POLL---Be Honest: How do you REALLY feel about New Horizons?

[Raven_]

I think that New Horizons could be the best Animal Crossing game to date objectively speaking because we have never gotten that many customization features like in this game. Also the villagers feel much more alive and I love just walking around and taking in all the sounds and the details.

However, New Horizons also feels like kind of like a reboot of the whole series and I still don't know how to feel about that as so many NPCs and features are missing. New Horizons kind of doesn't have that Animal Crossing feel to it as the other games.

If I had to decide between New Leaf and New Horizons I would still choose New Horizons because New Horizons has brought a lot of improvements as well like being able to set out furniture outside, terraforming and lots of others.

However there are also a lot of core elements missing from New Leaf which I really miss like Brewster or the mini games. Obviously every game had missing features which is normal and all good, however it has never been this evident as in New Horizons which is a problem.

 

[river]

I'm sure that most people want this whole debate to be over soon, but I've been reading everything that has been said on the multiple threads discussing New Horizons with a lot of interest, and I'd like to add something.

Since New Leaf we can all tell how Nintendo has prioritized the potential the game has for customization and creativity, I see that very clearly with the evolutions of the City Folk patterns to the designs we have in New Horizons. As someone who loved making patterns in CF, I was so excited for the PRO Designs in NL and with all the different top and dress styles in NH.

There are so many more possibilities to create in this game and, most importantly in my opinion, ways to share those creations with other players, which have evolved with the series as well.

I don't know if this is an industry trend overall since I'm not an "avid gamer", but it seems to me that Nintendo realized not necessarily that most AC players were like me, but that players like me, who enjoy creating and customizing, also enjoy sharing those creations online, which means a lot of free advertising for their game.

I joined twitter last year just to upload my NH screenshots and I think that anyone who has been around the AC twitter community can tell that the things that drive the most engagement are terraforming creations, unique designs and stylish, aesthetic-heavy islands. So I definitely think that social media has had an impact on which elements Nintendo prioritized when launching New Horizons, and I don't think that that's necessarily a bad thing.

But the truth is that Animal Crossing was not created with that idea at all. The game was conceptualized to evoke that feeling of being alone in a new place, getting a new job, having new responsibilities, meeting new people. That's why I think people remember befriending villagers to be so rewarding, because the early days of Wild World did feel pretty lonely as I remember, and that might explain why people are disappointed with how overly friendly the dialogue has been since NL.

The focus has shifted from being a little life-sim where you arrive in this town all by yourself, the town exists independently from you, it has it's own rules and it's own customs and you're just the strange newcomer. Now we've evolved from being the mayor to being the creators of our own island, being able to shape it in pretty much whatever way we like.

Again, that is not necessarily a bad thing, but I understand the disappointment for players who never really saw Animal Crossing as a franchise that was about customization and creation and sharing all that, but about the day-to-day life stuff, the collecting, the quirks, the rewards and the personalities of all the NPCs. I think that's what people talk about when they talk about the lost "charm", it's the little things that where sacrificed in order to continue evolving in the vain of elements introduced in Happy Home Academy or Pocket Camp which emphasize decorating, creativity and aesthetics.

Personally, it does make me sad that they favored the convenience of that Postal Card stand at the Airport rather than the continuing the adorable love triangle of Pelly, Pete and Phyllis, for example. I think that it added depth to a very simple game mechanic and made the game feel more alive, independent from me and my own choices.

I am so sorry for the long post, I've just been thinking about this kind of stuff for a while, this game is very personal to me as it is for many people here, so I understand why things have sometimes gotten a bit heated.

Still, I am glad we have a place to express all those sentiments and work these out as a community. I don't know what the future holds as far as New Horizons updates go, but, well... We'll always have the Bell Tree

 

[bcmii]

Then again, after a year, I'm just so tired of the criticism. Most people are fine, but there are a few who seem to spend all their time on here complaining about the same few things people have been complaining about since release. Like, if you hate the game that much, just play something else.

You may be tired of it, but those people have every right to say as little or as much as they want. As per your "If you don't like it, don't play it" logic, you are free to avoid clicking on the complaint threads if you don't like complaints.

