Review: Animal Crossing New Leaf

Population... you!

What if I told you there was a great game out where you pay off a mortgage? Doesn't sound too interesting does it? When people ask me what Animal Crossing is about that's about the best I can explain it in a nutshell. The thing is, once you play the game and forget the basic premise, you are introduced into Nintendo's version of The Sims and once you start, you won't stop.

 Nintendo's Animal Crossing series has been a sleeper hit in the west since the Gamecube. Over the years we have essentially played the same title with a fresh lick of paint and it has managed to keep us happy. That's because at its core, Animal Crossing is an in depth relaxation game. There's no time limits, objectives or boss fights. There's just you, some animals, and a town for you to do anything in... sort of like Skyrim without the fighting. The series was getting a little stale but that has changed in New Leaf as the developers saw fit to make a few changes...

For the first time ever you can now be mayor of your town, changing shop times and boosting the economy. Why do you need to change shop times? Because everything in Animal Crossing happens in real time! Get home late and you may miss the bargains at the supermarket. Up too early and you may have to wait for a shop to open. So what do you do while you wait? Players stay engaged by hunting fossils, bug collecting, and fishing. Selling these items you collect help boost your bells (in game currency) to pay off your mortgage of furnish your home. Furniture offered in stores is updated daily in real time and it's addictive to complete the furniture sets.

There's something so relaxing and rewarding about catching a huge fish and selling it for a tidy sum, but if you want to earn the big bucks, you should visit "The island." The island has a host of mini games such as treasure hunting or racing to catch the most fish. If mini games aren't for you then you can laze about near the main hotel and catch some big fish for big bells back on the mainland.

Other things you can do, seeing you're the mayor and all, is add buildings to your city an attractions to your town. These can be suggested by your townsfolk, or unlocked by completing certain objectives. Being a mayor can be as in depth or as basic as you want it to be. Another new feature are Nintendo items. You unlock these by spending play coins earned from walking in real life. These Nintendo items are hidden in fortune cookies and are chosen at random. Sometimes you will unlock the same item several days in a row so it can be a little frustrating.

There's only so much I can cover here in this review, so I'll keep it brief. If you have a 3DS and only have one game, make it Animal Crossing. It's a constantly changing, always surprising world that will keep you occupied for many months to come. I'm 2 months in so far and still play it every day!

So What's it Like?

Like The Sims mixed with Mario Party. 

I give it 9.5/10