So last week I picked up Animal Crossing for my 3DS. I've never really been interested in the series before, but of course I have been aware of it over all the years that it's been around. When this new one came out though, I saw all the acclaim it was getting from game sites, and saw all the chatter on social networks having a great time with it, so I decided to give it a try. It must be really popular too, because I could not find it ANYWHERE in stores. So I decided to get it off the Nintendo E-Shop, which was fine because I still have plenty of room on the SD card that came with my system. Anyway, just thought I'd give some of my initial thoughts on the game.
So I won't talk too much about what the game actually is, because that's easy enough to find out elsewhere, if you don't already know. But basically, the early game is just about going around doing 'chores', to collect money to pay off your house, and also building relationships with your neighbours. Initially I was a little wary of this concept, but as I kept playing, I started to see the fun in it. There is definitely something satisfying about heading into the shop and selling a bunch of your hard earned wares for a good chunk of bells (the in-game currency). It's also neat finding new things to donate to the museum, which takes fossils that you dig up, as well as bugs and fish that you catch. As someone who generally likes collectibles in games, this definitely tickles my fancy.
Another thing that makes the game really fun is the characters themselves. In short, they are just adorable. Not only do they look really cute, but they all have unique and funny personalities. In particular, I really like the Re-Tail shopkeeper, Reese. She's a pink...llama? I think? Something like that. But yeah, she's just really adorable. Your secretary in the game (you're actually acting as the mayor of your little town in this one), Isabella, is really cute too, shes a little dog, and she has a really friendly, bubbly personality. In fact, all the characters in the game are really friendly - when you leave their houses/stores after visiting them, they all give you a smile and a wave.
That's one of the things that I think I really like about the game - it's just really relaxing to play, and just FUN. These days gaming is going towards the direction of wanting to have more serious and mature experiences, and that's cool. I like those. But after playing those for a long while, sitting down and playing a game that's about living in a cute, friendly little town is actually really refreshing. When new neighbours move into town, you can welcome them by sending letters and posting notes on the billboard, and they are really happy for the welcome and want to become friends. It's all just really...nice, you know?
And for all that, I feel like I've still just scratched the surface of the game. I've only played maybe five or six hours, and so I think there are still some more areas and activities for me to unlock. But also, there seem to be a lot of features in the game that they don't explicitly tell you about, and leave for you to discover on your own. For example, I randomly discovered (after a few hours) that pressing the B button while walking makes you run. That's pretty valuable when you need to get all the way across the map to sell your full inventory. Also, I found out on my own that if you put a dresser in your house, you can open it and store stuff in it to keep your inventory clear. It was actually kind of exciting to discover stuff like that, even as basic as they are, so I'm looking forward to what else I can find out.
So I'm definitely having a great time with Animal Crossing. For such a friendly little title, it seems to have a ton of depth, with different creatures and events appearing and happening on different days, and even different times of the day. I'm hoping that it doesn't start to feel like a job, like so many Facebook farming type games have in the past...but I'd like to think that by now I've learned to not let that happen.
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