLAND? SERIOUSLY? AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA Fuk
  5. Jul 14, 2020
    6
    Não e um jogo pra todo mundo, tem muita coisa e e repetitivo mas e um bom jogo pra quem gosta de ser casual e jogar pve
  6. Jul 13, 2020
    6
    Animal Crossing New Horizons is a overall solid game but I can’t really bring myself to say that I personally enjoy it. It has its place for people who can tolerate how slow the game is and its repetitive gameplay loop, but I don’t think that it suits me.
    The general gameplay loop is slowly upgrading your island, catching creatures to submit to Blathers, visiting new smaller islands, and
    Animal Crossing New Horizons is a overall solid game but I can’t really bring myself to say that I personally enjoy it. It has its place for people who can tolerate how slow the game is and its repetitive gameplay loop, but I don’t think that it suits me.
    The general gameplay loop is slowly upgrading your island, catching creatures to submit to Blathers, visiting new smaller islands, and that’s where it about ends. I never have a great motivation to make my island look nice or to do anything for its inhabitants due to them often feeling robotic or one note caricatures such as this guy is strong, this girl is moody, and that’s their whole personality. It’s worthy to note that your islanders personality rarely play a part in your daily gameplay, the only islanders you interact with frequently (The shoo vendors) have set in stone personalities that don’t factor into anything. So all in all it makes villagers just feel like side attractions/decorations instead of a motivator to continue upgrading your island for you and its inhabitants. To make your island look great you need tons of bells, which turnips become the primary way to farm them later on, which I dislike since they feel so disconnected to actual gameplay. In terms of the other parts of the loop, catching creatures is admittedly tedious but rewarding so I don’t have much to say on that note. But one thing I think everyone can agree on is the major design oversights that honestly I don’t have any idea how they got past play-testing. Crafting one object at a time, a long drawn out arriving cutscene that despawns any creatures near you whenever someone arrives, and more just take a noticeable toll on my enjoyment due to bow frankly annoying they are in this type of game. This isn’t to say that there’s nothing good about this game, the amount of things you can collect, your customizability, multiplayer, and general aesthetic are all things to take into account. The character designs are adorable, and nothing about the game aside from those oversights really frustrates me, but it’s just not my cup of tea. If you’re into those games where you can collect tons of stuff, and are a fan of its slow pace and relaxed nature, I’d say it’s for you. My final rating is a 6/10 which in my terms is a game worth playing if it suits you well.
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  7. Jul 20, 2020
    5
    This review is mainly for me, keep in mind i have not played the game.
    -This game appeals to more casual consumers, if you are not a casual consumer, buy stardew valley, same exact premise and game play with 1/4 the cost, or at least before buying animal crossing check out stardew valley.
    -this game probably deserves a higher score but due to personal reasons i give it a 5 as my least
    This review is mainly for me, keep in mind i have not played the game.
    -This game appeals to more casual consumers, if you are not a casual consumer, buy stardew valley, same exact premise and game play with 1/4 the cost, or at least before buying animal crossing check out stardew valley.
    -this game probably deserves a higher score but due to personal reasons i give it a 5 as my least favorite Nintendo game, not just because of the personal reasons but like 60% are because of that.
    If you have complaints or questions message me on twitter @Rick33663767
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  8. Jul 20, 2020
    5
    Lovely game fun but then it didn't grab me after that and now I've moved on to other games
  9. Dec 31, 2020
    5
    Great game killed by idiotic "1 console = 1 user" solution. I had to quit the game so my son could play...
  10. Jul 19, 2021
    5
    I'll admit. I was gonna give it a 6, but I just couldn't find enough good in it to be a 6. 5 is where it's at. But anyways, this type of game. The waste of time, no-good, stupid, half-baked game is enough to describe the entirety of this. Firstly, the graphics are good, I'll admit. For a Nintendo game, this isn't half-bad. The designs are nice too, with some nice scenery and stuff. TheI'll admit. I was gonna give it a 6, but I just couldn't find enough good in it to be a 6. 5 is where it's at. But anyways, this type of game. The waste of time, no-good, stupid, half-baked game is enough to describe the entirety of this. Firstly, the graphics are good, I'll admit. For a Nintendo game, this isn't half-bad. The designs are nice too, with some nice scenery and stuff. The music is horrible though, and does not fit this game. There are three woods to describe this game. Boring, repetitive, and tedious. The long, repetitive, dialogue is tedious, the music is bland and sounds boring, and the whole game, in general, is indeed, boring. I've give it one thing though. It's visually stunning. You can walk and run with no lag, and browse around. The items also look pretty good, and the bugs and fish look stunning in the museum (once you build it). Considering how I got this on sale though, I can't give it a negative rating. I got it for $30, instead of $60, but if I did get it for $60, I would give it a 3 or 4. At least the museum is visually stunning, and looks nice. At least there's not a lot of lag. The controls are basic. Whatever. I can't think of anything more to say, so I'll leave it here. Overall, it's a 5/10. Pretty mediocre and bland, but does have some stunning graphics, and the museum is kind of cool. But the music is horrible, the dialogue is long and repetitive, and the game is boring. Expand
  11. Nov 21, 2021
    5
    Disappointing.

    i've seen very polarising reviews here, on one hand you have game critics universally giving every game a 9/10 and never critiquing anything, not this game either. And on the other hand you have the barrage of user reviews slamming a 0/10 because of stuff unrelated to the game or not being able to have several islands per copy. Im gonna try to save gaming and actually
    Disappointing.

    i've seen very polarising reviews here, on one hand you have game critics universally giving every game a 9/10 and never critiquing anything, not this game either. And on the other hand you have the barrage of user reviews slamming a 0/10 because of stuff unrelated to the game or not being able to have several islands per copy. Im gonna try to save gaming and actually review the game.

    Animal crossing is in everyway except for graphical fidelity a step down from new leaf.
    After the tutorial there is no real progression and it really shines a light on how little there is to do in the game. You can go grind ingredients for recipes you dont have, listen to the 4 possible repeating sentences your villagers can say, or catch bugs/fish. Why is talking to your villagers such a bore? talking to them brings up a submenu basically asking "are you sure you want to listen to the repeated dialogue again?". In new leaf, you could talk to villagers for a long time before they started repeating themselves, i really dont know why it is so limited here, since its such a crucial aspect of the game.

    With these main gripes clear, i would like to say that the game isnt all bad, designing your island and home is fun. Fishing is also fun, filling up your museum is the replacement for any progression the game otherwise lacks.

    Overall this is a clear downgrade and the praise the game has gotten (perhaps because of release timing and new players) is not promising. I would recommend new leaf over this every day of the week, and you'll save 30 euro!

    What a shame.
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  12. Mar 21, 2020
    5
    Why one island per switch? That’s so stupid and that doesn’t work for families who share a switch. That’s awful
  13. Mar 24, 2020
    5
    El juego esta genial y el crafteo esta de lujo, ahora, me parece fatal que solo se pueda tener una isla por consola pero peor me parece que compartiendola solo el perfil principal pueda hacerla avanzar y el perfil secundario, como es mi caso, este limitado a ser un simple visitante sin opcion de hacer avances en la isla.
  14. Mar 24, 2020
    5
    I’m changing my review to a flat 5. I feel a complete zero was unfair. To be fair I was angry and I still think rightfully so. However, the multiplayer issues aside this game brings back memories of playing on the GC when I was a kid. I think it’s by far the best installment since then. I’ve spent hours playing and it’s very relaxing, yet addictive. I hope they can patch the multiplayerI’m changing my review to a flat 5. I feel a complete zero was unfair. To be fair I was angry and I still think rightfully so. However, the multiplayer issues aside this game brings back memories of playing on the GC when I was a kid. I think it’s by far the best installment since then. I’ve spent hours playing and it’s very relaxing, yet addictive. I hope they can patch the multiplayer issues though. We ended up restarting so my fiancée could have lead since she plays more. We lost all of our progress which was frustrating, but obviously we kept playing so they must have done something right. This game is bad for player 2.Animal crossing on the GC allowed for all for players to have the same power. In this one only the first islander can progress the island?? Are you kidding me?? How hard would it have been to at least allow the other players to donate items to Nook for the store?? Or let them put items in the construction boxes?? This game isn’t family friendly at all. This game turned out to be a rip off marketing scheme to get entire families to buy the game and switches just so they could progress their islands. The second player can’t even get all the DIY recipes. Ridiculous... Expand
  15. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    This entry into the franchise is clearly the best animal crossing experience to date. However, due to the role of Resident Representative the shared island design is robbed of cooperation and a sense of community essential to the game. A lack of option for multiple islands offers no work-around for this issue, making the game almost unplayable for the many families with multiple equalThis entry into the franchise is clearly the best animal crossing experience to date. However, due to the role of Resident Representative the shared island design is robbed of cooperation and a sense of community essential to the game. A lack of option for multiple islands offers no work-around for this issue, making the game almost unplayable for the many families with multiple equal users on one Switch. Please fix these monumental issues., Nintendo. Expand
  16. Mar 23, 2020
    6
    Gameplay itself is great if you are only user of Switch, but if you have to share the console, expiriences may vary. Forcing players to live on one island is questionable decision. This should be players choice.
  17. May 4, 2020
    6
    Charming production values and I can understand the overall appeal, but this game is marred by the most atrocious, backward, moronic UX I’ve ever experienced in a video game. Each conversation with an NPC is the same excruciating exchange. It’s like they designed the game to annoy you. Also, why would you want to buy a chore simulator such as this when the dishes need doing, the ironingCharming production values and I can understand the overall appeal, but this game is marred by the most atrocious, backward, moronic UX I’ve ever experienced in a video game. Each conversation with an NPC is the same excruciating exchange. It’s like they designed the game to annoy you. Also, why would you want to buy a chore simulator such as this when the dishes need doing, the ironing needs ironing, and you haven’t called your mother in 3 weeks.

