His Review by Ian Abbott
Playing Animal Crossing New Leaf is like being drip fed pastel pink happy juice. As a game design it’s incredibly intelligent, existing without levels of difficulty, points or baddies; it’s a world to personalise, spend time with and just potter around in. Existing in real time (days/months/seasons) I can only discover certain fish, bugs, sea creatures, people and events at particular times which triggers my inner entomologist who must have a full set of creatures and demands I keep coming back to play it.
Time after time I was about to turn off after catching another sea bass or crucian carp when it rewarded me with a new catch; a giant trevally or whale shark wriggling on my rod spurred me on in the hope of another freshwater hit. The feeling is similar to that of going to a faded seaside arcade and ploughing 2ps into an old time pusher machine knowing that if I keep feeding it, it will eventually relinquish that unlicensed Disney key ring that I don’t really need.
Playing it in short bursts of 30-90 mins I found to be the optimum time to complete a few cycles of fish catching, tree shaking, bug snaring, animal talking and loan paying. The need to tender the virtual environment (weeds begin to pop up) or the newly developed friendships (animals may leave town without interaction) likened the experience to parenting a tamagotchi or the recent wave of browser based games like Farmville which require constant attention otherwise the world deteriorates.
For fans of Animal Crossing there’s familiarity aplenty. Original characters like Pete the postman and Joan the turnip seller are still present and the ability to personalise houses, selves and take part in fishing tourney’s are still there but it was the raft of tiny innovative new ways to interact with the world that provided the real joy. After playing it for nearly a month I’ve discovered new islands, fortune cookies with rare presents, deep sea diving, new characters, badges of recognition and more. There’s the introduction of tasks like picking up lost items and having to find the owner or playing hide and seek where I had 10 minutes to find three of the residents who were peeping out from behind trees or houses. With new types of neighbouring animal (hamster and deer) to interact with, their eccentric social foibles are played out before me through short bursts of conversation and song lyrics that resulted in a near constant wry smile etched on my mouth. As I travelled to a new island via a chug boat, I was serenaded by Kapp’n who regaled me with obscure tales of love, the sea and cucumbers.
The 3DS felt a much better sized place to play Animal Crossing New Leaf with the small, in-depth duel screens as it’s a uniquely personal and personalised world I’m creating and investing time in. When I played Animal Crossing on the Nintendo Gamecube over a decade ago (happily, my first train journey to my new 3DS town had a neat reference to 2002), I whiled away many hours on the big screen but this time I’d got the whole world in my hands. The graphical styling was distinctly familiar and the introduction of the 3D gave an added depth of field whilst remaining subtle enough not to feel like it was assaulting my senses.
With a wealth of local and remote spot pass and friend interactive experiences to come once the game is fully released and the knowledge that there’s another 11 months in the seasonal cycle. I know the calendar will keep delivering guests and special events throughout the year and I’m happy in the knowledge that my visits will persist. I’ll happily spend a couple of hours daily feeding my habit and existing quite happily in this alternative life simulation.
Her Review with Tracey McGarrigan
A gentle piano melody plinked and plonked as trees rolled into view, all set under a navy sky twinkling with stars. Trundling into Abmouth, I arrived with nothing but the shirt on my back and the bobbles in my pink pigtails. Visitors to any previous Animal Crossing game would expect to be greeted by quaint little houses dotted in a small village by the sea with a river winding through fruit trees and flowers. Things are no different here, though the addition of being able to choose your village layout before arrival was neat. Before I had chance to explore, a huge welcoming party greeted me from the train. Awaiting the arrival of a new mayor, after a whirlwind conversation about of mistaken identity and despite being grossly under qualified, the animals gave me the job, confident that I could make their town prosperous, beautiful and a fun place to live. This single twist of fate is what makes Animal Crossing New Leaf the most appealing, addictive and satisfying in the series to date. Having ultimate control over how things develop, be it public works – seeking out donations to build fountains, campsites, benches or new shops, or choosing ordnances – deciding whether the town should be wealthy, pretty or have a late night vibe, takes the level of addiction to perfect new heights. The world runs in real time but activity is determined by money and there are dozens of ways to earn a bell or two. It’s a constant blissful roll of action.
Main street is north of the train tracks and is home to many of the series’ most iconic anime animal characters. Blathers is still curating the museum, wittering on about fossils whilst Mable and Sable the Able Sisters have once again set up their dress shop (Sable still hasn’t learnt how to speak and I suspect she has somehow sewn herself to her chair as she hasn’t moved in over 10 years. This isn’t offering a deeper comment about long working hours under poor working conditions somewhere in a foreign textile factory; this is Animal Crossing where the politics never get above those you’d find in a playground. It’s a happy place). Wanting to settle down in this quiet neck of the woods, a visit to real estate mogul and series stalwart Tom Nook was in order. Where was the wily, bells accumulating racoon? He laughed as I walked into his den of bricks, knowing that over the coming months, I will be lining his cavernous pockets with hundreds of thousands of bells in return for his home development skills. Having all the shops in one area sure does make my daily routine easier, though no trip to Abmouth is ever a short one and there was still lots of running, toing and froing.
Unlike Ian, I have extra responsibilities in the town. Sharing the 3DS to play under one account, when he first arrived, the thought of having to share resources and possibly relinquish some control over how I wanted to develop the town was overwhelming. The town just ain’t big enough for the two of us! It was an evening encounter with the ragged, shanty singing sea captain ‘Kappn that made me realise that New Leaf’s success also comes from being able to share the experience. Heading out to a tropical island, I’ve chatted with fellow gamers from Japan about what time of day to catch the biggest fish, or indulged in co-op mini-games collecting fruit in labyrinths or bursting rabbit shaped balloons. I’ve also visited other friend’s towns and excitedly crammed my pockets full of foreign, rare collectables for my journey back home but being able to instantly chat to Ian about new things happening in the town was like having a friendly neighbour who understands the joy of discovery and revels in friendly rivalries. Though designed as a single player experience with social channels to meet other players outside of my own village and though the dynamics of our experience was quite different, it’s the eager competition between us be the first to catch all the fish, net all the bugs or donate all the fossils that keeps me coming back for more.
With a cyclical soundtrack that subtly changed on the hour plus some amazing sounds effects that allowed me to pin down the exact location of a bug or listen out for balloons swishing in the sky via the speakers on the front of the 3DS makes Animal Crossing New Leaf not only the brightest but the best looking and sounding title in the series – a happy marriage between content and technology. The river bubbled and the trees rustled, completely immersing me in this colourful world. Every day is different in Abmouth, be it the weather depending on the time of year, the town’s visitors or the cycle of projects being started or completed. Every day I don’t play, I wonder if that was the day I missed a special event or if that elusive item to complete a set of furniture would have been available. Every second knowing Ian was playing was agony as it made me want to play more. It’s addictive yet gentle in tone and pace. As I watch Ian’s massive swanky house get yet another upgrade whilst I scrabbled around for bells to pay for another town project, I realised I enjoy seeing everyone grow together in my town. I love my mayoral responsibilities and find the development of the town, the personalisation rewarding rather than a burden. This is going to be a long haul but the delight of quirky surprises or the relaxing amusement of chatting with giant white elephants about lemon pudding is consistently fun. The title New Leaf might be misleading as there is a pleasant familiarity woven into every part of the game that fans will adore. The new features are subtle and are revealed steadily over the months but serve only to enhance what was always the best way to while away some hours and the best reason to buy a 3DS.
Animal Crossing New Leaf is out on June 14th for Nintendo 3DS.