Nintendo Direct: Animal Crossing
Screen Shot: Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Nintendo
Fans have been rabidly awaiting the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Thanks to the Nintendo Direct: Animal Crossing they finally have something to sate their appetite until the games release on March 20th. This installment of the game will be the first major release since the original in 2001. There is a mobile version of the game called Pocket Camp, but nothing hits the Animal Crossing need like a main-line series entry.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is all about gathering, crafting and getting to know your neighbors. The newest entry into the series takes place on a Desert Island and as the player you gather supplies, create homes and decorations and build an island paradise. Just like in similar games such as Stardew Valley, you choose the style of your island at the beginning and this affects how different seasons play-out throughout the game.
One of the biggest changes to the game is the ability for co-op play. Up to 8 players can live and contribute to your island at one time. They can join in via online multi-player, or if your family shares a Switch everyone who logs on the Switch can live in the same town. Nintendo has also given players a way to interact with their Animal Crossing: New Horizons game when they don’t have a Switch in their hand. They’re developing a special program within the Nintendo Switch Online App called ‘Nook Link’. Players will be able to scan QR codes from previous Animal Crossing games to import designs and chat online with friends.
One of the biggest changes to the game-play design is the ability to now change the design of the island as well. You can change the flow of rivers, you can terraform the cliff-side and more. The island itself becomes a canvas that the player can shape to their will when creating their very own island paradise.
The only big downside so far to the new game is that it doesn’t support cloud save data. All of your data is saved directly to your Nintendo Switch and as a result you’re only allowed one town per Switch. Changing cartridges or even Micro SD Cards won’t change this. This also means that if you lose or break your Nintendo Switch, your town goes a long with it.
You can watch the Nintendo Direct: Animal Crossing video in it’s entirety down below.
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