Animal Crossing: New Horizons
The ultimate getaway from reality.
As I grin at the simple pleasure of seeing Goldie, an old Animal Crossing favourite, pottering around her tiny one-room house in a Wee Willie Winkie-style nightcap and pyjamas, I realise how good it feels to be home. Not home in the sense of being curled up on the sofa in real-life, but that sense of comfort that comes from immersing myself again so deeply in the animalese world Animal Crossing. There’s nothing that quite compares to the quiet, peacefulness of existing within the bright, simplistic world Nintendo’s life simulator, and with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, that sense of the series being the ultimate getaway from reality is amplified tenfold.
That’s not just because Animal
Crossing: New Horizons has possibly arrived at the most perfect time – a period where many of us may find ourselves being trapped at home a little more than usual – jetting us off to an island paradise courtesy of Tom Nook. Yes, the money-focused tanuki is back with a new investment scheme, and this time it’s about setting up a new life on a deserted island. Nook’s in charge now though, meaning you’ve been demoted to Resident Representative, and later when she eventually arrives like a sunbeam of cuteness, you realise
Isabelle reports to Tom Nook now too. But that doesn’t mean your powers to shape the future of your new sandy home is any lessened. There are actually a slew of new features to help you execute your own vision of paradise,and the moment Tom Nook steps back and relinquishes island control to you, you’re ready to create your ultimate desert getaway.
In a world where you can spend hours on end looping short, pacey in-game days in Stardew Valley’s farming simulation, Animal Crossing is still tied to the real world passing of time. Initially, this means the pace of Animal Crossing: New Horizons feels incredibly slow, but, this is a game designed to be played as much, or as little, as you’d like on any given day.
A game that takes its time, but is thoroughly worth waiting for. Sam Loveridge