Animal Crossing: New Horizons

 Switch
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6617 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,370 out of 6617
  2. Mixed: 571 out of 6617
  3. Negative: 2,676 out of 6617
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  1. NoxiD20
    Apr 20, 2020
    0
    Not only can I not have my own island, I can’t progress in the game until my wife hits certain milestones in the game. I spent 8 hours playing the game trying to figure out why I didn’t have an axe yet and it was because she didn’t show a NPC two bugs... straight trash designed to sell consoles. HARD PASS.
  2. TBoneIsScum
    Apr 20, 2020
    0
    Wanted to play this game with my partner, turns out you can't. Wish I knew before purchasing the game. Fix your game Nintendo.
  3. Kittidroid
    Apr 21, 2020
    9
    Throughout quarantine, this game manages to bring me and my friends together - not to mention helps us make new animal-esque ones! An adorable, casual gem that can (and will) take over your life.
  4. OwenlyTheBest
    Apr 21, 2020
    7
    Love the game but it can't be understated how ludicrous the one island per switch limitation is. My rating is unfair on the game but Nintendo's being unfair on us, forcing us to buy another £300 system for a limitation that simply doesn't have to be there. Imagine they only had one save for each system for the likes of Mario Odyssey and Breath of the Wild!
  5. Rosscoe
    Apr 22, 2020
    2
    Made this account specifically to warn people about the nefarious business tactics that are underpinning the cute aesthetics.

    If you plan on playing this game with other people in your household on a single switch then think again as that really isn’t possible. Only 1 game/island per switch, not per profile. Additional profiles can only visit the 1st players game and cannot start their    Made this account specifically to warn people about the nefarious business tactics that are underpinning the cute aesthetics.

    If you plan on playing this game with other people in your household on a single switch then think again as that really isn’t possible. Only 1 game/island per switch, not per profile. Additional profiles can only visit the 1st players game and cannot start their own. This is a conscious design decision by Nintendo to try and force households to purchase a console for every member of household. So it’s not £50 for the game. It’s actually the amount of people in your household x (£50 + £200). A rip off basically.

    Sort it out Nintendo, you know you’ve done this deliberately and could easily fix it    … Expand
  6. Beardo7
    Apr 22, 2020
    2
    Update - scored this a 6 after a few weeks but now a few months in and it’s gotten very dull. If you enjoy a game with no direction or goal at all where you just repeat the same boring menial tasks over and over (with horrendous UI) for no reason get this - if you want a similar game but with interesting stories and things to aim for get the far far superior Stardew Vally. (Which is alsoUpdate - scored this a 6 after a few weeks but now a few months in and it’s gotten very dull. If you enjoy a game with no direction or goal at all where you just repeat the same boring menial tasks over and over (with horrendous UI) for no reason get this - if you want a similar game but with interesting stories and things to aim for get the far far superior Stardew Vally. (Which is also £40 cheaper! And 100 times more fun) I’ll break down AC simply Boot up

    See nothing is happening Collect the same Fruit/fossils you have collected for the past 40 days Sell them Check turnip prices

    Hear the same dialogue from your villagers you’ve heard (well read) for the 50th time.

    All this takes about 5-10 mins

    Turn off for another day and wonder why you spent £50 on a mobile game for a £300 console.

    And repeat. . 1st of all no way this game is a 10 but neither is it a 0!

    The game is relaxing and a good way to chill and out get your creative mind going to see what ideas you can come up with for your island and it can be good fun! And building your museum collection up with insects and fish is nicely done and good to see your efforts displayed. The fossils part is done well and actually displays them in a chronological and evolutional order which is fun to discover and I’m sure kids will love it. However this lasts about a week and then after that it starts to wear a bit thin.

    I have no problem with the real time aspect of the game per-say (I also dolt mind the accelerated clock in Stardew Vally both have their merits) however I do feel like it was done to extend the life of the game. And the repetitive nature of the game does become a bit boring you will find yourself just doing the same menial tasks over and over for little or no reward. At times it does feel like a mobile game you have paid £50 for to play on a £300 console. Also it’s 2020 Nintendo why is it not a fully 3D game? Not being able to rotate the camera 360 degrees? I mean come on.

