The cutesy living sim series of Animal Crossing is headed to the tropics in the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons and the Nintendo Switch title looks to have brought many new features along for its extended trip at sea. Giving players the familiar customization and neighborly critter banter they’ve come to expect, the new outing also introduces a greater means of map exploration, scenery interaction, and general positivity to better allow anyone to make themselves at home.

Though all the footage has shown little other than a paradise for Animal Crossing fans, how exactly have critics reacted to New Horizons? According to emerging reviews, the Nintendo-developed title has very much lived up to the hype, with many praising the wealth of content, charming atmosphere, and vast improvements made over previous iterations of the series – the general consensus deeming Animal Crossing: New Horizons as the most fulfilling entry in the series.

Game Informer – 90/100

“New Horizons has a lot to see and do, and much of the joy comes from discovering it on your own. I still get a kick out of the real-time elements, such as how a construction project that takes a day to complete takes a real day’s time to finish, or how the various merchants keep actual store hours. That little hook keeps me excited to check back in later when I end each session. Animal Crossing: New Horizons has something new to experience every day, and, best of all, it’s built on a foundation of joy and earnestness that’s all too rare. If the tradeoff is that I have to craft a few fishing poles, I guess it’s worth it in the end.”

COGconnected – 92/100

“I always knew Animal Crossing games as something you played for like, 30 minutes a day at most. Grab some fruit, chat to your neighbors, call it a day. This game will take over your whole dang life, but in a really fun way. If you’ve ever had even a whiff of interest in this franchise, Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be an absolute slam dunk. Don’t sleep on this one for a second.”

IGN – 90/100

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an expanded, polished, next-generation reboot of a classic Nintendo game that’s full of surprises.”

Nintendo Life – 100/100

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons takes Animal Crossing and not only drags it back onto home consoles, but improves upon every single facet imaginable. There’s more to do, more to see, more to change, more to mould, and more to love; fans and first-time players are going to find themselves losing hours at a time gathering materials, creating new furniture, and making their island undeniably theirs. Every moment is unashamedly blissful, with excellently-written characters that truly feel alive and an island paradise that gives infinitely back more than you put in. Back when Animal Crossing: New Leaf hit the shelves all those years ago and created a whole new generation of fans, many people were wondering how Nintendo could possibly top it, but here we have our answer. This is a masterpiece that has been well worth waiting for.”

Wccftech – 94/100

“Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the biggest reinvention of the series’ mechanics and core gameplay loop, and that also makes it the best entry yet. This is a completely new kind of Animal Crossing experience, while retaining everything you loved about the previous games. You’ll spend hours catching fish and bugs, making money to pay off your loan, and do it while having more power over how you customise your experience than ever before. I adore Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and this is quickly becoming one of my most-played games on Nintendo Switch. If you’ve ever had a love slow-paced social sims like Animal Crossing or The Sims, this game is essential.”

Animal Crossing: New Horizons releases for Nintendo Switch on March 20th. What do you think? Are you finding yourself in need of a deserted island getaway, or have you already been preparing your NookPhone apps accordingly? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news as soon as it goes live!

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