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. imtheamora
    Mar 30, 2020
    10
    This game is fantastic, a brand new feel to the game that pulls it off well. But one question remains, why does this game have so many bad reviews? Most of them seem to be bland reviews that are most likely spam.
  2. Sax1202
    Mar 30, 2020
    1
    Love most of the mechanics in the game and I love seeing the community for this game grow but I have one major problem. You can’t have separate islands per switch. Ruins the experience for me and the other people in the house since they can’t progress without me playing.
  3. rothedwards
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    Seems like a great game. Unfortunately... I have bought two copies and cannot progress due to horrible game design. How could they put out something to the public with such a huge flaw??
  4. whoisum
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    1 snow white seven dwarfs (with no power). Ridiculous. Nintendo knows better than this.
  5. Rb_Drache
    Mar 30, 2020
    9
    Not a perfect game, but definitely a great one.

    Cons: 1. Online multiplayer waiting screen You have to wait for 30~60 seconds every time someone visits or leaves your island. The waiting screen is kinda cute, but when you're playing with, let's say, 5 other people, you have to see that screen 10 times per session. 2. No bulk crafting/wonky inventory management Animal crossing    Not a perfect game, but definitely a great one.

    Cons:
    1. Online multiplayer waiting screen
    You have to wait for 30~60 seconds every time someone visits or leaves your island. The waiting screen is kinda cute, but when you're playing with, let's say, 5 other people, you have to see that screen 10 times per session.

    2. No bulk crafting/wonky inventory management
    Animal crossing didn't have that many kinds of stackable items before New Horizons, and DS, 3DS, Wii version all had either touch screen or Wii remote which made pulling out items from the stack really fast and convenient, even if you can only remove 1 from the stack at a time. However, in NH you have to slowly remove an item from the stack each time, and the fact you can have 30 woods per stack (and even more for some items) doesn't help here. Also, the problem of slow, repetitive tasks is also in crafting, especially when you're crafting fish baits with manila clams.

    3. No cloud save (yet)
    I won't elaborate.

    4. Game's progression is tied to the first player.
    Can cause a huge pain if the first player stops playing this game. You should, at the very least, be able to change who's the boss among the players.

    From here, I'll talk about the problem everyone is ranting about, but personally I didn't have a big problem with it.
    5. Local multiplayer
    The problem I have with the local multiplayer, is the fact second player don't have access to the tool wheel, and they somehow can't even hold an umbrella. You will have like 6 tools in your inventory and it takes ages to cycle through them. Also, the second player goes "HEY I FOUND THIS" like Link every time they collects an item, which takes too long if you're picking up several items, like when you're chopping or shaking a tree. Other than that, it's quite fun running around chopping trees and catching fish, wandering around with my sister.

    6. One island per console
    I understand everyone's frustration about this, but personally, I would like to share island with my family and renovate the island to a beautiful place, where our whole family worked together and have lovely memories about them. The lack of the choice isn't that good, so I'll put this as cons anyway.

    Now, I won't write about Pros here, but it's overall much better than the last game I've played, which is the Wii version of animal crossing.