 

[Dunquixote]

I want to say that I honestly really like these discussions. I like hearing everyone’s perspectives since it helps me rethink about my own stance and sometimes makes me adjust my position since I find a lot of good points and many times I’m like “huh? i never though of it this way.” I think that a lot of good can come from talking about our opinions and listening to others I think it is really important for us to learn to understand each other and different opinions as well as learn to tolerate opinions we may not agree with. It’s better for us to explain why we feel a certain way like we are here than bottle it up and just lash out in any thread a complaint is made or someone defends Nintendo. I think the disrespect towards each other has gotten a bit out of hand in the last couple months in these types of threads.

I personally understand both sides and it is fine not to budge on how we feel.

I too get annoyed with excessive complaining especially if the thread is nothing to do with critiquing the game. But, I don’t see anyone actually complaining here. All i have been seeing is constructive criticism, yet what I don’t understand is why even that seems to not be okay and why is the whole community is automatically being lumped in with the “being too greedy” camp? Everyone is going to like the game for different reasons and because of that, you can’t expect everyone to think the game is pretty much perfect.

No one is trying to force anyone to change their opinions, so there is honestly no need to get defensive. If you were the creator, manager of AC, maybe then, I’d understand a bit why the defensiveness.

Sorry for going off topic. Just felt like this needed to be said.

Post automatically merged: Apr 17, 2021

Oh and just to be clear. This wasn’t directed at anyone specifically. Just saying since in the past too, fights over difference in opinions happened and people ended up being insulted for being too positive or negative.

 

[bcmii]

I want to say that I honestly really like these discussions. I like hearing everyone’s perspectives since it helps me rethink about my own stance and sometimes makes me adjust my position since I find a lot of good points and many times I’m like “huh? i never though of it this way.” I think that a lot of good can come from talking about our opinions and listening to others I think it is really important for us to learn to understand each other and different opinions as well as learn to tolerate opinions we may not agree with. It’s better for us to explain why we feel a certain way like we are here than bottle it up and just lash out in any thread a complaint is made or someone defends Nintendo. I think the disrespect towards each other has gotten a bit out of hand in the last couple months in these types of threads.

I personally understand both sides and it is fine not to budge on how we feel.

I too get annoyed with excessive complaining especially if the thread is nothing to do with critiquing the game. But, I don’t see anyone actually complaining here. All i have been seeing is constructive criticism, yet what I don’t understand is why even that seems to not be okay and why is the whole community is automatically being lumped in with the “being too greedy” camp? Everyone is going to like the game for different reasons and because of that, you can’t expect everyone to think the game is pretty much perfect.

No one is trying to force anyone to change their opinions, so there is honestly no need to get defensive. If you were the creator, manager of AC, maybe then, I’d understand a bit why the defensiveness.

Sorry for going off topic. Just felt like this needed to be said.

Post automatically merged: Apr 17, 2021

Oh and just to be clear. This wasn’t directed at anyone specifically. Just saying since in the past too, fights over difference in opinions happened and people ended up being insulted for being too positive or negative.

Yeah, the part that I never understood is why people get so defensive about it. It's as if people take constructive criticisms of the game as a personal attack. Like you said, I could understand if they were the creators of AC. I just don't understand why ordinary players feel the need to be so concerned about what others think, as if the game is their own creation that they put their blood, sweat, and tears into. I could understand if they were the creators of the game and had spent months working on it...the reality is that's not the case, and others' opinions actually do not affect these players whatsoever.

I 100% agree with you. Can't we all have our opinions and respect that, instead of putting each other down for not thinking the same? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and there's no need to argue with someone for thinking different about the game! It's just a video game! The creators of the game can defend their own game if they want, and don't need people to get offended on their behalf about others' opinions.

 

[WaileaNoRei]

I want to say that I honestly really like these discussions. I like hearing everyone’s perspectives since it helps me rethink about my own stance and sometimes makes me adjust my position since I find a lot of good points and many times I’m like “huh? i never though of it this way.” I think that a lot of good can come from talking about our opinions and listening to others I think it is really important for us to learn to understand each other and different opinions as well as learn to tolerate opinions we may not agree with. It’s better for us to explain why we feel a certain way like we are here than bottle it up and just lash out in any thread a complaint is made or someone defends Nintendo. I think the disrespect towards each other has gotten a bit out of hand in the last couple months in these types of threads.

I personally understand both sides and it is fine not to budge on how we feel.

I too get annoyed with excessive complaining especially if the thread is nothing to do with critiquing the game. But, I don’t see anyone actually complaining here. All i have been seeing is constructive criticism, yet what I don’t understand is why even that seems to not be okay and why is the whole community is automatically being lumped in with the “being too greedy” camp? Everyone is going to like the game for different reasons and because of that, you can’t expect everyone to think the game is pretty much perfect.

