The same thing happened with The Sims 4, as it looked a lot more 'plastic' and was kind of a controversial style choice compared the the Sims 3. I like it a lot tho, it's grown on me and NH honestly looks amazing!!
It reminds me of a play set of slyvanian families, or like playmobil. Kind of like we’re playing a giant dollhouse/island. I love the graphics though. I had an issue with the plastic looking feel at first but seeing the world in the different seasons, weather conditions, and lighting just makes everything look so beautiful. It’s not too simple, and not too textured. I feel like that’s the kind of graphics we would expect from a switch game anyways.
I figured it out
I now know what it was reminding me of
The world looks like it was made out of plasticine
(not in a done-badly way, the art style is really nice! but in a "everything looks pliable" way)