    If you want to jump on the bandwagon, buy it for your little sister, let her build her island, watch her play a bit, and maybe visit with your own character. Then totally avoid it, because it really is like living inside a pre-adolescent girl’s brain. They could have made this game so much better but I think they are hemmed in by their fan base. Don’t reward the developers with your hard-earned cash. It will only encourage them further.
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  18. Aug 26, 2020
    5
    Update Review:
    After buying this same since launch, I honestly thought the newest Animal Crossing game would be better than it's predecessors. However, New Horizons fails to impress after completing the various set of objectives. The updates may have addressed the issues we wanted but the one Island system still exists while we rarely see new things being added. These updates only added
    Update Review:
    After buying this same since launch, I honestly thought the newest Animal Crossing game would be better than it's predecessors. However, New Horizons fails to impress after completing the various set of objectives. The updates may have addressed the issues we wanted but the one Island system still exists while we rarely see new things being added. These updates only added special temporary events which did not give me an incentive to go back. Unfortunately, this game is lacking variety compared to New Leaf and City Folk. I feel like this game isn't living up to the hype especially to people who have devoted their lives to the franchise. I hardly hate to say this but this game is honestly a bargain bin to me.
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  19. Apr 2, 2020
    6
    I love half of this game and hate of it. It feels like they've added in numerous extra steps to get to the fun parts. Honestly the crafting mechanic is a terrible addition. There was a real turning point while I was chopping my 20th tree that day; my axe broke and I saw that the requirements to make another axe meant I had to use the very wood I was collecting to make fun things. ItI love half of this game and hate of it. It feels like they've added in numerous extra steps to get to the fun parts. Honestly the crafting mechanic is a terrible addition. There was a real turning point while I was chopping my 20th tree that day; my axe broke and I saw that the requirements to make another axe meant I had to use the very wood I was collecting to make fun things. It actually just made me feel weary, I turned it off there and then and sold the game. Pretty disappointed Expand
  20. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    This game is great but the fact that it limits the full experience to one person is terrible. Please Nintendo fix your game.
  21. Mar 26, 2020
    6
    Game feels too linear for AC and just unfinished. The crafting mechanic feels added just to slow progress. Daughter cant do anything without my assistance because Nook is closed for 2 days. Feels like a mobile game youd play 1 hr a day.
  22. Mar 26, 2020
    5
    This game is locked behind the first person who plays the game and so others who start have to wait for that person for progression throughout the island. This game would be so much better if Nintendo let all players contribute equally to the games progression.
  23. Mar 29, 2020
    5
    UPDATE BELOW.
    Ok. The game seems fine. But if you are a family, several kids, multiple accounts on ONE switch. JUST DONT BUY IT. Every player but the main player is stuck after 30 minutes. You can't get the ability to create the basic axe. Why ?
    1st of all, you can only create one island on one switch. Ok, why not ,the most active one should be the mayor. It's so sad but let day they
    UPDATE BELOW.
    Ok. The game seems fine. But if you are a family, several kids, multiple accounts on ONE switch. JUST DONT BUY IT. Every player but the main player is stuck after 30 minutes. You can't get the ability to create the basic axe. Why ?

    1st of all, you can only create one island on one switch. Ok, why not ,the most active one should be the mayor. It's so sad but let day they have a reason for this (actually this is just a stupid restriction)
    Then you realize you can't create a basic tool because the menu to do it (a dialog with Tom nook) just doesn't exist for non-main players..... Whaaaat ?
    Ok, you think "ok the main player has to unlock this so others can use it." . Ahah. NO! You CANT.

    Either it's a bug (so basic ?) Either it's a "feature", a deliberate choice. Then the game is unusable and the marketing strategy is " like this game ? Buy each kid a switch, each kid a game and shut up". Errrrrrr
    Amazing.
    Don't buy it. Or prepare for a fight at home.

    Oh ,I almost forgot. The local multiplayer mode: useless, the 2nd player is just a pet following the other, farming for him, more slowly (stupid animation each time you pick up a piece of wood...). No split screen, no interest at all.

    I'll wait a bit to see if a patch comes out soon. Or then I'll throw this piece of nook away.
    'hope it helps

    UPDATE : it seems after 2 or 3 specific actions from the main player, a new key character comes in and all players can finally get all the tools and trigger key improvements even if they're not the main player. Still, one common island or many should be a choice one switch player profile should be able to make
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  24. Mar 27, 2020
    5
    I don't really care about the one island per switch thing, it doesn't affect me. But the simple fact I cannot craft multiple items at once is enough for a five. Spending the better part of about two minutes to craft a decent amount of fishing bait because it is one at a time is insane. For the love of god Nintendo, please allow me to craft all my fishing bait at once.
  25. Mar 24, 2020
    5
    The game is essentially for a single user per switch. All others do not get anywhere close to the full experience.
  26. Mar 22, 2020
    7
    Very disappointed with how they are limiting multiplayer. My wife and I are managing to share but this is not going to be good in a household with children. Changing my rating as the game is wonderful. But it is so hard not to be upset with how they could employ a few things to fix this.
  27. Mar 23, 2020
    7
    Addictive and fun but a serious drawback is the 1 island limit, just disappointing to see at this point.
  28. Mar 21, 2020
    6
    El juego está bien, pero lo que me molestó bastante es que solo sea una isla por persona. Esto limita mucho la cantidad de cosas que podes hacer antes de que se renueve el ciclo.
  29. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    A decent addition to the franchise marred by unfortunate and needless limitations in order to sell more Switch consoles. This will backfire on Nintendo, probably cost nintendo more money in the long run as will the mediocre pokemon games.

    I cannot see Nintendo continuing to sell mediocre or flawed products moving forward, especially when better options exist. (TamTam, StarDew Valley)
  30. Mar 25, 2020
    6
    Its a lovely single player game with great writing however the multiplayer aspect is just a mess. Absolute mess. It is poorly explained what you can and cant do as a non-primary resident or visitor and you cant do a lot!

    So Single player only give it an 8.
  31. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    The game is beautiful and very charming, but the fact that you can only have one single island per console is totally ruining the experience for us at home. The three of us (kid, wife and me) were so looking forward to this game, only to be terribly disappointed to find that only the creator of the island can progress through the story of the game.

    Worst of all, a new copy of the game
    The game is beautiful and very charming, but the fact that you can only have one single island per console is totally ruining the experience for us at home. The three of us (kid, wife and me) were so looking forward to this game, only to be terribly disappointed to find that only the creator of the island can progress through the story of the game.