    PSA: This game is NOT all about progression. The progression lies within how the island changes as you put efforts in it, building museum and upgrading resident service is only a part of it.    … Expand
  6. Animalcrossed
    Mar 30, 2020
    2
    I don’t expect there to be different islands per player but the fact that essentially one character gets the story line while the others do nothing is horrible! What a waste of money for everyone to not be able to truly enjoy the game. Animal crossing should remove the resident representative role completely or AT LEAST make it transferable. This needs to be patched quickly or I’m not sureI don’t expect there to be different islands per player but the fact that essentially one character gets the story line while the others do nothing is horrible! What a waste of money for everyone to not be able to truly enjoy the game. Animal crossing should remove the resident representative role completely or AT LEAST make it transferable. This needs to be patched quickly or I’m not sure I’m buying another animal crossing game. It’s not as family friendly as it promotes itself to be… Expand
  7. Cnic44
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    This should be advertised as a single- player game. Multiplayer is pointless. You can open your emote options as the second player but not your tool options? Nintendo what were you thinking?? I wanted to play this with my wife but we have to just take turns because it's no fun to be the second player. You just follow the leader around... I am extremely disappointed with the ant antiquatedThis should be advertised as a single- player game. Multiplayer is pointless. You can open your emote options as the second player but not your tool options? Nintendo what were you thinking?? I wanted to play this with my wife but we have to just take turns because it's no fun to be the second player. You just follow the leader around... I am extremely disappointed with the ant antiquated feel of the multiplayer system and even the online system. I why can't I be in multiplayer mode and have my wife and I both go visit another person? It's 2020 and if Nintendo wants to charge me for online they need to give me features that are worth paying for. I love the game, but have to review it poorly because of the crap job they did with the multiplayer. Seems to me that they wanted everyone to go out and buy more switches and extra animal crossing games in order to truly play multiplayer. Shame on you Nintendo!… Expand
  8. magna10
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    Nothing could have prepared me for how awful this game is. It was hyped to oblivion, and I bought it at it's full, ludicrous $60 price tag, and the game is nothing. You gather and you sell so you can place and gather. That's it. That's literally the entire game summarized in one sentence. This is a $30 game at best. I'm so unfathomably disappointed, I thought this was going to be anNothing could have prepared me for how awful this game is. It was hyped to oblivion, and I bought it at it's full, ludicrous $60 price tag, and the game is nothing. You gather and you sell so you can place and gather. That's it. That's literally the entire game summarized in one sentence. This is a $30 game at best. I'm so unfathomably disappointed, I thought this was going to be an amazing experience, and it's nothing. Don't get me started on the multiplayer, easily the most antiquated thing I've seen in any modern game, or the fact that you can only have one island. Waste of time and money completely.… Expand
  9. tantei
    Mar 30, 2020
    3
    The island save state situation is un acceptable. The game also is really slow at the start even for an animal crossing.
  10. Frogblast
    Mar 30, 2020
    3
    I am second player and nothing to do. Totally un acceptable for a 80$ game!!!
  11. Ozzywichi
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    Such a shame. Thanks for tethering progression and such to one person. Maybe there'll be a patch but I wont be holding my breath.
  12. JackThunder
    Mar 30, 2020
    3
    For a $60 game, my whole family should be able to have their own game. I kinda feel duped. Sharing an Island!! Really!! Im not going to buy multiple copies of the same games and multiple $400 game stations for individual accounts. Nintendo has gotten so **** greedy. This isnt hard to change . The company should fix this. Thr game itself is really fun, but this inconvenience makes it veryFor a $60 game, my whole family should be able to have their own game. I kinda feel duped. Sharing an Island!! Really!! Im not going to buy multiple copies of the same games and multiple $400 game stations for individual accounts. Nintendo has gotten so **** greedy. This isnt hard to change . The company should fix this. Thr game itself is really fun, but this inconvenience makes it very disappointing.… Expand
  13. RNGesusR6
    Mar 30, 2020
    10
    I never played the original version but got both the one on the 3ds and Wii I loved both. This is a great improvement on those game bring new mechanics to the game we all have loved. The shared world has always been a thing so I don’t get the outrage but to me it’s amazing
  14. Tylenor
    Mar 30, 2020
    9
    Excellent game, best installment in the series by far! I noticed a lot of idiots who apparently never played an animal crossing game before are reviewbombing here. Let me enlighten you on the fact that “one island/town per console” has been a thing since the first Animal crossing on the GameCube. No, it’s not a feature that’s been removed from the game or anything, it’s the animal crossingExcellent game, best installment in the series by far! I noticed a lot of idiots who apparently never played an animal crossing game before are reviewbombing here. Let me enlighten you on the fact that “one island/town per console” has been a thing since the first Animal crossing on the GameCube. No, it’s not a feature that’s been removed from the game or anything, it’s the animal crossing standard that it’s player one’s world and everyone else lives in it. Don’t be a cuck and let your wife or kids be player one if you’re that hardcore into this E-rated game, and don’t reviewbomb a family game as a grown ass adult complaining that you’re stuck on player 2 and have a hard time sharing with people lol.… Expand