    Not being able to craft more than 1 thing at a time is also annoying I have 8 clams and I want to make 8 fish bait, I can’t just select make 8 and it does it, no you have to go through the same process and animation 8 times! The islands you visit via nook miles will soon become repetitive as seems to be limited to about 10(?) different layouts I have visited the same island 3 times in 2 days. 6000 miles well spent.

    The dialog with your island buddies soon becomes irritating as they just repeat the same lines over and over and don’t really offer anything. Multiplayer is a mess why can’t I open my gate and my friends just pop over? No I have to sit through the same loading screen and animation for every person that visits and same when they leave plus when they are arrive there is nothing to do? No mini games or anything to do together which is a shame. I have also knocked a point off for the 1 island per console stroke that Nintendo have pulled just to try and sell more units - luckily me and my wife are happy to share a character so in our house it’s not an issue but I can see how it could cause problems. The tools breaking without any warning is also frustrating! Why no status bar? We had this in Minecraft a game that was made in what 2007? And gold tools shouldn’t break! I’ve worked hard for them and the they just break? It should be a reward for all your hard work. I don’t want to seem like I’m just moaning about the game as I have had fun playing it and i think of your prepared to look past the annoyances there is a good game in there! And it’s a break from the normal FPS/Action/FIFA style games. I just wish a bit more thought was put into the UI and Quality Of Life of the player. I also have a sneaking suspicion that Micro Transactions are on the way as it’s a game primed for it but I hope I’m wrong!

    Would have got a 7/10 from me if it wasn’t for the 1 island per switch idea. I think 6/10 is a fair score.    … Expand
  7. Electrohead
    Apr 29, 2020
    9
    The game has a fantastic first two weeks that does a great job at constantly giving you new tasks that introduce new gameplay mechanics to the player. Once you complete the 'story', you're pretty much able to customize anything you want, resulting in the ability to make some pretty incredibly designed islands and homes.

    The presentation is fantastic. The game's graphics are very    The game has a fantastic first two weeks that does a great job at constantly giving you new tasks that introduce new gameplay mechanics to the player. Once you complete the 'story', you're pretty much able to customize anything you want, resulting in the ability to make some pretty incredibly designed islands and homes.

    The presentation is fantastic. The game's graphics are very stylized and the NPCs are all very expressive, making the game feel like a real living world. The music is all very cute as well, especially the tracks by K.K. Slider.

    You will eventually reach a point where the game becomes a lot less fun to play for extended periods of time; which is the norm for Animal Crossing. Thankfully though, Nintendo seems to be planning on supporting the game after launch and have already re-introduced past features like the Art Museum and Redd.

    Other than the eventual wall you hit where the game becomes less fun, the only really big flaws are some annoying menu management and crafting quirks, which will hopefully be patched.    … Expand
  8. Neiru
    May 1, 2020
    0
    Looks fun but not a chance of me buying it until Nintendo allows two saves on one console. I'm not playing while my partner has to be second fiddle all the time or vice versa.

    You've sold millions of Switches nintendo. This seems a cynical ploy to push more Switch lites (why would anyone bother getting one of those?). That with the lack of discounting in the eShop, 3 year old games for    Looks fun but not a chance of me buying it until Nintendo allows two saves on one console. I'm not playing while my partner has to be second fiddle all the time or vice versa.