    Worst of all, a new copy of the game won't fix this problem, only buying another Nintendo Switch console (two new consoles in our case to be precise) would do, this is absolutely crazy in 2020. Please Nintendo fix this nonsense.
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  32. Mar 22, 2020
    5
    This is a game for people who love doing chores. In addition to crafting your own tools that break after 20 uses you also have to craft all the stores and the other villagers houses as well.
  33. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    $60 is a lot of money to spend for only one person to be able to have a well-rounded experience on a video game. I have two sisters who also were excited to play the game, but despite them BOTH having their own Nintendo accounts and online accounts too, they were booted up onto my island with not much to do. I considered even buying them their own copies of the game, but upon further$60 is a lot of money to spend for only one person to be able to have a well-rounded experience on a video game. I have two sisters who also were excited to play the game, but despite them BOTH having their own Nintendo accounts and online accounts too, they were booted up onto my island with not much to do. I considered even buying them their own copies of the game, but upon further investigation that isn’t enough to allow them to play their own game. So if we all wanted to have our own islands, we would each need to buy our own Switch and copies of the game. This is so ridiculous, it seriously ruined the experience of the game for me (and obviously my sisters too). Not about to drop $600+ just for us to play a game together, I can’t believe Nintendo set it up like this. Isn’t it enough to have bought one system (already $300, a decent chunk of money), each of us to be paying for our own Online subscriptions, and to have gotten the $60 game disc? They need to fix this ASAP.
    I do like the game, but like I said, it’s hard to enjoy when I live with two other people who also wanted to be able to play.
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  34. Mar 26, 2020
    5
    I’m a huge fan of AC. This game is no exception. That being said, my biggest fault with this game is that I’m the 2nd player. I can not do anything unless player 1 progresses in the game or I just fork out $300 for another switch and I’m sorry but I’m not buying a 2nd switch just to be able to progress in the game. Not happening! I believe if they allow individual players to have their ownI’m a huge fan of AC. This game is no exception. That being said, my biggest fault with this game is that I’m the 2nd player. I can not do anything unless player 1 progresses in the game or I just fork out $300 for another switch and I’m sorry but I’m not buying a 2nd switch just to be able to progress in the game. Not happening! I believe if they allow individual players to have their own island, this would solve most negative reviews. You could allow all players to make choices, but then you run the risk of players unable to enjoy the full experience of the game as players would start arguing when someone places something in an area they didn’t want it to go. I get that this would open up the possibility for people to cheat and create multiple accounts and have multiple islands, which seems to be the likeliest of reasons when I searched why this wasn’t a feature already. The only issue with that is, people always find ways to cheat and if they do than that hinders their experience and it’s their choice so why alter our experience to keep them from doing something they are probably already doing anyway? Please fix this issue, I’d really like to enjoy all this game has to offer as I did so in the past with all your other games!!!! Expand
  35. Apr 15, 2020
    5
    I'm a newcomer to the Animal Crossing franchise. I wanted to get into it during New Leaf but I never forced myself to buy it. After I got my Switch and saw the new one coming out I figured I'd pick it up.

    So far, the game is very relaxing to play. I appreciate the slow pace and happy cutesy design of the characters. I find myself wanting to build the perfect island for my friends, the
    I'm a newcomer to the Animal Crossing franchise. I wanted to get into it during New Leaf but I never forced myself to buy it. After I got my Switch and saw the new one coming out I figured I'd pick it up.

    So far, the game is very relaxing to play. I appreciate the slow pace and happy cutesy design of the characters. I find myself wanting to build the perfect island for my friends, the characters I like and me. The major holdup I have is the confusion that comes with trying to do all of that.

    Some of the requirements to accomplish certain goals are obscure and hidden. Making money feels like a grind. Villagers only visit my campsite so few and far between that I wonder how long it will take me to find the perfect characters for my island. I don't know how to gain new DIY recipes to keep making my island beautiful!

    I won't stop playing the game for a while, but I will not be playing for hours on end like I did when I first bought it.

    I'll probably just start time travelling my island into the future to get things done faster. I feel like that isn't the proper way to play, but that's the way to progress when you first start anyways.
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  36. Apr 10, 2020
    6
    So this was my first introduction into animal crossing and I gotta say that I'm not all that impressed with the game. It is a very repetitive life sim game that loses interest after so many days of playing. Everyday I do the same thing. Wake up, find my daily bell tree, plant another bell tree, check turnip prices (which always suck for me), check the hot item, and then scavenge for theSo this was my first introduction into animal crossing and I gotta say that I'm not all that impressed with the game. It is a very repetitive life sim game that loses interest after so many days of playing. Everyday I do the same thing. Wake up, find my daily bell tree, plant another bell tree, check turnip prices (which always suck for me), check the hot item, and then scavenge for the resources and fossils (or anything donatable to the museum) on my island. That's what I do everyday and it is kind of driving me crazy.

    The villagers don't feel like they have a purpose to be there but to be there. There are plenty of games that do the life sim thing better and add a bit more content than this series.

    It's not an awful game but it doesn't grab me like other games. Also it is kind of messed up Nintendo made it 1 island per switch instead of per profile. It's 2020 guys, there should be no excuse for such a thing.
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  37. May 16, 2020
    7
    never knew what the fuss was about with this game, it's pretty much a "life" simulator is the best way to describe it, it's alright but not my type of game. Bought to see what it was all about.
  38. Apr 27, 2020
    7
    This is one of the few honest reviews of Animal Crossing New Horizons you'll see. It's not amazing, it's not terrible. It has its moments and is certainly a different type of game than you might be used to. Very little in the way of an objective, very relaxing, very annoying in terms of repeated dialogue and some awkward controls.

    It's relaxing in a kind of 'do nothing' way and it's all
    This is one of the few honest reviews of Animal Crossing New Horizons you'll see. It's not amazing, it's not terrible. It has its moments and is certainly a different type of game than you might be used to. Very little in the way of an objective, very relaxing, very annoying in terms of repeated dialogue and some awkward controls.

    It's relaxing in a kind of 'do nothing' way and it's all innocent and charming and a nice non-threatening world to dip into now and again. But it's not exactly thrill-filled or the kind of challenge you'll get from a typical game.

    I couldn't care less about multiple players because I'm the only one who plays on my Switch, but if you share your console, your mileage might vary. Doesn't deserve a 10, certainly doesn't deserve a 0. Solid 7/10 game.
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  39. Jun 7, 2020
    6
    I would give a 10, but this game definitely needs some fine tuning, which Nintendo will probably not listen to. Let us not forget who are we talking about after all.
    The main reason is the stupid progress being restricted to the first player who boots the game and you can only have a single island per console. The player 1 is the island representative who can makes the progress, everyone
    I would give a 10, but this game definitely needs some fine tuning, which Nintendo will probably not listen to. Let us not forget who are we talking about after all.
    The main reason is the stupid progress being restricted to the first player who boots the game and you can only have a single island per console. The player 1 is the island representative who can makes the progress, everyone who enters the island is unable to make any such progress. For this person the score might be 10.
    Overall, AC is a game where you create a bond with all your villagers and town. You get this change of pace from our fast IRL and see your little village growing into a teeming town, very slowly if you don't change your in-game time and to me, it's that feature that really makes the AC unique.
    Some quality of life tweaks are very needed to make the game more enjoyable IMHO. Such as, bulk crafting, shopping cart in the clothes store and many more. However, that this isn't an enjoyable game overall, the feeling of progress with some new features to the series made the game a nice pick.
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  40. Apr 16, 2020
    6
    I feel like this game is either getting hailed as one of the greatest or hated on for its flawed local multiplayer aspect. As I'm the only one playing on my Switch, that does not bother me and nothing is stopping me from joining the ones praising this game greatly.
    However, I feel like the game is just... good. I get that it's not designed to take hours of your time daily, but I felt on
    I feel like this game is either getting hailed as one of the greatest or hated on for its flawed local multiplayer aspect. As I'm the only one playing on my Switch, that does not bother me and nothing is stopping me from joining the ones praising this game greatly.
    However, I feel like the game is just... good. I get that it's not designed to take hours of your time daily, but I felt on the first day that it was just extremely empty and it was quite off-putting. Then I began questioning my decision to buy the game; fortunately, there is more to do in the next days.
    Some criticism comes from the "click A-fest" that occurs during some conversations. Some people defend it by saying it's a part of the game and it helps the immersion. Well... I would agree if the dialogue would get switched up and I wouldn't need to repeat four choices after getting an error or missclicking the last one. Unfortunately, there is no variance and no new lines. Everyone just keeps repeating their own spiel. Doing things like museum donations or flying to another islands gets super tedious and annoying rather fast. The constant interruptions in multiplayer don't add to the charm either. Read that as: the multiplayer in this game is completely atrocious and utterly useless.
    Content wise the game is good and I feel there is still more for me to uncover. As I like this kind of games in general, I look forward to it - but I have to acknowledge it's definitely not for everyone.
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  41. Mar 28, 2020
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. If I was able to change resident representatives I would give this a higher score. Absolutely awe full that I have to wait for my husband to play to progress the game. Expand
  42. Mar 28, 2020
    6
    This is a good game to play Single Player. Quality gameplay, unique characters, not overly complicated. Just an enjoyable game. For anyone who has played the original Animal Crossing on the gamecube you will probably be the most upset. Because you probably played with family members at the time, and enjoyed the minor multiplayer setup it had back then. This version has somehow managedThis is a good game to play Single Player. Quality gameplay, unique characters, not overly complicated. Just an enjoyable game. For anyone who has played the original Animal Crossing on the gamecube you will probably be the most upset. Because you probably played with family members at the time, and enjoyed the minor multiplayer setup it had back then. This version has somehow managed to ruin even that minimal multiplayer functionality from back then.The trade off I suppose is that they enabled an okay form of online play. But when it comes to Animal Crossing the most enjoyable way to play was with others locally who could setup shop in the same town.They would be able to progress the town if you weren't there, interact with the town folk, the folk then mention them in dialogue the next time you play. And you really felt like you were living in the same town/area. You'd be excited to see the what changes they made next or upset that they beat you to it. But hey, that's life. Well now that 2nd, 3rd, 4th player cant progress the story, or help new residents move in. Some DIY creations are kept from them. And it downright sucks to be that person. Multiplayer is a huge part of this game which is why I'm giving it a 6 star. Last quick bit on their online play: it is okay. At least each person will get their own screen there. But it's not optimized and obviously hasn't gone through any QA testing.

