Animal Crossing: New Horizons — villager arrivals on a sunny island

Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Review

A slow, soothing life sim that unfolds in real time and quietly takes over your mornings, evenings, and everything in between.

Synopsis

Escape to a deserted island and build your own paradise. Forage, craft, decorate, fish at sunset, and check in daily as time and seasons mirror the real world.

Details

Publisher
Nintendo
Developer
Nintendo
Reviewed on
Nintendo Switch (handheld & docked)
Director
Aya Kyogoku
Art Director
Koji Takahashi
Sound Director
Kazumi Totaka
Programming Directors
Yoshitaka Takeshita, Hiromichi Miyake

Day 1 to Day 30: From Tent to Town

My first day on “Destiny” (yes, that’s the island’s name) was all sticks, weeds, and a tent. Tom Nook fronted the getaway, then handed me a 5,000-bell bill and a to-do list. Days later I was crafting tools, upgrading to a mailbox-equipped house, island-hopping for iron, and plotting new home plots. A month in, Destiny is bustling—villagers with big personalities, a fruit orchard, museum donations, and a daily rhythm that’s genuinely rewarding.

Crowd gathered outside Able Sisters tailor shop
There’s a party at Able’s and y’all are invited — image captured by the author

Two Phases: ACBT & ACPT

ACBT (Before Terraforming) is your onboarding: learn systems, attract shops and residents, and establish a routine. ACPT (Post Terraforming) begins after credits when island design truly opens up—reshaping cliffs and rivers, laying paths, and obsessing over symmetry.

Tools, Crafting & Degradation

The core toolset—axe, shovel, net, rod, slingshot, vaulting pole, and ladder—gate island interactions. All but pole and ladder break, so resource stockpiles matter. Recipes ramp from basics to kitchenettes and even golden armor. Early crafting at Tom Nook’s bench works, but home benches can’t access home storage, which adds avoidable tedium near your house.

Dozens of butterflies swarming a plaza
So many… — image captured by the author

Nook Miles & Random Islands

Everyday actions earn Nook Miles you can trade for gear, decor, and—crucially—mystery island tickets. Those resource islands top up wood/stone and occasionally produce a new villager to recruit. It’s a smart pressure valve when your home island is tapped for the day.

Real-Time Pacing

Buildings take real days to complete; shop stock rotates daily; events sync with your calendar. The design slows you down in a delightful way—you’ll catch yourself planning tomorrow’s check-in before bed. (Time-travel exists; I opted not to.)

Player teasing a cranky villager
Make friends or annoy your villagers — image captured by the author

Loans, Storage & Remodeling

Post-game, home expansions become irresistible: more storage, new rooms, bigger projects. I built a plant-packed meditation room and started a week-long neighborhood relocation—one house per day—after re-routing rivers and flattening a cliff. It’s slow by design, and that commitment makes the end result feel earned.

Economy: Bells, Fruit & Turnips

Fruit orchards are steady income, especially non-native fruit from friends. For big gains, it’s the stalk market: buy turnips on Sunday, watch AM/PM prices, and sell high. A good spike can mint millions.

Bags of bells stacked for turnip trading

ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW HORIZONS TURNIP MARKET IS TURNING US ALL INTO MONSTERS

Multiplayer: Cute Hangouts, Missed Mini-Games

Up to eight players can share an island session for fishing, photo ops, or turnip runs. Many placeables animate, but few become actual activities—basketball hoops you can’t shoot on, pinball you can’t play. The sandbox begs for more interactive toys.

Four players selling turnips at Nook’s Cranny
If someone else’s island has better prices, go—don’t walk. — image captured by the author

Online Friction & QoL Wishes

  • Arrivals/Departures: Every visitor forces a 20–30s cut-in for all players; multiply that by seven and it drags.
  • Tool clarity: A durability meter would make planning runs easier.
  • Donations UI: Inventory icons should indicate if you’ve already donated a specimen.
  • Item locking & placement: Let us lock decor (no more picking up fences by accident) and nudge items with finer grid control.
  • Benches & storage: Allow home benches to pull from home storage.
Four friends posing in colorful outfits at night
EN’s Cherie showing true colours — image captured by the author

Live Events & Seasons

Events have been a mixed bag (Easter’s egg overload was… a lot), but Earth Day brought new merchants and bushes. Given the game’s success and strong first-month support, the year ahead looks promising. Seasonal shifts bring fresh critters, recipes, and vibes—winter selfies vs. beach days never get old.

Play

Verdict

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is intentionally unhurried, quietly compulsive, and endlessly charming. The real-time cadence makes small wins feel meaningful; terraforming turns the back half into a creative sandbox; and while online flow and UI could be smoother, the daily ritual is irresistible. I’ll be checking in all year.