    You've sold millions of Switches nintendo. This seems a cynical ploy to push more Switch lites (why would anyone bother getting one of those?). That with the lack of discounting in the eShop, 3 year old games for £50 still, you're looking worse as a company. Sony look like fluffy bunnies compared. The very least you can do for your customers (who mostly accept this pricing) is allow them to share games within a household.    … Expand
  9. Landenwin
    Apr 27, 2020
    10
    This game is incredible! It’s has so many improvements from previous Animal Crossing game and is an overall fun and charming experience! It’s a lot of fun visiting friends islands and playing online with others! The game provides a hole new level of customization, with the ability to create new higher land, waterfalls, rivers and more! You can also customize many pieces of furniture andThis game is incredible! It’s has so many improvements from previous Animal Crossing game and is an overall fun and charming experience! It’s a lot of fun visiting friends islands and playing online with others! The game provides a hole new level of customization, with the ability to create new higher land, waterfalls, rivers and more! You can also customize many pieces of furniture and place furniture outside. All this allows you to really make the island how you want. Definitely a must have for anyone on the Switch!… Expand
  10. Chronoforce
    Apr 27, 2020
    10
    Best game I've ever played with my special one. Stop bombing the score, it's not fair.
  11. Isgolo
    Apr 27, 2020
    9
    Extremely polished, but still have some things to improve, specially on the quality of life suction related crafting and terraforming
  12. Dunderhyphenp
    Apr 27, 2020
    9
    Good and fun game, only thing stopping me from giving it a 10 is the 1 island per console limitation.
  13. AranI_Koopa
    Apr 27, 2020
    10
    Animal crossing siempre ha Sido una gran Saga y aunque el juego se sentía vacío, en la última actualización se quita esa sensación ya que meten las obras de arte
  14. crevassier
    Apr 27, 2020
    8
    The PERFECT game during a stupid pandemic. My only gripe is what a lot of the lame brigading reviews mention, and that is that the account that starts the island ends up gatekeeping improvements. For anyone playing completely SOLO, locally, this isn't a problem. As a household of 3, my kid was first and now we have to play as her when she isn't interested in island management. Personally IThe PERFECT game during a stupid pandemic. My only gripe is what a lot of the lame brigading reviews mention, and that is that the account that starts the island ends up gatekeeping improvements. For anyone playing completely SOLO, locally, this isn't a problem. As a household of 3, my kid was first and now we have to play as her when she isn't interested in island management. Personally I am OK with just having the one island, however, the management side of things should have been extended to all players and not just the first one.

    This does not ruin the game completely and it's still a great successor to the series. Hopefully the devs can constructively move forward with an update that allows people to start easier. I wish I had known this limitation on launch day, but we stayed away from too much info so we didn't spoil the initial fun and no one wants to reset your stuff after a few days of work already got put in.

    The community of designers is pretty awesome and both my wife and daughter love customizing their homes with the shared designs.    … Expand
  15. Windexblue21
    Apr 27, 2020
    10
    Don’t let a review bomb discourage you from playing this game. Nay, this work of art.
  16. Meliodas998
    Apr 27, 2020
    10
    Perfect, I have funny moments in all time with my family and solitarie. I recommend this game for all that want relax
  17. Tamaguchi
    Apr 27, 2020
    9
    Es mi primer animal crossing pero me parece muy bien juego, relaja, es bastante completo, podría estar mejor pero es mejorable y posible que sea actualizado en un futuro.
  18. Marbocla
    Apr 28, 2020
    10
    Es muy buen juego , muy relajante y bonito, con buena música y gráficos preciosos
  19. Lalox
    Apr 28, 2020
    10
    Desde la Nintendo gamecube no le daba una oportunidad a un animal crossing, sin embargo, ACNH me ha dejado pasmado sin darme cuenta más de 100 hrs de juego. Sin duda más que un juego un proyecto de vida online a largo plazo.
  20. Faxi
    Apr 28, 2020
    9
    Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers a relaxing time, with a lot of cute animals with different personalities and amazingly fun gameplay.

    You get to choose your very own island, where you can do whatever you want with it. You can build, decorate, fish, catch insects, dig up fossils, craft and much more. While the game offers extremely fun gameplay, a great soundtrack, and a real time    Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers a relaxing time, with a lot of cute animals with different personalities and amazingly fun gameplay.

    You get to choose your very own island, where you can do whatever you want with it. You can build, decorate, fish, catch insects, dig up fossils, craft and much more.

    While the game offers extremely fun gameplay, a great soundtrack, and a real time system, the multiplayer part of the game is quite a disappointment.

    While the multiplayer part of the game is the only disappointment of the game, since what players can do on other players islands are very limited. By playing it alone, multiplayer won't really ruin the game experience, because of the games so fun gameplay elements.

    With a relaxing soundtrack, and fun gameplay and a interesting real-time system, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a remarkable game.    … Expand
  21. Escutia
    Apr 28, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Best Game in the Nintendo switch.
    El mejor juego en Nintendo switch por mucho.    … Expand
  22. Jejo
    Apr 28, 2020
    1
    Only one island per console! Such a ridiculous limitation to add. The first person to play the game on your console is permanently in charge of the island. Feels like I got cheated.
  23. fmintie
    Apr 28, 2020
    0
    This is my experience as player 2 of this game. I cannot contribute to any of the game objectives, despite playing a lot.
    I can't make decisions about where to put my buildings or villagers houses. The multiplayer option is even worse as if you are a "follower" you cant even interact with animals or buy things in shops.
    The amount of arguments between younger family members that have    This is my experience as player 2 of this game. I cannot contribute to any of the game objectives, despite playing a lot.
    I can't make decisions about where to put my buildings or villagers houses. The multiplayer option is even worse as if you are a "follower" you cant even interact with animals or buy things in shops.

