Someone at the hockey rink asked me “what is that game?” Well, its kind of hard to explain. You move to a new island and build tools, pay off debt to this racoon named Tom, and do a lot of yard work. That really is the majority of the game. The weeds are everywhere, the tools break all the time, and you’re constantly in debt… I’m still not sure what’s so fun about it but trust me, it’s awesome. “Just trust me, its fun.” That’s all I could respond with.

This is the first Animal Crossing installment I’ve played since the Gamecube game came out in 2001. I knew I wanted New Horizons since it’s release, but I was late to the party thanks to losing my job during the coronavirus. I got it now and I can’t stop playing. Its obviously reminiscent of the old Gamecube game with many classic features, but this version is jam packed with new and exciting updates. Its possible that some of the new features came out in previous installments but again, I haven’t played an Animal Crossing game in almost 20 years (fuck I’m old).

The old classic features that I didn’t realize I missed were fishing, bug-catching, and fossil digging. There’s something so rewarding about filling up the museum with all the island’s wildlife and fossils. It just shows off all your accomplishments in beautiful fashion. Blathers the owl (the museum director) has upgraded his museum this time and it looks incredible. My favorite part is always the fish exhibits. New Horizons has some impressive fish tanks, including the one which houses a great white shark! You have to catch one first but once you do, he’s yours to admire forever. It is massive and there are hundreds of species of fish, bugs, and fossils to collect across your new home and nearby islands.

The newest and most fun aspect of the game is the customization features that it offers. Your house has always been your “customization zone” but this game literally lets you customize your entire island. You can make your island exactly to your liking with sidewalks, parks, bridges, trees/plants and other aesthetic features. Furniture can be built and colored to your liking. Other players can come visit your island too, so its fun to show off your landscaping and architecture skills.

I’m only 4 days into the game and I’m hooked. Its definitely the best game I’ve gotten in quite some time and I’m excited to see what other features I can unlock and explore in this game. It gets a 9.2 in my book. A very high score, but it really does deserve all the praise it gets.

Written by Andrew Silvers

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