    Animal Crossing is one of my favorite games so this is why I'm taking the time to write this review. Ultimately my personal thought is they royally messed up this game by not putting really any more than an ounce of thought into the multiplayer aspect. But again the series is great, the concept is great. Ultimately they added some interesting content to the game now. I'm excited to see what they add in future updates! Edit: P.S. Sadly the local multiplayer issues are enough to where I had to tell my brother to return the game. As he was hoping he'd be able to play it with his wife. And once I told him about the issues he was in complete agreeance. It's just not worth buying the game for that. Worth pointing that out, because this isnt just some little mistake. They do need to fix it.
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  43. Mar 29, 2020
    6
    I think it is a good game, having played some of the other animal crossings, I think people who play solo just don't realize how bad the multiple player is. You can't buy a second game to have your own island, you can't use a separate game card to have your own island, you can only buy another switch and another game. My family has one switch, three people, no problems with any other game,I think it is a good game, having played some of the other animal crossings, I think people who play solo just don't realize how bad the multiple player is. You can't buy a second game to have your own island, you can't use a separate game card to have your own island, you can only buy another switch and another game. My family has one switch, three people, no problems with any other game, but the thing is if one person completes something neither of the other two get to experience it at all. You can NOT get the full game experience if multiple people share a switch. It is a horrible design flaw. The switch is a home console, not a single person game device. I do not think the developers thought this through enough and need to fix it. Expand
  44. Mar 29, 2020
    7
    A beautifully crafted game with lots to do. My favorite part is how it works with the days. How ever i have 1 quarrel, i work sun-thursday and i have to work at 5 am to 2 pm and i cant utilize trading or buying turnips and i paid 60$ of this game and itd be nice if i could utilize every part of the game. Also i wish you could change the name of your island after the fact
  45. Apr 4, 2020
    5
    Surely madness!!

    I went to buy 2 copies of Animal Crossing today and thankfully the store attendant said ‘You do know you can only have 1 island per Switch’ I’m hazarding a guess they may have had few games returned already! I said that’s fine I have 2 switches because I have 3 children and we like to cross play on games. Then it dawned on me. I could create an island for me on my switch
    Surely madness!!

    I went to buy 2 copies of Animal Crossing today and thankfully the store attendant said ‘You do know you can only have 1 island per Switch’ I’m hazarding a guess they may have had few games returned already!
    I said that’s fine I have 2 switches because I have 3 children and we like to cross play on games. Then it dawned on me. I could create an island for me on my switch but who would get to create their island on the other Switch?
    Draw lots? Choose a favourite child?!

    Anyway the only choice I was left with was to return both the games as it really would have caused big arguments.

    So from us that has been a big fail regarding sales and I am not being bitter in saying I hope this doesn’t work out for them and they patch it. It certainly feels like a horrendously corporate, commercial piece of programming. Unless there is sensible reasoning behind it but with expandable memory on the Switch I can’t see what.

    It may be worth mentioning this fact as I feel it could be a deal breaker for many families considering buying the game.
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  46. Apr 5, 2020
    5
    The one island per console system has spoiled an otherwise fantastic game for my family.
  47. Apr 10, 2020
    6
    Have owned this game a few days now and the single player is fun, though a little slow to ramp up. I don't mind the progression, though; as a parent I only have limited time to play it anyway. My main gripe is the same as everyone else reviewing this game poorly - the decision to lock each Switch to one island. Previous games may have done this, but save files were treated differently whenHave owned this game a few days now and the single player is fun, though a little slow to ramp up. I don't mind the progression, though; as a parent I only have limited time to play it anyway. My main gripe is the same as everyone else reviewing this game poorly - the decision to lock each Switch to one island. Previous games may have done this, but save files were treated differently when they were stored on cartridges; this was a design choice.

    When I played the original game, I remember another family member and I were both able to play and have fun. Reading about the functionality for multiple players now, though, I don't feel like it's even worth inviting someone else to play. It seems like a lot of features, even beyond being able to place buildings and such (which it makes sense to restrict to one person), are missing for succeeding players.

    So if you're alone, this is a great game. If you want something for multiple people to play, it's disappointing.
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  48. Apr 16, 2020
    7
    great overall game, extremely polished and gorgeous graphics, however it seems like the writing in the game is a lot less enjoyable than past games, everyday when i speak to my villagers it’s the same thing over and over again. unlike the prior games there is a lot less joy in speaking to them it kind of sucks actually, the dialogue that is. seems like the developers focused mainly ongreat overall game, extremely polished and gorgeous graphics, however it seems like the writing in the game is a lot less enjoyable than past games, everyday when i speak to my villagers it’s the same thing over and over again. unlike the prior games there is a lot less joy in speaking to them it kind of sucks actually, the dialogue that is. seems like the developers focused mainly on the graphics and gameplay Expand
  49. Apr 30, 2020
    7
    To be super honest without even considering the one-character restriction, this game is overhyped. Yes the atmosphere is relaxing and the graphics are cute, but this game for some reason doesn't really make me want to binge play it. Maybe it was designed like that on purpose, with rocks and resources spawning daily once tapped. But overall, this isn't a game I would stay up playing. Not toTo be super honest without even considering the one-character restriction, this game is overhyped. Yes the atmosphere is relaxing and the graphics are cute, but this game for some reason doesn't really make me want to binge play it. Maybe it was designed like that on purpose, with rocks and resources spawning daily once tapped. But overall, this isn't a game I would stay up playing. Not to say it's bad or boring, just not so great in my eyes.

    Animal Crossing New Horizons
    Gameplay Enjoyability (0 - worst, 10 - best)

    Story - 6
    Lore - 3
    Character Creation - 5
    Looting/resource gathering - 6
    Questing/variety - 3
    Side quests/activities - 6
    Music/soundtrack - 9
    Visuals - 9
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  50. May 2, 2020
    5
    I dont mind the one island per console cause I own my own Nintendo but as a fast paced player usually playing games like Call of duty, pokemon etc etc I don't find this game interesting to me, I know its made for everyone but now I'm about 2 days in and have nothing to do its really boring, I have heard though you get interesting features within a week which isn't my thing but other peopleI dont mind the one island per console cause I own my own Nintendo but as a fast paced player usually playing games like Call of duty, pokemon etc etc I don't find this game interesting to me, I know its made for everyone but now I'm about 2 days in and have nothing to do its really boring, I have heard though you get interesting features within a week which isn't my thing but other people like, I'm only giving a 5 because the graphics are nice and that its a relaxing game but way too slow paced for me to like but others do, anyways I'm 50/50. Expand
  51. May 3, 2020
    5
    This game could have been a contender for game of the year 2020 if it didn’t shoot itself in the foot by limiting itself by 1 island per console. If you are alone this is a must buy, but if you share a console with anyone skip this game.
  52. May 10, 2020
    5
    A good game, but a terrible Animal Crossing.
    A delayed game in the makings for a decade left unfinished and soulless in comparison to other games in the series. Newcomers don't know how much was left out. I don't want content to be slowly released to the public. I want to buy the finished game I've waited for years.
  53. May 10, 2020
    6
    An enjoyable game overall, but many small issues which adds up and becomes annoying.
    The fact that you need to pay 10$ monthly to visit friends or ever send them gifts etc is almost as bad as the whole deal with the first person who plays the game is the one who decides everything in the game.
    I also think the villagers dialoge is fairly week. It's apperant quickly if you have two of one
    An enjoyable game overall, but many small issues which adds up and becomes annoying.
    The fact that you need to pay 10$ monthly to visit friends or ever send them gifts etc is almost as bad as the whole deal with the first person who plays the game is the one who decides everything in the game.
    I also think the villagers dialoge is fairly week. It's apperant quickly if you have two of one character type on the island, and it gets old quick. There are more things I can bring up, but these are the ones that bring down my enjoyment the most
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  54. Jun 3, 2020
    6
    LIMITED, IS GOOD BUT I CAN'T CREATE A 2ND ISLAND AND IF YOU COMPARE TO STARDEW VALLEY OR MINECRAFT IT FALLS SHORT.
    PD- I HATE MARSHAL AND RAYMOND
  55. Jul 5, 2020
    5
    Посредственная ферма от Нинтендо по фулпрайсу равному Cyberpunk 2077 или The Last of Us Part II. Что она принесла миру кроме мемов? Абсолютно ничего. Пустышка, как и почти все, что производит эта компания.
  56. Jul 8, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Je vais faire assez simple, c'est complet mais seulement dans le sens où ils ont dû retirer du contenu pour en rajouter... Et c'est très dommage... Je suis assez déçu de cet animal crossing... City Folks me semble beaucoup mieux niveau durée de vie, mais cela peut-être rééquilibreré grâce à des futures mises à jour. Expand
  57. Mar 24, 2020
    5
    first of all its worth pointing out that this is in fact an Animal Crossing game, you either " get it" or you don't. Animal Crossing is a gentle life simulator and relaxation game. It's not for everybody. That said, like each new main release in the series this one is the best Animal Crossing yet. If you like Animals Crossing you don't need anyone to tell you whether or not to buy it. Youfirst of all its worth pointing out that this is in fact an Animal Crossing game, you either " get it" or you don't. Animal Crossing is a gentle life simulator and relaxation game. It's not for everybody. That said, like each new main release in the series this one is the best Animal Crossing yet. If you like Animals Crossing you don't need anyone to tell you whether or not to buy it. You wanna get this game. Expand
  58. Apr 11, 2020
    6
    The other user reviews are correct; the insane design decision of having one island per switch has effectively killed multiplayer for this game. You simply feel like a guest on someone else's island, and if the player who registered the island stops playing all gameplay progression comes grinding to a halt, potentially causing you to lose many hours of work. In addition to that I foundThe other user reviews are correct; the insane design decision of having one island per switch has effectively killed multiplayer for this game. You simply feel like a guest on someone else's island, and if the player who registered the island stops playing all gameplay progression comes grinding to a halt, potentially causing you to lose many hours of work. In addition to that I found single player rather pointless and cumbersome. Selecting tools, crafting, managing your inventory are all much more of a chore than they should be. The NPC's are all very boring, just wandering around all day and coming out with the same stock answers. Crafting your own furniture and items is pointless if you can't actually interact with them. What's the point of crafting a musical instrument if you can't use it? Why bother with a mirror if you can't see your reflection? Instead you just spend your time gathering resources. It's not that I dislike games of this genre, per se, but with Animal crossing you start off on such a tiny island with so little to do that's interesting I am really struggling to see why there are so many glowing reviews. Stardew Valley is a hundred times better than this meagre offering and that's an indie game developed by one person. Expand
  59. Apr 5, 2020
    6
    ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS is a new school tamagotchi. Pure gameplay, like sims and etc. Can't recommend to everyone.
  60. Mar 27, 2020
    5
    It's a great game but it sucks to be player 2. I bought the game and my girlfriend created her character first, so no I can't build a museum, can't build a store and so on. Also, if she had already collected most of the resources and watered all flowers, all I can do is go fishing, catching bugs or travel on another island. Everything is very cute on the island, but it leaves no content for me.
  61. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    I was waiting for this game about a month. This is my first game in series. Was very excited about living on the island with my wife. The game is awesome. Graphics, activity, visiting other players islands, postcards, mails, etc.

