Animal Crossing: New Horizons - The Ultimate Review: A Slow-Life Masterpiece on the Switch

Hello Switch players! It's your old friend here, a seasoned gamer with ten years of experience. Today, I want to talk about a game you absolutely can't miss: Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Since its release, this game has won the hearts of countless players with its unique slow-life gameplay and high degree of freedom. Even with the Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, it still exudes a unique charm. As a game critic, I'll provide an in-depth review from multiple perspectives, including gameplay, graphics, sound effects, storyline, and controls.

1. Animal Crossing: New Horizons Overview: Escape the Hustle, Embrace Tranquility

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a social simulation game developed by Nintendo, where players relocate to a deserted island and live freely. The game has no clear objectives; players can explore, build, socialize, collect, and more according to their preferences. This slow-paced, highly free gameplay allows players to find their own enjoyment in the game and escape the hustle of the real world.

This game was originally released on March 20, 2020, and achieved great success worldwide. Even five years later, it remains one of the most popular games on the Nintendo Switch. Many players are looking forward to continuing to experience this title on the Nintendo Switch 2, or seeing a sequel released.

2. Gameplay Review: Endless Possibilities, Create a Unique Island

2.1 Core Gameplay: Freedom Above All Else

The core gameplay of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the highly free island construction and social interaction. Players can freely change the island's terrain, build houses, plant flowers and trees, collect various items, and interact with the animal residents on the island. The game's time is synchronized with the real world, allowing players to experience the changing seasons and various holiday events.

2.2 Diverse Activities: There's Always One You'll Love

The game offers a wide variety of activities for players to choose from. You can fish, catch bugs, mine, cook, design clothes, host parties, and more. These activities not only help you collect resources and unlock new items, but also allow you to experience the fun of the game.

2.3 Social Interaction: Share the Joy with Friends

Animal Crossing: New Horizons supports local and online multiplayer. You can invite friends to visit your island, or visit your friends' islands. You can fish together, catch bugs together, exchange items, host events together, and share the joy of the game together.

2.4 Nintendo Switch 2 Possibilities: A New Experience Brought by Performance Improvements

If Animal Crossing: New Horizons can run on the future Nintendo Switch 2, or if a sequel is released, we would expect the following improvements:

• Higher screen resolution and smoother frame rates: This would make the game's graphics more refined and improve the visual experience.
• Larger island area and more buildable space: This would allow players to be more creative and build more spectacular islands.
• More powerful AI and richer animal resident interactions: This would make the game world more vivid and improve immersion.

3. Graphics and Sound Effects: Fresh and Healing, Immersive

3.1 Graphic Style: Fresh Cartoon

Animal Crossing: New Horizons uses a fresh cartoon graphic style with bright colors and rich details. The characters and scenes in the game are designed to be very cute, making people feel very relaxed and comfortable.

3.2 Sound Design: Relaxing and Pleasant

The game's sound design is equally outstanding. The background music is relaxing and pleasant, and the sounds of various animals are lifelike. The sound effects blend perfectly with the graphics, creating a relaxing and healing atmosphere.

3.3 Nintendo Switch 2 Outlook: Potential for Graphic Upgrades

It is foreseeable that with the powerful performance of the Nintendo Switch 2, the Animal Crossing series will usher in a qualitative leap in graphic performance. Higher resolution, more detailed textures, and more realistic lighting effects will all make the game world more lifelike.

4. Story and Characters: Heartwarming Stories, Adorable Residents

4.1 Story Setting: Relaxing and Pleasant

Animal Crossing: New Horizons does not have a clear main storyline; players can freely develop their own stories. The characters in the game are all adorable animal residents with their own personalities and hobbies. Players can interact with them and build deep friendships.

4.2 Character Charm: Distinct Personalities

The animal residents in the game all have their own unique personalities and appearances. They will chat with players, share their feelings, give gifts, and more. Interacting with these adorable residents is one of the great joys of the game.

4.3 Nintendo Switch 2 Possibilities: Deeper Character Interactions

In the future, we may see more intelligent animal residents in new Animal Crossing titles on the Nintendo Switch 2. They may have more complex personalities, richer dialogue content, and even react differently based on player actions.

5. Controls: Simple and Easy to Learn, Suitable for All Ages

5.1 Control Method: Simple and Intuitive

The control method of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is very simple and intuitive. Players only need to use the joystick and buttons on the Joy-Con to complete all operations. The game also supports touch screen operation, making it convenient for players to perform some simple operations.

5.2 Learning Curve: Extremely Easy to Pick Up

The game is extremely easy to learn, and even novice players can pick it up quickly. The game provides a detailed tutorial to help players understand the basic operations and gameplay.