  15. Average_user
    Mar 30, 2020
    7
    Hi, as a 14 year old with two siblings I have a few problems with this game. I have been so hyped for this beautiful game! So when I heard my mum had let us get the game for being good during her stay at the hospital, I was ecstatic! This game is £49.99 and it is worth every penny. It is stunning. The best looking animal crossing game ever. Once downloaded, my brother let me watch him IHi, as a 14 year old with two siblings I have a few problems with this game. I have been so hyped for this beautiful game! So when I heard my mum had let us get the game for being good during her stay at the hospital, I was ecstatic! This game is £49.99 and it is worth every penny. It is stunning. The best looking animal crossing game ever. Once downloaded, my brother let me watch him I was so excited seeing him play and I was dying to make my own island. However, I soon realised I couldn't do that. There is a limit of one island to a console. Now I understand the reason. It is a great business technique but it is just unfair. My mum was barely able to afford the one we have now and me and my siblings will not be able to share the one island. It'll cause too much frustration. Resource limitation and progression differentiation is irritating to say the least. Me and my sister won't have the same choices and things that my brother will get because he is the representative. I love animal crossing because it's a chill game. I can take my time and do what I want on my own file. But this makes it impossible to have as much fun as I'd have on New Leaf. I seriously just want to give up and let my brother have his fun and it breaks my heart. In this current time with this pandemic I just wanna go to a deserted island and forget what's is going on since I can't see my friends. But this limitation will tear me and my siblings apart which is not what we need.
    I don't want to drag this game because it doesn't deserve that. It has been amazingly developed and it has so many positives! I wish I could give it 10/10 but I can't. This one island per console is too unfair and too expensive. This game is advertised for families with kids and most kids will have siblings who will also want to play the game and that is not including the parents. Now, I don't know about you but my family can't afford 4 switches. I hope Nintendo fix this so I can give it the 10/10 it deserves!    … Expand
  16. Johnholl1000
    Mar 30, 2020
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It really pains me to give this game a low rating because honestly it does so many things right. In truth, this game would definitely earn a 9 or 10 out of 10 were it not for one glaring issue. The fact that the game limits you to one island per console. This is bad for so many reasons that countless others have already pointed out. Obviously it means that multiple people are limited to sharing a single experience instead of being able to have their own separate adventures. But that isn’t really why I am so frustrated by this game. No, actually my fiancé and I were very excited to build our island life together and the idea of sharing this experience was something we were both super excited for. The real problem is that WE DON’T get to share the same experience together! That’s because in this game the only person who gets to enjoy the full game is the person that founds the island. Everyone else is treated as a second class citizen unable to trigger any of the main progression events and relegated to doing only the more tedious chores the game has to offer. So many of the missions and DIY recipes are locked away to these players. I could go on about this forever but to keep things brief, this one flaw in game design has single handedly destroyed our desire to play this game that we were so excited to play. The only half-viable solution seams to be buying another console (and probably another copy of the game). Now given the recent collapse of society, switch consoles have become exceedingly hard to come by. But even if that weren’t the case, I still wouldn’t be willing to buy another system because it feels like that was the entire reason the game was designed in this manner. This feels so scummy and is the worst part of this whole situation. Really hope that the necessary changes get made but I expect they won’t. Until then my score stands.… Expand
  17. Derpderp12345
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    One island per switch....which is quite underlying the most ridiculous decision ever made. Not to mention at this time where we are in a crisis. And you want us to buy two SWITCHES just because people want more than one island on a video game...seriously....
  18. SalaciousGoo
    Mar 30, 2020
    10
    I made a Metacritic account exclusively to support this wonderful game that so many people seem to misunderstand. Animal Crossing has always been a game where the first person to play has the most control, it has always been the intention to only have one town per console (despite being able to circumvent that in some of the installments), and most importantly, it has NEVER been aboutI made a Metacritic account exclusively to support this wonderful game that so many people seem to misunderstand. Animal Crossing has always been a game where the first person to play has the most control, it has always been the intention to only have one town per console (despite being able to circumvent that in some of the installments), and most importantly, it has NEVER been about "Progressing the Game".