    But my personal score is 5/10. Why? Well because my wife landed on the island first. And now im living on my wifes island. Thats right. This is NOT our
    I was waiting for this game about a month. This is my first game in series. Was very excited about living on the island with my wife. The game is awesome. Graphics, activity, visiting other players islands, postcards, mails, etc.

    But my personal score is 5/10.

    Why? Well because my wife landed on the island first. And now im living on my wifes island. Thats right. This is NOT our island. Second player have NO rights. He can just run around, gather stuff, catch fishes, sometimes help the first player collecting resources for new buildings. Is it interesting for the second player? I dont think so. The progress of the second player fully depends from the first player. This is a HUGE disapointment.

    I hope Nintendo will give us the oportunity to delegate authority of the Speaker (russian version of the game) to second player.
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  62. Mar 25, 2020
    6
    The game content is great and and looks gorgeous. While the game mechanics is almost perfect - for the primary player at least. The game should provide equal experience across Switch users/profiles, be it the one who played the game first or the secondary players. If Nintendo fix this issue, I would give this game a perfect score in an instant.
  63. Mar 25, 2020
    6
    Fun game. Highly polished single-player experience. However, the multiplayer/single island per console has soured my feelings about the game.

    The game experience for the second resident (P2) is considerably different and IMO lesser than that of the "island representative" (P1). As P2 I have very little control or influence over what is built in the town and where. I cannot contribute
    Fun game. Highly polished single-player experience. However, the multiplayer/single island per console has soured my feelings about the game.

    The game experience for the second resident (P2) is considerably different and IMO lesser than that of the "island representative" (P1). As P2 I have very little control or influence over what is built in the town and where. I cannot contribute directly to town projects with my resources. I am prevented from unlocking certain recipes. I am prevented from using certain tools until P1 unlocks them as part of the story.

    The only way for multiple players to get the full experience of building and refining their own island is to buy multiple consoles. I don't interpret this as malice/greed so much as an oversight. What works for a handheld does not necessarily work for a home console like the switch.

    As it stands I recommend the game for single players, but I cannot fully recommend the game to anyone sharing a console.
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  64. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    Pretty unbelievable how the multiplayer turned out to be. The game itself is pretty enjoyable, but for a family trying to share the game... I just don't see how not allowing each player to enjoy the same features is justifiable. Hopefully they make some kind of patch to address this, but I doubt it. If you play solo, go for it.
  65. Mar 25, 2020
    7
    Das Spiel ist sehr gut. Für mich und meine Schwestern ist es ein riesen Spaß und jeden Tag gibt es was neues zu machen. Auch dass System mit dem das man nicht alles sofort bekommt ist sehr gut gelungen. DA man sich jetzt mehr Zeit fürs spielen nehmen muss um voran zu kommen. Ein sehr guter Nachfolger
  66. Mar 25, 2020
    7
    good game really enjoying it. really wish they made better design decisions such as making online behind a paywall and you only being able to have 1 ISLAND PER CONSOLE. whatever dude just annoying
  67. Mar 27, 2020
    6
    I made a metacritic account specifically for this review. This is not a review-bomb, this score actively reflects the amount of joyment I got out of this game keeping in mind the following things:

    1: The 60 dollar price tag 2: The Islands limitations 3: The gameplay itself The game itself looks beautiful, and the core gameplay loop is a lot of fun. This gameplay loop is relatively
    I made a metacritic account specifically for this review. This is not a review-bomb, this score actively reflects the amount of joyment I got out of this game keeping in mind the following things:

    1: The 60 dollar price tag
    2: The Islands limitations
    3: The gameplay itself

    The game itself looks beautiful, and the core gameplay loop is a lot of fun. This gameplay loop is relatively unaltered for a second player who has to reside on the same island as the first. However, any meaningful progress, and thus reasons to boot up the game at all, has been stripped away for a second (or more) player.
    Being player 2(+) means you can not make progress towards the museum (and thus catching different bugs and fish is moot), it means you can not interact with villagers in the same way (and thus always have to resort to buying every item from the store, instead of being able to find the recipes through the story), and generally means you are living the life of an NPC on player 1s island.

    Being player 1, on the other hand, provides a well-polished and extremely rich game, fully worthy of a score around 9/10. It's a unique life simulator, where everything you accomplishes gives you no small amount of joy.

    In other words, this game is a gem, where one meaningful design flaw ruins the experience for hundreds of thousands of players (which I doubt is an exaggeration).

    I am contributing my own review in the hopes of any sort of change coming to this current setup.

    I am fully aware that having multiple islands per Switch is unrealistic, and would also detract from the premise of the game, but I do feel it should be possible for active players to have the same sense of wonder and explorations. Make npc's give player 2(+) the same items, allow player 2(+) to submit their captures to the museum, and allow them to contribute to the building of other items. I understand that the general lay-out of a town can be determined by one person, but that doesn't mean every fun element of the game has to be stripped away.

    Thank you for coming to my Ted-Talk.
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  68. Mar 27, 2020
    5
    So, I'm not going to review bomb the game like everyone else is. I actually do like this game and see it as a pretty okay game, not the best, not the worst. It's got wonderful fun and interesting villagers, and the game's great for when you just want to sit back and relax while the whole world burns from all the crazy **** going on but... here are my main issues with the game:

    -Island
    So, I'm not going to review bomb the game like everyone else is. I actually do like this game and see it as a pretty okay game, not the best, not the worst. It's got wonderful fun and interesting villagers, and the game's great for when you just want to sit back and relax while the whole world burns from all the crazy **** going on but... here are my main issues with the game:

    -Island limitation, being restricted to one island per console is kind of a dick move in my opinion especially when I cannot do anything other than upgrade my house because I let my boyfriend make his character/island first. the Nintendo Switch is expensive as all hell, no one's going to buy a second Switch just because of that unless they're rich.

    -Controls. The controls are just.. awful, and apparently it's always been like this according to my boyfriend. I feel like with this being a new game, you guys could have fixed the controls so it's not a pain in the ass to whack a rock with a shovel, dig things up, capture bugs or chop down trees. You have no excuse to keep the controls the same as previous titles.