No one is trying to force anyone to change their opinions, so there is honestly no need to get defensive. If you were the creator, manager of AC, maybe then, I’d understand a bit why the defensiveness.

Sorry for going off topic. Just felt like this needed to be said.

Post automatically merged: Apr 17, 2021

Oh and just to be clear. This wasn’t directed at anyone specifically. Just saying since in the past too, fights over difference in opinions happened and people ended up being insulted for being too positive or negative.

i think you make a lot of good points in this post, and thank you for making it, from someone who is (perhaps excessively) positive about the game. (And you are always respectful and open minded in expressing your opinions, and I appreciate that)

I think the same way people who are more critical may feel like people are trying to silence them or stop them from expressing negative views, those with more positive views of the game actually feel the same way.

Personally, I have feared at times when I post something positive about the game it will end up buried in negative responses, for example if I write that I like the villager dialogue (some of it is from my own social anxiety to be fair, and what I feared did not really happen in that case) I don’t mind disagreement, but I don’t want to be told that I am being either ‘toxically positive’, not a critical thinker, ‘defensive/ in denial’ (editing: I see the comment above and I mean being called defensive for saying something positive not for other situations, and I did not write this to be directed at @bcmii ) , not a ‘real fan’, etc.

I don’t know if I have made anyone feel like I was attacking them for disagreeing with me (I hope not). When I respond to a comment disliking something in the game I am trying to provide an alternate experience/ perspective (my own), and it isn’t intended to shut the other person down, but just to try and have a constructive discussion - I like not only posting my own thought but having real discussions with people, and showing people that I read and thought about what they wrote.

So, when I see people saying people are complaining too much, I think likely in many cases they are feeling like there is no room for positive opinions, just like people who complain about overly positive people are feeling like there is no room for their opinions. Both sides are feeling defensive, and both sides may take personal what is intended only as someone else trying to put their own thoughts into words.

I think we all feel strongly about the game, that’s why we are devoting so much time and energy to discussing it. But with all our strong opinions we tend to express ourselves perhaps more in absolutes than is necessary. So the opinions become either right or wrong rather than agree or disagree. - which are two very different statements. (What I mean here is when someone says ‘I think there is not enough furniture variation in the game’, a response of ‘I disagree, I really like the furniture’ to me is much less confrontational/ judgmental feeling than ‘you are wrong the furniture is varied.’ Right and wrong are terms for factual information. How we feel about the game is opinion, and so no one can be wrong about their own experience, from someone who thinks the game is terrible to someone who thinks it is the pinnacle of game development.

I’m guilty of it too, I’m sure. I feel so strongly about my own experience I do have trouble seeing how people can have such different experiences. But I actively want people who don’t agree with me here in the forum talking to me. That’s what makes it fun and interesting to be here. What I don’t want is to feel like I’m being judged as an idiot or lacking in thought or taste for having the opinions I have.

we all just want to freely discuss our opinions without fearing being shut down or silenced.

i don’t think the solution is just to ‘develop a thicker skin’ (one of my least favorite expressions/ concepts irl). One of the best things about this community is that it is one of the kindest communities on the internet. I think if we try and give each other the benefit of the doubt and do our best to express our own opinions respectfully, we can cheerfully debate and disagree to all our hearts’ content without fracturing the community.

I hope some of that is understandable - and not too long winded (I’m flawed in that way), I know I probably come off as the worst sort of kumbaya guidance counselor type (i’m really not that annoying usually, I promise), but I also don’t like seeing things devolve into arguments all the time and think generally it is more because of misunderstanding each other than malicious intent.

 

[bcmii]

i think you make a lot of good points in this post, and thank you for making it, from someone who is (perhaps excessively) positive about the game. (And you are always respectful and open minded in expressing your opinions, and I appreciate that)

I think the same way people who are more critical may feel like people are trying to silence them or stop them from expressing negative views, those with more positive views of the game actually feel the same way.

Personally, I have feared at times when I post something positive about the game it will end up buried in negative responses, for example if I write that I like the villager dialogue (some of it is from my own social anxiety to be fair, and what I feared did not really happen in that case) I don’t mind disagreement, but I don’t want to be told that I am being either ‘toxically positive’, not a critical thinker, ‘defensive/ in denial’ (editing: I see the comment above and I mean being called defensive for saying something positive not for other situations, and I did not write this to be directed at @bcmii ) , not a ‘real fan’, etc.

