Who says lockdown narrows horizons?
Emma Dear reviews the hottest game to play in this pandemic - Animal Crossing : New Horizons - and tells you why you should be playing it!
The highly anticipated sequel to one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises - Animal Crossing - has finally arrived, eight years since its predecessor - Animal Crossing : New Leaf - was released on the 3DS. Within ten days there were 11.77 million sales of Animal Crossing : New Horizons. Much of its success has been attributed to the Coronavirus pandemic, which has led many bored people to reach out to find things to do, or in this case play. But what is it about?
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons you play as the only human in the game who is part of raccoon Tom Nook’s Island getaway package. This package includes going to a deserted island and shaping your life however you want, accompanied by some cute furry animal villagers. It’s a sweet, innocent game - the biggest threat you’ll ever face is accidentally disturbing some angry wasps.
You’ll want to earn money in the game so you can make your house bigger and fill it with furniture or even to build bridges so you can access all of the island’s resources. Animal Crossing: New Horizons adds the ability to craft objects, such as fishing rods or nets - or even a magic wand. The Stalk market, (where you buy turnips and try to sell them for a profit) is a gamble of chance but can gain you the most money, or bells (Animal Crossing’s in game currency).
To help Tom Nook’s getaway package become a success you’ll need to craft furniture for houses, plant flowers all over the island, collect fossils for a museum and even convince legendary Animal Crossing superstar K.K Slider to come and perform in your village square.
One feature that isn’t in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the swimming function. The removal of the swimming function is puzzling as this was popular in the previous game and would have been fitting for a deserted island - but Nintendo keep adding updates regularly so this could be available in the future.
Even after the credits have rolled, the game is far from over. It’s an escape from the real world where you can make friends with animals, meet up with your friends in their towns, catch fish and bugs, dig for treasure and grow your own garden. Its slow, tranquil pace completely contrasts the chaos revolving around the global pandemic, and this might explain Animal Crossing : New Horizons’ massive success.
For all Nintendo Switch players, this is a must-have game - its calming atmosphere, cute villagers, imagination and sheer magic delights anyone who plays it. So, if you’re in need of a new game and don’t know which one to get, Animal Crossing : New Horizons could be the perfect game for you!
By Emma Dear, Year 9
The highly anticipated sequel to one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises - Animal Crossing - has finally arrived, eight years since its predecessor - Animal Crossing : New Leaf - was released on the 3DS. Within ten days there were 11.77 million sales of Animal Crossing : New Horizons. Much of its success has been attributed to the Coronavirus pandemic, which has led many bored people to reach out to find things to do, or in this case play. But what is it about?
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons you play as the only human in the game who is part of raccoon Tom Nook’s Island getaway package. This package includes going to a deserted island and shaping your life however you want, accompanied by some cute furry animal villagers. It’s a sweet, innocent game - the biggest threat you’ll ever face is accidentally disturbing some angry wasps.
You’ll want to earn money in the game so you can make your house bigger and fill it with furniture or even to build bridges so you can access all of the island’s resources. Animal Crossing: New Horizons adds the ability to craft objects, such as fishing rods or nets - or even a magic wand. The Stalk market, (where you buy turnips and try to sell them for a profit) is a gamble of chance but can gain you the most money, or bells (Animal Crossing’s in game currency).
To help Tom Nook’s getaway package become a success you’ll need to craft furniture for houses, plant flowers all over the island, collect fossils for a museum and even convince legendary Animal Crossing superstar K.K Slider to come and perform in your village square.
One feature that isn’t in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the swimming function. The removal of the swimming function is puzzling as this was popular in the previous game and would have been fitting for a deserted island - but Nintendo keep adding updates regularly so this could be available in the future.
Even after the credits have rolled, the game is far from over. It’s an escape from the real world where you can make friends with animals, meet up with your friends in their towns, catch fish and bugs, dig for treasure and grow your own garden. Its slow, tranquil pace completely contrasts the chaos revolving around the global pandemic, and this might explain Animal Crossing : New Horizons’ massive success.
For all Nintendo Switch players, this is a must-have game - its calming atmosphere, cute villagers, imagination and sheer magic delights anyone who plays it. So, if you’re in need of a new game and don’t know which one to get, Animal Crossing : New Horizons could be the perfect game for you!
By Emma Dear, Year 9