    -Story progression limitation, as mentioned with Island limitation, you, as the secondary player, cannot do **** meaning only the first character can do the story while you just sit there doing nothing other than upgrading your own house...so you end up having to wait until the the first player does things to do stuff. It really ruins the experience for everyone involved.
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  69. Mar 28, 2020
    5
    Having one island is bad but the game is good. But I hope they update the game to have multiple islands.
  70. Mar 28, 2020
    5
    The game is mostly fun, although it runs into the standard animal crossing hurdle of having to wait days for everything. This would all be forgivable and even acceptable if you were able to have more than one island per game. With more than one active user the game grinds to an annoying halt. With the constant need to switch between accounts to share quest details. Yes, for some reason aThe game is mostly fun, although it runs into the standard animal crossing hurdle of having to wait days for everything. This would all be forgivable and even acceptable if you were able to have more than one island per game. With more than one active user the game grinds to an annoying halt. With the constant need to switch between accounts to share quest details. Yes, for some reason a second user has no ability to see details of the latest mission set by Tom Nook. More than that, some quests follow an all or nothing approach. So if you collect 15 iron and your wife, sibling or roommate has 15, you can't share in the glory. One of you has to drop them to the other to proceed. It's a silly limiting system and unexpected from a game that has allowed for multiple towns in the past. Expand
  71. Apr 7, 2020
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love this game and almost everything it has to offer. The only BIG issue is that I am the second player because my I let my girlfriend play first. Little did I know that it means that I am completely dependent of her actions to progress in the game. After achieving the 3 star rating that were needed to convince kk slider to come to the island, I could not do anything until my girlfriend would play again. It is very annoying to feel like a second rate villager compared to my girlfriend. If this wasn't a issue, I would gladly give this game a 10+. Expand
  72. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    This game is not a good and fun experience for anybody who shares their switch. The person who creates the island is the only one allowed to do anything and they're having a good time. As anybody after the island creator, you're just allowed to pay off your loans.
  73. Mar 24, 2020
    7
    One island per console means everyone in the household should buy a Switch right now and you might as well buy more controllers just for the heck of it cause you know they gonna go bad. If you wanna play a good quality game Nintendo is the way to go, but God'dang have fun running around with your kid being able to do nothing they can - no split screen or shared content at all.
  74. Mar 24, 2020
    5
    If you read any of the other mixed or negative reviews on this site, you'll see many people primarily complaining about being locked to one island per switch and having content restricted if they're not their not the first person to play. I've made a petition hoping to remedy some of these issues, link is http://chng.it/kDmvHyPx

    Every signature helps, so please sign and share!

    Thanks.
  75. Mar 24, 2020
    5
    I have found The hours of my days devoured by this game in a way that I haven't seen happen for quite some time. Honestly I was unsure if I even enjoyed games anymore but having grown up semi frequently playing the game predecessors I decided to give it a go and I'm glad I did. Please get this game it's amazing.
  76. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    If you've played the Animal Crossing franchise ever before, you'll know that the reviews about 1 island per console are trivial and nothing new. People want to make multiple accounts on their switch, create different islands, and hop over their islands to mass consume resources. Simply put, they're complaining because they can't cheat.

    The game brings back some great old mechanics like
    If you've played the Animal Crossing franchise ever before, you'll know that the reviews about 1 island per console are trivial and nothing new. People want to make multiple accounts on their switch, create different islands, and hop over their islands to mass consume resources. Simply put, they're complaining because they can't cheat.

    The game brings back some great old mechanics like the money treesand the museum is downright beautiful. It's everything I expected and wanted from an AC game for years!
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  77. Mar 25, 2020
    6
    I love animal crossing always have and I'm sure i always will. My sister, mom and I have been playing since the first one on gamecube and all of the games have been super fun this one included but it dosen't seem the same it feels like its too different. Its still a fun game but i think they could've done better. I will continue to play for along time im sure of it but my family and iI love animal crossing always have and I'm sure i always will. My sister, mom and I have been playing since the first one on gamecube and all of the games have been super fun this one included but it dosen't seem the same it feels like its too different. Its still a fun game but i think they could've done better. I will continue to play for along time im sure of it but my family and i agree that they didnt need to change it this much but the game is still enjoyable. Expand
  78. Mar 25, 2020
    5
    I loved this game as I started it up. It was so beautiful and seemed to be everything I wanted in an animal crossing game...

    Then the grind started. You need iron to unlock the recipes to explore your whole island. But you can't easily get enough iron to do that unless you can reach the rocks on the inaccessible parts of the island. So you harvest what little you can each day before
    I loved this game as I started it up. It was so beautiful and seemed to be everything I wanted in an animal crossing game...

    Then the grind started. You need iron to unlock the recipes to explore your whole island. But you can't easily get enough iron to do that unless you can reach the rocks on the inaccessible parts of the island. So you harvest what little you can each day before being forced to wait till the next day to harvest more. And all the while, your tools are breaking, which costs iron to replace, slowing your progress.

    When you finally DO unlock the ladder to explore the whole island, you're tasked with wasting much, much more of your precious resources building stupid crap for NPC neighbors.

    This game has a lot going for it. BUT so, so much of the great content is locked behind arbitrary, frustrating, grindy nonsense. When you are the only character in the game capable of any decision making, crafting, or planning of any sort, it gets tedious fast. It wouldn't be so bad if you could *purchase* some of the resources you need, but you can't. You have to build the tools to harvest them. You have to harvest them. You have to build the furniture with them. You have to choose where the furniture goes. You have to do everything yourself if you want to unlock everything the game has to offer.

    Nintendo promised us an Animal Crossing game where we *could* completely customize every square inch of the island.

    Sadly, what they delivered is an Animal Crossing game where you are *forced* to customize every square inch of the island.

    This issue combined with the irredeemably stupid choices surrounding cloud saves and multiplayer make this one of the most disappointing games I've ever paid full price for. 5/10

    5/10
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  79. Mar 27, 2020
    5
    I haven’t had animal crossing new horizons yet but from all the videos, gameplays, reviews and all I really love how it is. I really want to get it already haha, it’s worth it.
  80. Mar 21, 2020
    5
    The game is fun to play, but once again Nintendo fumbles online which is why my review is a 5.
  81. Mar 26, 2020
    7
    The game is absolutely lovely but the couch multiplayer is so poorly implemented it will lead to divorce. Half the game, if you’re playing it with another player half the game is waiting for them to do stuff. Also, you have to walk back to the recycling bin all the time as even though the other villagers have their own inventory,’ it’s so poorly implemented. They should have honestly keptThe game is absolutely lovely but the couch multiplayer is so poorly implemented it will lead to divorce. Half the game, if you’re playing it with another player half the game is waiting for them to do stuff. Also, you have to walk back to the recycling bin all the time as even though the other villagers have their own inventory,’ it’s so poorly implemented. They should have honestly kept it single player rather than shoehorning this dumpster fire of cooperation in. If you want a better co-op game, try luigi’s mansion, or get another switch to play this with a friend. Expand
  82. Mar 24, 2020
    6
    This is a rather early on review, as I have been playing for 4 days and I'm sure a lot is subject to change. There are a lot of great improvements from older versions of the game, but unfortunately a lot is lacking, which takes away from the overall gameplay. I will not be focusing on the multiplayer aspect, as I am playing alone on my Switch, and am not encountering problems, though I canThis is a rather early on review, as I have been playing for 4 days and I'm sure a lot is subject to change. There are a lot of great improvements from older versions of the game, but unfortunately a lot is lacking, which takes away from the overall gameplay. I will not be focusing on the multiplayer aspect, as I am playing alone on my Switch, and am not encountering problems, though I can totally understand the frustration of those who have to share a console/island. The game is built unfairly for those people.

    The game does not have hourly music, which is something previous Animal Crossing games are known for. I miss having quirky, hourly tracks, but the backtrack gets repetitive very quickly. The objective based system is a nice touch, but unfortunately doesn't feel rewarding, and does not lead to any larger objective. Gyroids also are not present in the game, and I REALLY hope they come out with an update.

    The game has a slow paced system, which is OK and echoes the Animal Crossing feel, but the delay of introducing characters/villagers/buildings/etc leads to a heavy lack in content. Who knows, maybe they weren't expecting people to have so much time due to the Corona lockdown! I am a bit disappointed that I'm already starting to feel bored after 4 days, especially when the game has been in the making for such a long amount of time.