    The amount of arguments between younger family members that have ensued as a result of this weird player 1 power dynamic is almost not worth having the game.

    I am also worried about the inability to backup a copy of my island. What if something happens to my switch? too bad for me? And if the option does become available but only with a Nintendo online account, I will have to pay to keep my island backed up, even though I have already paid for the game?

    Not to mention the fact that even with owning TWO separate copies of New Horizons, neither will create a new island. This is completely different from playing Wild World as a child and I am so disappointed in the obvious greed that fuelled this decision. So to be able to make any decisions about their own island at all, player 2 has to pay up another few hundreds for a new switch. This is despicable especially as the switch is advertised as a family console.    … Expand
  24. ViktoorC
    Apr 29, 2020
    0
    Base game is good, however you can only have one island per switch which is just a super greedy move. Also the multiplayer is really slow and annoying, you can't craft in bulk which is just boring, the game has a lot of flaws that make me want to bang my head into the wall already
  25. Artazur
    May 5, 2020
    3
    How can Nintendo make a game, that has less content than the previous ones? Less characters , less resident dialogues, less fruit trees, less shops/buildings..........
    But it is fun to play but it needs many content updates to become a good game
  26. sourasalemon
    Apr 30, 2020
    0
    It's a complete disappointment that my partner, who has been playing these games for all of his life, had the first claim to an island and then I, who has never had the chance or interest to play any animal crossing game until now, will be unable to ever have the full game experience on the console that I had snagged from my friend for an unbeatable price. On top of the general principalIt's a complete disappointment that my partner, who has been playing these games for all of his life, had the first claim to an island and then I, who has never had the chance or interest to play any animal crossing game until now, will be unable to ever have the full game experience on the console that I had snagged from my friend for an unbeatable price. On top of the general principal of me refusing to buy another system just for one game, the console is OUT OF STOCK EVERYWHERE, and we don't live together so it's not like I can play anyway--I haven't seen him in almost two months, and I have to live away from my own home for a job, but even if I did buy a new system I can't even move my game to the console that I am already attached to after all of this is over?? What a joke. I'll probably never play this and not have any desire to play an animal crossing ever because this restriction has just ruined any joy I could possible ever have for this series.… Expand
  27. Drlaurson
    Apr 30, 2020
    0
    The one island per console ruined this game for a family with kids! DO NOT BUY IT until they fix it.

    I literally created an account for this reason. Greed of the company to try and sell more consoles is inexcusable.
  28. Peaksius
    Apr 30, 2020
    3
    Great game with good pace, cute npc's, and gameplay that is relatively intuitive. This was my first animal crossing game and I got it to have a game to unwind. I was absolutely stunned to find out the 1 save per console setup. I have 3 young daughters and this has caused massive issues within the household. Nintendo, this is no longer a handheld only franchise fix this asap please or IGreat game with good pace, cute npc's, and gameplay that is relatively intuitive. This was my first animal crossing game and I got it to have a game to unwind. I was absolutely stunned to find out the 1 save per console setup. I have 3 young daughters and this has caused massive issues within the household. Nintendo, this is no longer a handheld only franchise fix this asap please or I will start sending the daily recordings of the fighting and bickering between my kids for you to endure as I do..… Expand
  29. Coldfusion9
    Apr 30, 2020
    0
    One island per switch? GTFO, what an absolute joke. What moron thought that was a good idea?
  30. Olibuba
    Apr 30, 2020
    0
    I made an account just to say the one island per console is a terrible gimmick for more people to buy your product. At least with ACNL you could buy another game to insert into the 3DS. This is absolute BS.
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Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Switch Game of 2020
1
#1 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 111 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 110 out of 111
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 111
  3. Negative: 0 out of 111
  1. Universo Nintendo
    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.
    Read full review
  2. The Digital Fix
    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.
    Read full review
  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]
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