5.3 Nintendo Switch 2 Speculation: More Comfortable Control Experience

The Nintendo Switch 2 may adopt a new controller design, or improve the controller's vibration feedback, thereby bringing players a more comfortable control experience.

6. Game Score and Summary: Slow-Life Masterpiece, Worth Owning

Considering the above reviews, I believe that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an outstanding game. It has a high degree of freedom, a wide variety of activities, fresh and healing graphics, relaxing and pleasant sound effects, and simple and easy-to-learn controls. This game allows players to find their own fun in the game and escape the hustle of the real world.

• Gameplay: 9.5/10 - Extremely high degree of freedom, rich and diverse gameplay.
• Graphics: 8.5/10 - Fresh cartoon, rich details.
• Sound Effects: 9.0/10 - Relaxing and pleasant, immersive.
• Story: 8.0/10 - Heartwarming stories, adorable residents.
• Controls: 9.0/10 - Simple and easy to learn, suitable for all ages.

Overall Score: 9.0/10

IGN Score: 9.0/10 (Reference Link: IGN Animal Crossing: New Horizons Review)

Metacritic Score: 91/100 (Reference Link: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Metacritic)

I highly recommend that all Switch players try this game. Even if you are not a fan of simulation management games, you are very likely to be attracted by its charm. At the same time, we also look forward to the Nintendo Switch 2 bringing more possibilities to this game.

7. Beginner's Guide: Easy to Get Started, Master the Deserted Island

7.1 Initial Choice: Choose Your Favorite Island

At the beginning of the game, you need to choose a deserted island. Different islands have different terrain, climate, and initial residents. You can choose according to your preferences.

7.2 Basic Operations: Familiarize Yourself with the Game Controls

The game's control method is very simple and intuitive. You can use the joystick to control the character's movement, and use the buttons to perform various operations. The game provides a detailed tutorial to help you understand the basic operations of the game.

7.3 Resource Collection: The First Step to Survival

To survive on the island, you need to collect various resources. You can obtain resources by fishing, catching bugs, mining, and chopping trees.

7.4 House Building: Create a Cozy Home

You can use the collected resources to build a house. The house can provide you with a place to rest and store items.

7.5 Resident Interaction: Build Friendships

You can interact with the animal residents on the island and build deep friendships. They will chat with players, share their feelings, and give gifts.

8. Advanced Tips and Strategies: Master the Deserted Island, Become an Island Master

8.1 Island Planning: Create an Ideal Home

You can freely plan the island's terrain, build houses, plant flowers and trees, and more. Reasonable planning can make your island more beautiful and practical.

8.2 Item Collection: Unlock More Possibilities

The game has a large number of items that can be collected. The collected items can be used to build houses, make tools, decorate the island, and more.

8.3 Social Interaction: Share the Joy with Friends

You can invite friends to visit your island, or visit your friends' islands. You can fish together, catch bugs together, exchange items, host events together, and share the joy of the game together.

8.4 Nintendo Switch 2 Outlook: More Powerful Features

If the Nintendo Switch 2 has more powerful online features, we may expect Animal Crossing to launch more abundant online events, such as global holiday events, multiplayer co-op missions, and more.

9. Levels and Challenges: No End Point, Only Infinite Possibilities

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has no clear levels or challenges. Players can play the game according to their preferences and explore infinite possibilities.

10. Equipment and Skill Combinations: Customize Your Gaming Experience

Animal Crossing: New Horizons does not have a traditional equipment and skill system. Players can customize their gaming experience by collecting different items.

11. Speedrunning Techniques and Hidden Elements: Explore the Depth of the Game

Animal Crossing: New Horizons hides many speedrunning techniques and hidden elements. For example, players can quickly collect resources by exploiting game loopholes, or unlock hidden items and characters by completing specific tasks.

12. Nintendo Switch 2 Compatibility and Outlook

The compatibility of the Nintendo Switch 2 has always been the focus of players' attention. nintendo switch2 compatibility mentions that Nintendo may take some measures to ensure that the new console is compatible with old games. This means that players are very likely to be able to continue playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch 2.

At the same time, nintendo switch2 first look also reveals some information about the performance of the new console. If the Nintendo Switch 2 can bring significant performance improvements, then the Animal Crossing series will usher in a qualitative leap in graphic performance and game experience.

Finally, regarding the price of the Nintendo Switch 2, nintendo switch2 price makes some predictions. Players can decide whether to buy a new console based on their budget.

All in all, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game worth owning. It can allow you to find your own fun in the game and escape the hustle of the real world. Even with the Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, it still exudes a unique charm. I hope my review can help you better understand this game and make an informed decision. Let us look forward to seeing more exciting Animal Crossing works on the Nintendo Switch 2 in the future!