    I'm hoping a lot of these problems will be "fixed" by either playing the game for a longer period of time, or updates. I'm hoping Nintendo will not push heavy paid DLC packages for this game...
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  83. Mar 26, 2020
    7
    Don't listen to the salty review bombers.
    The game is nice. It's relaxing and you can really get caught up in the collecting aspect of it. There are only two big issues for me:
    1) They still haven't integrated an in-game time travel system yet, despite the fact that you can only play about ~30 minutes to an hour every day if you don't time travel using the Switch's system settings. This
    Don't listen to the salty review bombers.
    The game is nice. It's relaxing and you can really get caught up in the collecting aspect of it. There are only two big issues for me:

    1) They still haven't integrated an in-game time travel system yet, despite the fact that you can only play about ~30 minutes to an hour every day if you don't time travel using the Switch's system settings. This is frustrating because the developers know very well that half (if not more) of the players playing the game will time travel anyway, so refusing to make it an in-game mechanic seems like stubbornness. A lot of time is wasted when you have to save, close the game, go to system settings, change the time and re-open the game every 30 minutes just to advance to the next day.

    2) As I had feared when the game was announced, the game sadly is not worth the $60 price tag, no matter how you split it. What it does do, it does perfectly, just like all the Animal Crossing games before it, but it just doesn't do enough to warrant the nearly-doubled price compared to New Leaf. There are apps on iOS that legitimately have more content than this game, and this game cost me a whole day's wages. In short, if you're a die hard Animal Crossing fan, you'll probably love this game, but then again, if you really are, then you were going to love it regardless of what I said. If you have not played Animal Crossing before and are looking into it, I would advise against getting New Horizons unless you are flush with cash. You'll get the same experience by buying one of the earlier, cheaper Animal Crossings or a comparable game like Stardew Valley or Harvest Moon.
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  84. Mar 23, 2020
    5
    Game of the year, one of the best installments in the whole series. Anyone who has enjoyed this series will absolutely love this game. It is very deep and well paced with almost endless ways of having fun.
  85. Apr 19, 2020
    6
    Only first player can create an island, it is an actual issue for others, but not for me and should still be fixed. This game has a lot of charm and some fun, but a lot of the charm is stepped on by how overly tedious the game is and how terrible the programmers are on a technical side. Want to join an island with a bunch of friends and hold an event? Well, welcome to about 10 minutes ofOnly first player can create an island, it is an actual issue for others, but not for me and should still be fixed. This game has a lot of charm and some fun, but a lot of the charm is stepped on by how overly tedious the game is and how terrible the programmers are on a technical side. Want to join an island with a bunch of friends and hold an event? Well, welcome to about 10 minutes of loading screens because every person who comes in NEEDS to essentially reset the island and have a giant loading screen.

    It isn't just when it comes to playing online, it is just about every aspect from finding certain characters and needing to prompt dialogue with them 5x to get to the right spot (let's pretend that programmers can't make dialogue a continuous thing lol) or trying to fish and the fish moving a little bit out of your way and having to cast the line with little to no aim. You constantly miss shovel spots, hit spots, balloons, and so many things because the way the game is designed is just... very incredibly poor.

    The developers basically see traditional gaming and try to piss on it, which is fine and dandy, but what's left is a technically bad game with overly tedious moments that take control of the game 95% of the play. It seems like Nintendo hired 3rd year programming students who have some help from veterans on how to get stuff done, but overall you can tell the programmers in this game are just daft and at the end of their wits, which is why it also doesn't shock me that it is one island per Switch, it's literally them being incapable of programming that logic into the game.
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  86. Apr 6, 2020
    5
    I wanted to try out Animal Crossing because of the fans. I played for about a week and while relaxing, I started to realize it wasn't my kind of game. It was just too simplistic in what you could do in the game. I know the game expands later but it just took too much time for me to get there without the feeling of incentive to come back. It also felt a bit too kiddish for me. The slowI wanted to try out Animal Crossing because of the fans. I played for about a week and while relaxing, I started to realize it wasn't my kind of game. It was just too simplistic in what you could do in the game. I know the game expands later but it just took too much time for me to get there without the feeling of incentive to come back. It also felt a bit too kiddish for me. The slow progression of the game was really too slow for me and just felt like there wasn't much game there. Also, the villagers wouldn't say much of interest and repeat the same things, and while I like games where you have to figure out things on your own, it also wasn't very intuitive on what to do at times for new players to the series. In my experience, it felt very half baked. The core gameplay felt like what I could do in other games which are a lot more fun, varied, and engaging. The one main plus was the cute, polished hd visuals. Expand
  87. Jul 2, 2020
    7
    So I've managed to rack up more than 170 hours in this game so far, making it my most played game of the year so far.

    I also think one island per console is a huge annoyance but it's not worth giving the game a 0/100 (ya big babies) I start off I only played a small amount of new leaf before this game so I was going into this game with little to no knowledge. So I'm no long time fan
    So I've managed to rack up more than 170 hours in this game so far, making it my most played game of the year so far.

    I also think one island per console is a huge annoyance but it's not worth giving the game a 0/100 (ya big babies)

    I start off I only played a small amount of new leaf before this game so I was going into this game with little to no knowledge. So I'm no long time fan of the series or anything or the sort.

    I guess I'll start off with the pros:

    -This game is so damn peaceful.
    -Despite the slow progress at the start of the game it never leaves you bored, it leaves you wanting more.
    -The progression of your island is entirely up to you.
    -The detail of the graphics, animations and lighting is absolutely gorgeous, a huge step forward from previous games.
    - The ability to terraform is a big bonus (although it has its own issues).
    - If you are a collector/achievement hunter (which I most definitely am), this game will give you plenty to work towards.

    So with plenty to do and more to do than ever, what could go wrong... right??
    Well a lot apparently.
    The cons!!:

    -While crafting is a huge step forward for the series, as well as all the benefits it gives. It is the single most tedious experience I have experienced in a long time. It is also the worst part of this game. Why do I have to craft one item at a time, and whyyyyyy does it take so long to craft that ONE item? I spent (and I counted) 7 minutes making
    twenty fish bait.

    -The tools have no durability bar so you can never tell when they're about to break.

    - Of course one island per console is a massive pain in the ass. It's obviously used to get more people to buy their consoles and I guess it works. So great job Nintendo marketing team! (ya knobs).

    -Terraforming can turn your island into a beautiful paradise, but it's going to be hell before you get there. It feels clunky to use. You will hit the wrong patch is dirt 9 times before hitting the right one. It's just an all round mess right now and needs a serious overhaul.

    -While you can track your bugs and fish, you can't track the fossils you have donated, which was in the last game so I have no earthly idea why they removed it.

    -Villagers personality types are far too similar to other villagers. I'm sick of hearing three separate villagers talk about "the bugs in their floor". There needs to be more diversity between each villager.

    FINALLY, this is not giving nintendo flack for making a shoddy game, I think it's beautiful, addictive and a great way to blow off steam. So I'm just going to give some suggestions the game needs in the future.

    -The ability to craft multiple items at a time.
    -Manilla clams stacking.
    -More buildings/shops to build from Tom Nook (Like the coffee shop, or disco).
    -Tracking fossils
    -An easier way to terraform
    -The ability to boot a villager from your island instead of ignoring them for 2 months.
    -Durability bars for tools
    -Less frequent rain. My island is starting to look like a jungle.
    -Less time it takes to go to another island, seriously I spent probably 3 minutes talking to orville.
    -An auto-sort option for my inventory.

    You'll see that 90% of these are just quality of life features. Which is exactly what the game needs. I don't care about a diving update if the game continues this way.

    Well that rant is over. Hope nintendo read this stuff... they probably don't... BUT MAYBE THEY DO... nah they don't.
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  88. BFM
    Mar 27, 2020
    6
    Playing this game for one week now (without time-cheating), I still have fun, and appreciate the new tasks and changes that I see every day.

    But I am unsure how long this will last. I' already very disinterested in what the characters have to say. The job of collecting resources (fish, wood, fruit, bugs) in order to grow the town or get new stuff feels more and more like a joyless
    Playing this game for one week now (without time-cheating), I still have fun, and appreciate the new tasks and changes that I see every day.

    But I am unsure how long this will last.
    I' already very disinterested in what the characters have to say.
    The job of collecting resources (fish, wood, fruit, bugs) in order to grow the town or get new stuff feels more and more like a joyless grind.

    Especially crafting / buying objects is senseless.
    You can't use ANYTHING except a few simple music instruments.
    Bicycles, lawn mowers, Scooters, toys .... nothing is interactive, everything is just to look at.

    The only thing in this game that you can do besides gathering resources and placing furniture is ...
    sitting down on things.

    I wish I could tell you how the multiplayer is, but I have no idea.
    Nintendo doesn't let me play this game online.
    I have a huge list of friends that own and play this game.
    But there is no way to connect with them.

    It seems like I would need to know how to contact those people IN REAL LIFE and then give
    them a special generated code to invite them to my island.
    Just let me invite people from my friend list PLEASE.