I don’t know if I have made anyone feel like I was attacking them for disagreeing with me (I hope not). When I respond to a comment disliking something in the game I am trying to provide an alternate experience/ perspective (my own), and it isn’t intended to shut the other person down, but just to try and have a constructive discussion - I like not only posting my own thought but having real discussions with people, and showing people that I read and thought about what they wrote.

So, when I see people saying people are complaining too much, I think likely in many cases they are feeling like there is no room for positive opinions, just like people who complain about overly positive people are feeling like there is no room for their opinions. Both sides are feeling defensive, and both sides may take personal what is intended only as someone else trying to put their own thoughts into words.

I think we all feel strongly about the game, that’s why we are devoting so much time and energy to discussing it. But with all our strong opinions we tend to express ourselves perhaps more in absolutes than is necessary. So the opinions become either right or wrong rather than agree or disagree. - which are two very different statements. (What I mean here is when someone says ‘I think there is not enough furniture variation in the game’, a response of ‘I disagree, I really like the furniture’ to me is much less confrontational/ judgmental feeling than ‘you are wrong the furniture is varied.’ Right and wrong are terms for factual information. How we feel about the game is opinion, and so no one can be wrong about their own experience, from someone who thinks the game is terrible to someone who thinks it is the pinnacle of game development.

I’m guilty of it too, I’m sure. I feel so strongly about my own experience I do have trouble seeing how people can have such different experiences. But I actively want people who don’t agree with me here in the forum talking to me. That’s what makes it fun and interesting to be here. What I don’t want is to feel like I’m being judged as an idiot or lacking in thought or taste for having the opinions I have.

we all just want to freely discuss our opinions without fearing being shut down or silenced.

i don’t think the solution is just to ‘develop a thicker skin’ (one of my least favorite expressions/ concepts irl). One of the best things about this community is that it is one of the kindest communities on the internet. I think if we try and give each other the benefit of the doubt and do our best to express our own opinions respectfully, we can cheerfully debate and disagree to all our hearts’ content without fracturing the community.

I hope some of that is understandable - and not too long winded (I’m flawed in that way), I know I probably come off as the worst sort of kumbaya guidance counselor type (i’m really not that annoying usually, I promise), but I also don’t like seeing things devolve into arguments all the time and think generally it is more because of misunderstanding each other than malicious intent.

I like your nuanced take on this!

 

[-Blue-]

I totally get that. There were times I'd hop by in a thread about discussing a topic or about adding something positive/what you like about NH ect and I'd see some of the more adamant members reply with things like 'Nothing.' or 'Everything from NL' and I'd be like 'Bro come on...' It really doesn't leave a lot for discussion and it wasn't really well thought out.

Those kind of replies are just as bad as the members who get really heated and go at anyone who discuses criticism of the game or ways it could be better.

 

[Han Solo]

I really enjoy it but it definitely bums me out that there’s not enough....stuff. I was super excited to design my own island, but my island is still mostly empty because personally I just don’t like most of the furniture. I miss a lot of the little quirks from old games too, but I don’t expect everything from the old games to be in this one.

 

[sleepydreepy]

I think its a good game, but not amazing. I enjoy playing it just as much as I enjoyed playing New Leaf. I'm glad they added crafting to the game and I also really like that you can place furniture outside, however I am disappointed that they took out the mini games from Kapp'n's Island and left out other NPCs and buildings out too (hopefully they will add them in future updates). After playing other life/farming sims though I feel like ACNH could use more mechanics and QOL upgrades to really make it great. I also think the monthly "updates" are lacking in content, and again they could be doing so much more with the game so it compares to other video games out there in the same genre. But overall I think its a good game, and I voted for "It's okay, and is just as good as the previous games."

It will be interesting though to see everyone's opinions on the game once all the updates are finally released, and if they change. I know before the game came out in early 2020 I was hopeful that the frequent updates would make the game more fun and keep me engaged in the game for a year or two, but now I honestly wish they just released the entire complete game last year. I can't express how frustrated I've been with each update, and how much less disappointed I'd be with the game if they just released everything all at once.

 

[niko@kamogawa]

Numbers don't lie. I spent more time in New Horizons than New Leaf. For me, it's the best Animal Crossing game.

 

[Manah]

As a building/designing game, it's really good and fun.