    Animal Crossing is a virtual playground where you hang out and customize your house, make friends with villagers, fill the museum, and just generally waste time, NOT get to the next objective. If you can't appreciate a game without clear goals, this isn't the game for you, and that really is okay. But "This experience didn't appeal to me personally" doesn't equate to a 1 or 0 score from an objective standpoint.

    The things you can do as Resident Advisor are completely ancillary to the core experience of Animal Crossing as a whole, and if you really can't tolerate asking whoever you share your ENTIRE SWITCH CONSOLE with to share their island with you, maybe you even have to talk to them every couple of days (God forbid) about building a bridge or whatever you are so desperately missing about being Player 1, then guess what? You WILL have to pay the same premium everybody else does to get the same experience.

    To cap this off, a HUGE shoutout to people who didn't like the one island system and gave it a fair, measured score based on an incredible game having one thing you personally don't like about it, i.e. 4-6, even a 3 if you just don't like the game. You're the real heroes.    … Expand
  19. FilletFelines
    Mar 30, 2020
    9
    This is without a doubt my favorite Switch game so far. The gameplay is incredibly satisfying and you really can mold your island into just about anything you want it to be. There are only two things I take issue with though-- crafting can be incredibly tedious and it needs a few changes (allow us to craft multiple items at once, skip the low-grade tools if we have the necessary materialsThis is without a doubt my favorite Switch game so far. The gameplay is incredibly satisfying and you really can mold your island into just about anything you want it to be. There are only two things I take issue with though-- crafting can be incredibly tedious and it needs a few changes (allow us to craft multiple items at once, skip the low-grade tools if we have the necessary materials for better ones). Secondly, I think allowing players to join you on mystery island expeditions would make the game even more enjoyable. They're fun to play on your own but exploring new islands and finding new materials would be even more exciting with friends.… Expand
  20. fbrz
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    While the 1st player can receive tasks and make progress with the story, all the other players have terrible gameplay. Nintendo please fix this by, for instance, alternating the player who Tom Nook gives tasks to. The game is great, but only for a single player.
  21. Pedroperoz
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    Simply terrible local multi-player. My wife plays as the 2nd villager, and she is missing lots of recipes and stays blocked on several tasks throughout the game. Nintendo needs to fix this ASAP
  22. Green-
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    Was super excited to play this game, but there is only ONE save file per switch. For a console designed for families this sucks, you can have up to 8 characters for one island but only ONE island and unless you're the mayor you don't get to make meaningful decisions and if one person collects all of the resources for the day, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to get your own.

    I'm super    Was super excited to play this game, but there is only ONE save file per switch. For a console designed for families this sucks, you can have up to 8 characters for one island but only ONE island and unless you're the mayor you don't get to make meaningful decisions and if one person collects all of the resources for the day, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to get your own.