    Graphics, animation, sound design and atmosphere are all fine.
    But tasks like growing plants, fishing or mining minerals feel very shallow and unrewarding in comparison to Stardew Valley.
    Animal Crossing could learn a lot from that game.
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  89. Nov 9, 2020
    6
    I Disappointed with the game. It's kind of a boring game. Not much to do for the most part and doing stuff feel's empty. I feel like it takes a very long time to get anything done. You get to the point were you have a large stack of crafting materials then half of what you would usually do is gone.
  90. Mar 25, 2020
    7
    This is arguably the best Animal Crossing yet, but for returning players it might be a pretty disappointing experience.

    I somehow wish this could be my first AC experience, as the game is full of things to discover and do, and undoubtedly has that animal crossing magic of the previous games. Unfortunately, it also is plagued by the same annoyances of the previous games such as the
    This is arguably the best Animal Crossing yet, but for returning players it might be a pretty disappointing experience.

    I somehow wish this could be my first AC experience, as the game is full of things to discover and do, and undoubtedly has that animal crossing magic of the previous games.

    Unfortunately, it also is plagued by the same annoyances of the previous games such as the cumbersome interface, and it does not add a whole lot of new and interesting gameplay mechanics and improvements to entertain returning animal crossing veterans. To me, it seems like nintendo was a bit lazy with this one.

    I was really looking forward to this game, but after a week of playing it, its hard to shake the thought im essentially playing a game that hasnt changed any core mechanics to entertain long time players. Which sucks, as i would have loved to dive into animal crossing once again, but there is just too little incentive for me to go on my third animal crossing adventure.

    Tldr: been there, done that
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  91. Apr 4, 2020
    5
    El juego sigue siendo lo de siempre han cambiado algo aquí algo allá, ha perdido cosas esenciales por el camino, el hecho de que las herramientas se estén rompiendo a cada rato es un encordio, y el sistema de Islas aleatorias es penoso. Entiendo que las mejores islas como la isla de las tarantulas no salgan a menudo pero que de 30 veces que he ido de viaje las 30 me haya salido una islaEl juego sigue siendo lo de siempre han cambiado algo aquí algo allá, ha perdido cosas esenciales por el camino, el hecho de que las herramientas se estén rompiendo a cada rato es un encordio, y el sistema de Islas aleatorias es penoso. Entiendo que las mejores islas como la isla de las tarantulas no salgan a menudo pero que de 30 veces que he ido de viaje las 30 me haya salido una isla random con la misma fruta y las mismas flores, eso es penoso y está mal hecho te dan ganas de dejar de jugar Expand
  92. Mar 28, 2020
    5
    I bought this to play with my daughter. Unfortunately Nintendo messed up with playing 2 on 1 console. I can't go through the main story like the first player. I'm restricted to wait for that and basically need to buy another switch and another copy of the game. That's useless. Otherwise the game is good though...
  93. Mar 31, 2020
    5
    This is the first Animal Crossing I’ve ever played. I love similar games so I thought I will give this a try. However, it’s not as funs as I had hoped.

    The game has a lot of charm and give me that relaxing and laid back feeling that I was looking for. Though it somehow feels a little lackluster. It stats out very slow and progressively gets better. But it never reaches a high enough
    This is the first Animal Crossing I’ve ever played. I love similar games so I thought I will give this a try. However, it’s not as funs as I had hoped.

    The game has a lot of charm and give me that relaxing and laid back feeling that I was looking for. Though it somehow feels a little lackluster. It stats out very slow and progressively gets better. But it never reaches a high enough point that I feel drawn to it. Most things get repetitive fast and it doesn’t feel as rewarding as I would like. It’s also to simple for my taste, both when it comes to difficulty and depth.

    I still play it for a few minutes every day, though it does not provide as much enjoyment compared to other games. I don’t regret the purchase, but It’s not a game I would recommend to likeminded individuals. However, I can see how it can be enjoyable to some people.
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  94. Mar 25, 2020
    7
    Cast: 6/10
    Story: 6/10
    Fun: 9/10
    Gameplay: 8/10

    Recommended
    ----------------------
  95. Apr 6, 2020
    7
    Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a great game, but does have some downsides.

    I have been playing this game over 2 weeks now and I love it. gathering fossils, fishing, bug catching and as of now the bunny day(week) event. As i have seen online most people had their island mostly done by time traveling, as for me i will be not time traveling . But this is a game that keeps me coming back
    Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a great game, but does have some downsides.

    I have been playing this game over 2 weeks now and I love it. gathering fossils, fishing, bug catching and as of now the bunny day(week) event. As i have seen online most people had their island mostly done by time traveling, as for me i will be not time traveling . But this is a game that keeps me coming back and slowly watching my island grow with each new finished project or a new guest comes and visits the island. But as i am playing game it can/gets boring after 2 hours of gameplay, but because there only so much you can do in a real time game.

    But overall If you are big Fan or new comer to Animal Crossing series this a game that is worth checking picking up.

    Will update later in the year!
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  96. Dec 28, 2020
    5
    The complaints about progression if you're player 2+ are entirely valid and I have a hard time wrapping my head around the thought process that led to those design decisions without chalking it up to stupidity or incompetence. If you don't care about having only a single island per console, or only one player who can progress the story--which I don't, I was honestly glad to not have toThe complaints about progression if you're player 2+ are entirely valid and I have a hard time wrapping my head around the thought process that led to those design decisions without chalking it up to stupidity or incompetence. If you don't care about having only a single island per console, or only one player who can progress the story--which I don't, I was honestly glad to not have to deal with that--then you still have to contend with the issues of being unable to build bridges or craft really basic furniture. On top of that, the controls are awful, dialog is incredibly repetitive and tedious, and for a game whose entire purpose is decorating your island, this has the worst customization options imaginable short of not actually offering any at all. If you don't believe me, then feel free to stop by my house full of urinals and giant baseball helmets because I can't buy a bed or a proper table.

    This game was only a success because it coincided with a devastating global pandemic, and the previous installments were apparently even more boring and stupid. Neither of those are claims to fame that I personally would want.
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  97. Mar 31, 2020
    5
    Juego que puede llegar a ser a veces divertido pero que carece de contenido
  98. Apr 8, 2020
    6
    It’s still amazingly good, but having to unlock basic features like the museum and the town hall just feels wrong. And while the crafting we very much welcome for furniture. For tools it feels limiting, and this series is not a game that you should feel limited in. Having to get island to a 3 star rating by doing stuff that you don’t wanna do like planting flowers and building fences isIt’s still amazingly good, but having to unlock basic features like the museum and the town hall just feels wrong. And while the crafting we very much welcome for furniture. For tools it feels limiting, and this series is not a game that you should feel limited in. Having to get island to a 3 star rating by doing stuff that you don’t wanna do like planting flowers and building fences is also not really fun. I was expecting K.K. on the first Saturday and I was really excited for him but then I learned that I have to unlock him? This game is a Sim, why do I have to unlock basic features? It’s an amazing game and I would recommend it to anyone. But i personally think Stardew Valley and Rune Factory are way better games to just relax and simulate life. Expand
  99. Apr 14, 2020
    6
    I do not care about the 1 island per switch. This is a game review site and should not be a place for butt hurt fanboys to vent their incel frustrations. Anyway I picked up the game as I never played an ac before and wanted to see what the fuss was. The game is colourful and charming and the animals are very adorable. I like how it's random with who will be moving into your island. But II do not care about the 1 island per switch. This is a game review site and should not be a place for butt hurt fanboys to vent their incel frustrations. Anyway I picked up the game as I never played an ac before and wanted to see what the fuss was. The game is colourful and charming and the animals are very adorable. I like how it's random with who will be moving into your island. But I just dont get it you fish, hunt bugs look for fossils and that's kind of it. It's a slow pace chill game and I can see why some like it as an escape but it's not for me Expand
  100. Mar 24, 2020
    5
    This is a great game, it's super relaxing and fun to play. It's cool that you can craft items in this game. I don't get why people are complaing about how only the one person can do certain things on the island since most of the previous games were like this. In the 3DS only the one player was the mayor, so this wasn't really a surprise.
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 111 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Negative: 0 out of 111
  1. Dec 19, 2020
    95
    Animal Crossing New Horizons is basically perfect. Full of wholesome content that helped us cope with the COVID-19 pandemics, the game keeps the heart of its predecessors while innovating enough to make it unique. It may not have won Game of the Year but it'll be the game we all remember from 2020, for sure.
  2. Jun 22, 2020
    80
    Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a stunning new instalment in the Animal Crossing franchise, hindered only by its lack of immediate content, quality of life issues and missing returning characters and features While future updates will give the game long-term playability, for those already sipping vacation juice on their five-star islands, island life feels pretty mundane right now.
  3. CD-Action
    May 12, 2020
    95
    It’s full of detail, pretty small things, and surprisingly well working simulations and systems – everything polished in such a way that the player really does care about everything that’s going on. [06/2020, p.40]