Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a 2020 life simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth main series title in the Animal Crossing series. New Horizons was released in all regions on March 20, 2020.
In New Horizons, the player assumes the role of a customizable character who moves to a deserted island after purchasing a package from Tom Nook, a tanuki character who has appeared in every entry in the Animal Crossing series. Taking place in real-time, the player can explore the island in a nonlinear fashion, gathering and crafting items, catching insects and fish, and developing the island into a community of anthropomorphic animals.
New Horizons received acclaim from critics, with many praising its gameplay and customization options. It sold five million digital copies in its first month, breaking the console game record for most digital units sold in a single month. It became the best-selling game in the Animal Crossing series after six weeks with 13.41 million units sold. Its success has been partially attributed to its release during the COVID-19 pandemic, with players seeking a sense of escapism amid worldwide stay-at-home orders.
Gameplay
As in previous instalments in the Animal Crossing series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a nonlinear life simulation game played in real-time. The player assumes the role of a customizable character who moves to a deserted island after purchasing a deserted island package from Tom Nook, a tanuki character who is a staple of the series. The game proceeds in an open-ended fashion as the player explores the island, and develops it into a community of anthropomorphic animals. Players can collect different items to use as decorations within the game. Like in the 2017 spin-off title ' for mobile devices, the game introduces a crafting system that allows the player to convert materials into tools and furniture, which can be used to decorate the game's interior and exterior spaces.The game allows the player to customize the appearance of their character at will, and does not lock specific hairstyles or facial features to specific genders. Players are additionally able to select their character's skin color, a feature introduced in the 2015 spin-off title '. Nook Miles, an in-game currency earned by completing various tasks, can be used to purchase premium items. Players are able to invite animals to live on their island, and have the option to choose or influence where the animal constructs their home. The game's weather adjusts to the seasons of the Northern or Southern Hemisphere, depending on the player's real-world location, a first for the Animal Crossing series. Another first is the addition of windy weather, which is expressed in the movement of the leaves on the trees.
Once the player has made sufficient progress in New Horizons, Isabelle appears in the game. Additionally, Mr. Resetti no longer lectures the player about saving ; instead, it is heavily implied that he is the operator for the Rescue Service. K.K. Slider also appears on the game after the player has achieved a three star rating island.
The game supports one island per Switch system. Animal Crossing: New Horizons supports both local and online co-op gameplay, with up to four players locally and eight players online able to occupy an island at any given time. The game does not connect directly with , though there are collaboration items between the two games. The game does support amiibo cards and figures from the Animal Crossing series. Nintendo Switch Online cloud saving was added during a late July update. The ability to transfer save data is planned for later in 2020.
Development
Development of a new main series Animal Crossing title for Nintendo Switch was confirmed in a Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2018, with an unspecified 2019 release date. Nintendo released the game's title and first trailer at its E3 2019 Nintendo Direct on June 11, 2019. The game was delayed until March 20, 2020, with Yoshiaki Koizumi stating that in order "to ensure the game the best it be, ask that wait a little longer than thought." Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser cited a desire to avoid crunch and maintain a healthy work–life balance for Nintendo employees as the primary reason for the delay. Nintendo's stock market value posted a 3.5% loss in reaction to the delay, amounting to a total loss in value of more than US$1 billion. Director Aya Kyogoku and producer Hisashi Nogami stated that they selected a deserted island as the game's setting to differentiate it from previous Animal Crossing titles, which are set in established villages, and to allow greater freedom for the player to customize the game's world.Release
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released on March 20, 2020. Video game retailer EB Games attracted criticism for allowing fans who pre-ordered the game along with Doom Eternal to line up at its flagship Canadian location on Yonge Street, Toronto amid a COVID-19 pandemic in the country, when all levels of government urged the public to close non-essential businesses and maintain social distancing.Nintendo confirmed that Animal Crossing: New Horizons would receive frequent post-release updates, most of them being based around real-life events and holidays. On the week of the game's release, Nintendo pushed an update in preparation for the game's "Bunny Day" event in April, which is loosely based on Easter. A second update was released at the end of April, including events for "Nature Day" and May Day, and the return of Animal Crossing: New Leaf special character Leif as a gardening supplies peddler. A third update was announced at the end of June for summer and split into two parts. Released at the beginning of July, the first wave of the update included the return of diving from , long-time popular character Pascal, and a new character similar to existing special character Gulliver but dressed as a pirate named Gullivarrr. The second wave of the summer update released late July, re-introduced Firework shows, the returns of the character Luna and dream towns as well as the ability to back up your cloud saves which allows the player to back up the island. A fall update is scheduled for later in the year.
Reception
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic, becoming the highest-rated game in the series on the website. However, the game has been subject to review bombing due to its handling of Switch profiles and multiplayer.Jack Rear of The Telegraph praised the game, writing that its elements " up to the perfect DIY recipe for the most chilled out, relaxing, and engaging life simulator ever." Sarah Fields of Game Rant wrote that, "n addition to making full use of the Switch's graphical capabilities, New Horizons fixes a myriad of annoyances and problems that New Leaf had", and called New Horizons "a laid-back game that ultimately lets the player choose what they're going to do at any given moment".
Sales
New Horizons sold over 1.88million physical copies at launch in Japan, breaking the record held by Pokémon Sword and Shield for biggest Switch game debut in the region. The game sold 720,791 physical copies in its second week in Japan, selling more than ' did in its first week., the game has sold 3,895,159 physical copies in Japan.In North America, it was the best-selling game of March 2020, becoming the second best-selling game of 2020 and surpassing the lifetime sales of all previous Animal Crossing games. New Horizons generated the third highest known launch month sales of any Nintendo-published game, after Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
In the United Kingdom, the game's physical launch sales were 3.6 times larger than those of New Leaf, making it the biggest single Switch game launch in the region. It also sold triple the units of the number-two title, new entry Doom Eternal. In Germany, New Horizons sold more than 200,000 copies after a few days of release, for which it has been certified with a Platinum Sales Award by German trade association GAME.
Nielsen division SuperData estimates that New Horizons sold five million digital copies worldwide in March 2020, setting a new digital sales record by selling more digital units in a single calendar month than any other console game in history. It surpassed the previous record set by '.
Nintendo reported that 11.77 million units sold by March 31, 2020, and a total of 13.41 million units after six weeks on the market, making it one of "the best starts ever for a Nintendo Switch title" by the end of its 2019 fiscal year, as well as one of the best selling games on the console and the best selling game of 2020 and the Animal Crossing series.
Impact
Reviewers and news organizations highlighted the game's sense of escapism, in contrast to the COVID-19 pandemic, as attributing to its success. An NBC News op-ed declared, " is the coronavirus distraction we needed" at a time of wide-spread social distancing and stay-at-home orders. Imad Khan of The New York Times called the game a "phenomenon", and stated that "with the world in the grip of a pandemic, the wildly popular game is a conveniently timed piece of whimsy, particularly for millennials."Many people have utilized the game in different ways for business and/or socialization. Funerals, weddings, and graduations were held in the game, with even a talk show spawning, with the name Animal Talking. The Monterey Bay Aquarium, during the COVID-19 pandemic, has regularly held live streams of animal feedings. Some of the zookeepers, who have been playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, have also given a tour of the in-game museum on livestream. On stream, they discussed the realistic dimensions of the layout in the museum.