As a life sim and specifially AC game, it lacks the life and soul that NL had for me and I'm disappointed.

 

[-Blue-]

As a building/designing game, it's really good and fun.

As a life sim and specifially AC game, it lacks the life and soul that NL had for me and I'm disappointed.

Pretty much this. I feel like everything else has taken a backseat for customization/designing. I don't touch the designing aspect all that much, but when I do I can see why it's the best out of the series for it, but it's not the main reason I got into the series or why I bought the game.

 

[moonford]

It's definitely my favourite Animal Crossing game. I've played this game without being heavily involved in the fanbase and it's made my experience much better, no toxicity brew'd from the perpetual arguments about the game. That, and the fact that I've literally only traded for NMTs (and previously villagers when the game first came out). I've definitely took an isolationist approach to island life (I get everything myself now) and I feel as though that reflects my independent mindset irl.

I can happily say I don't care about others opinions on the matter (can happily give my own though lol), whether they be good or bad. I cannot wait for this game to reach it's full potential even though I'm currently satisfied with what the game currently is at this stage in its life, knowing full well that we will eventually get more content in the future - I'm definitely patient with this game, it helps that I have a busy life outside of gaming so I'm not as crazed about it.


Even though I said I don't particularly care about other opinions, I do hope that the vast majority can be happy eventually, when the game is finally finished. I say 'the vast majority' because you can't please everyone at the end of the day, and that's fine.

 

[Disneyfangirl23]

I think it’s the best game ever! It’s been super helpful & fun during Covid

 

[Rika092]

I would say new horizons is on path to become the greatest installment of AC franchise but until Nintendo pushes out more updates it for the foreseeable future, it has not beaten new leaf as my favorite game yet. Of course, it has the best graphic to date, and the QofL changes made to the game has really made lots of people (including myself) happy. But I think NH has been heavily focused on landscaping and decoration that it has shifted away from the life-simulation part of the gameplay. I feel like new leaf was heavy on the landscaping and interior decor too but there’s a really good balance in other aspects of the game, such as villager interactions and other game mechanisms like the mini-games and tortimer’s island. In new leaf I constantly feel like there was so much to do, and I think because of that I was able to keep my interest in it for at least a good 2 years and half. NH, even though quite amazing as is, has not grabbed my attention as much as new leaf....

anyway for now this is how I feel; like some have said, I too would reserve my full review of the game until Nintendo stops supporting it, as I feel like more and more future updates might actually make some of my current reservations irrelevant at some point.

 

[DaisyFan]

In my opinion, New Horizons is the most wonderful game! I like that I can decorate the furniture outside, terraform a bit, see the hobbies my villagers love, etc.

 

[Sarah3]

For me, I think this game is great. Sure, it has things it needs to improve on that will hopefully come in updates in the future. But overall, I still find something to do in-game every day and look forward to what the game has to offer going forward!

 

[wolfie1]

I voted that it needs a ton of work. I mean, just now I've read a thread from April 2020 in which there was a long list of around 30 items or so. I took a moment to read through it and I realized that only 4-5 items from that list had been added over the many updates released since April last year to a month ago. It made me realize how slowly Nintendo has been adding stuff to this game and they weren't even fully new, except for some items from different holidays. I mean, I already knew they were being super slow, but I didn't realize how slow everything had been until I saw that list. I don't even know how this stream of updates is going to continue for two or three years, but it sounds like torture to me, taking into account what each of them has added.

 

[JKDOS]

As a huge fan of the series I love it

I believe it's better than the previous entries, but I also believe it could have been better given the hardware. Multiplayer being the prime example. Aside from having 8 players in multiplayer now, multiplayer has not improved since Wild World.
It's literally the system.

1. Spend a minute asking the gatekeepers to open your gate. They must save and connect you to WIFI for some reason.
2. Exit menus and wait another minute or two for 1 single player to enter.
3. Others wanting to join will be stuck until current joining player joins
4. all players must exit menus and wait 1-2 minutes for additional players to join or leave.
5. No furniture can be moved with guest over.
6. Certain features just stop working while the gate is open.

Multiplayer for other games has worked better on systems more than 10 years older. Wild World was a given since it was on a Nintendo DS, and also the first Animal Crossing multiplayer experience. Then again, Metroid Prime Hunters was also Nintendo DS and it had great multiplayer support. I feel there is no excuse for the New Horizons, especially since multiplayer is now a premium feature.