    I'm super disappointed in Nintendo for such a massive flaw in what would've been a great game. Was bought for the family, but can't be used for the family. Get it if you are the only person planning on playing, otherwise don't.    … Expand
  23. Scutch1980
    Mar 21, 2020
    3
    This game could really benefit from respecting the players time a little more. It's a decent enough time to gather resources and craft things. But the worse offender is no way to retrieve your save file to a different Switch? I mean what do I have to do if I buy a new switch and have to sell the one I have now? No one at Nintendo knowss how to respect people's time?
  24. Rackaroll
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    Animal Crossing be like:
    One to rule them all, with up to 7 slaves who can't progress on their own!
  25. Lyrab
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    Wow what a total complete scam. I am beyond angry. I spent days playing this game so confused why our island wasn’t advancing. Then my boyfriend, who created his character before mine, signs on after days of not playing and gets all the opportunities to progress the island along with free diy recipes. Nintendo was NOT upfront about this one true player per game console. I feel scammed outWow what a total complete scam. I am beyond angry. I spent days playing this game so confused why our island wasn’t advancing. Then my boyfriend, who created his character before mine, signs on after days of not playing and gets all the opportunities to progress the island along with free diy recipes. Nintendo was NOT upfront about this one true player per game console. I feel scammed out of my time and money. Nintendo needs to fix this.… Expand
  26. Colby_Cheese
    Mar 30, 2020
    10
    Good game and I can't believe people are giving 0/10 reviews. Me, my brother and my sister all share the same island and we all are having a great time with the game, I stared the island so yes I do have more stuff to do but my siblings have not complained at all and have told me that there glad I decided to get it so basically don't listen to the 0/10s and this is a 100% must buy.
  27. Marc6363
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    Only one island per switch AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
  28. Nyn
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    For me, there's no problem with the unique island ... i knowed before buying. But, all the players blocked by the first one's progression, it's just a very bad surprise after a few hours of playing for the 5 players of my family. It's the end of the game for 4 of us. For make her happy, we let my 7 years daughter playing first .... critical failure... I'm sorry, but it's my biggerFor me, there's no problem with the unique island ... i knowed before buying. But, all the players blocked by the first one's progression, it's just a very bad surprise after a few hours of playing for the 5 players of my family. It's the end of the game for 4 of us. For make her happy, we let my 7 years daughter playing first .... critical failure... I'm sorry, but it's my bigger disappointment for the moment.… Expand
  29. Niclink_21
    Mar 30, 2020
    2
    So far from what I have seen, I am slightly disappointed with this game. I enjoy the new features such as the nookphone and the various quality of life fixes. The new museum looks AMAZING and the graphics look amazing as well. There are, however, many things I am disappointed with. For one, many staple NPCs of the series have been cut. Brewster, Redd, Dr. Shrunk, Harriet, Pelly & Phyllis,So far from what I have seen, I am slightly disappointed with this game. I enjoy the new features such as the nookphone and the various quality of life fixes. The new museum looks AMAZING and the graphics look amazing as well. There are, however, many things I am disappointed with. For one, many staple NPCs of the series have been cut. Brewster, Redd, Dr. Shrunk, Harriet, Pelly & Phyllis, and Katrina have all been cut. In addition, the art gallery has been entirely cut from the museum. Nook's Cranny now only has one upgrade. There are very few buildings to construct. The amount of buildings and facilities you construct would be equivalent to the amount of buildings and facilities that would be available day 1 in other games. Diving has been removed and the there are now only 6 different kinds of fruits. I am mixed on crafting. On one hand, crafting provides a new and fun way to create certain furniture and outdoor furniture. On the other hand, If you remove the crafting and the nook miles system from the game, this game would have no substance. I'll just put it this way, this is the first animal crossing game where I have had nothing to do except log in, play the game for a total of 10 mins, and sign out. Each animal crossing game released up to New Horizons was a culmination of everything great from the games previous. This is the first game in the series to regress in design and gameplay and that just doesn't sit well with me. This game was rushed and hopefully, with updates, this game can improve, but for now, this game is all style and no substance, and I'll be sticking to city folk or new leaf.… Expand
  30. Nerd012
    Mar 30, 2020
    0
    BEWARE OF BUYING! YoU can only have one Island, if you want to have co-op you have to share an Island together. Player one is essessily the boss.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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]
See all critic reviews »