Another of these new features, terraforming, was added in response to unexpected behavior from players in previous games such as resetting towns in order to receive a desirable town layout. Crafting was also developed with the intention of keeping players from running out of things to do during the hours that their shops are closed. This would give players a different perspective of the environment that used to be just a visual aspect. This was done so that players would have a higher level of interactivity with the deserted island. Īs a result of choosing a deserted island theme, crafting was added into the game. The developers felt that as players constructed their village from the ground up, they would grow a more personal relationship with their town.

As a response to this feedback, a sense of purpose was purposely developed by having players develop the village from scratch. Kyogoku noted that some players of previous entries would have difficulty finding goals or objectives. The theme of developing a town on a deserted island was chosen because the developers believed that breaking away from the tradition of players moving into a village would be a fresh and interesting concept for old players. The team intended for the game to be welcoming for veteran players and accessible for new players by keeping much of the core gameplay from previous titles while still adding in many new elements. Kyogoku notes in an interview that the team chose to be ambitious even despite not knowing anything about the hardware that they would eventually release the game on. As with the previous title, Aya Kyogoku was chosen as the director of the game, with Hisashi Nogami in charge as producer.

Crafting from Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp has also returned in this installment in the form of the DIY system, along with expanded customization of furniture and the player characters.Īnimal Crossing: New Horizons is a critical and commercial success, having received positive reviews from critics and selling over 37 million copies as of December 2021, making it the best-selling game in the Animal Crossing series and the second best-selling Nintendo Switch game behind Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.ĭevelopment on the game began shortly after the Japanese release of Animal Crossing: New Leaf prior to the development team being aware of the Nintendo Switch. Deserted Island Getaway Package'), which can develop into a town-like community as players progress through the game. In a departure from previous titles in the series, the player lives on a deserted island rather than in a town (referred to as the 'Nook Inc. It is the fifth main installment in the Animal Crossing series outside of Japan. Multiplayer (1-4 player co-op 1-8 player local wireless/online)Īnimal Crossing: New Horizons is a simulation game for the Nintendo Switch released on March 20, 2020.

Animal crossing ios american release