5 Reasons to Play Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Perfect Game for Switch

We know, we know. Just about every game that gets released for the Switch now is deemed ‘the perfect Switch game,’ but you’ve got to hear us out when it comes to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Due to the game’s easy pick-up-and-play nature, allowing you to get a quick spot of fishing in, do some gardening pullin’ up those weeds, or just take some fossils over to Blathers, it’s great for commuters.

On the other hand, it’s also great for docking your Switch to your TV after a long, hard day’s work and relaxing with your animal friends. Go ahead with those plans to change up the look and feel of your island, you’re free to do as you wish.

Because of this, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the game you’ll want to go to if you’ve got a spare 15 minutes, or a spare three hours. What you do with that time on your island is up to you.

Plus, winner winner, you won’t need to deal with Mr. Resetti if you forget to save, because auto-save takes care of it all for you!

Make Your Island Landscape Your Own

Something we very briefly eluded to in the previous section was the ability to now morph the terrain of your island. You can place dirt down to make ground where there was water, or you can hack away at cliff sides to make waterfalls. You can make mountains, move mountains, or continue to etch out a meandering river down the center of your town.

In other words, Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ world is malleable. It’s like having a lump of clay that you’re free to mold to whatever shape that you want. And if you don’t like the end result, you just reverse it.

This is arguably one of the biggest changes introduced in New Horizons. And as was the case in New Leaf on 3DS, you’ll also be able to build more bridges and the like to make getting around your town more easily. That is, as long as you can cough up the hundreds of thousands of Bells each one costs.

Furniture for Everyone… Everywhere!

Once you’re done sculpting the land to your preferences, you’ll then be able to get to work making your getaway island look as good as it feels to live there.

Another of the major changes introduced in New Horizons is the ability to place furniture not just in a whole new load of ways around your house, but just outdoors on your island, too. You could make yourself a nice little beach hangout, or a picnic area amidst the trees.

You could make yourself a little orchard of fruit trees with a lovely fence around them, or make an outdoor gym with a picket fence so you can get fit in the island sunshine.

The point is, you can make your island feel way, way more personal than you ever could in a previous game, and it opens up the door for plenty more creativity among the community. It also makes inviting friends to your island, and visiting theirs far more exciting, as you never know how someone may have designed and decorated their island.

You Can Have Eight-Person Parties!

Ain’t no party like an Animal Crossing: New Horizons party. I’m pretty sure that’s how the lyrics go, but even if they don’t, they should from now on.

While there are limitations in terms of who can visit your island, whose island you can visit, and what visitors can do on the host island depending on whether you’ve got the visitor on your friends list, it’s still easy to have a rager on the island.

That’s because up to eight players can play simultaneously on one island via online multiplayer. Local wireless multiplayer options offer the same thing, and players can even jump in and play on the same Switch, albeit with some limitations.

There’s something special about opening up your island or town and letting a friend come and explore it at their own will. To go fishing in your rivers, to take your fruit that you’ve been growing for oh, so long. It’s a relaxing, sharing experience that can really help to keep you company if you’re having a marathon session rejigging your island’s layout.

A Nice, Cheery Distraction

Look, the world’s kind of in a dark place right now. Brexit has happened for the better or worse (spoilers: it’s definitely the worse), Covid-19’s been classed as a pandemic and has led to people stockpiling grocery items, and a bunch of games like Cyberpunk 2077, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and The Last of Us Part 2 all got delayed into later this year.

But Animal Crossing has always been about finding the silver lining. Or having one of your animal friends say something so wise and positive, that you stare back at your screen in sheer disbelief. Yes, a frickin dog with bandages wrapped around its head literally just gave you life advice. And it’s glorious.