I find myself in the midst of a challenging period in my life when it comes to my mental health. As I was tidying up my apartment, I stumbled upon an archived episode of the 'Into the Aether' podcast, focusing on Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
This discovery led me to revisit the game, which I had previously dabbled in. I had fond memories of the DS installment, my introduction to the series, and naturally, like many others during quarantine, I thoroughly enjoyed playing the Switch version in 2020. My recollection of the 3DS version was hazy at best, apart from the fact that I had abandoned it rather swiftly. However, inspired by the podcast, I decided to give it another go, especially because I lacked internet connectivity at home.
My reappraisal of the game surprised me. It starts off a bit slowly, somewhere between the unbridled freedom of the DS edition and the structured tutorial of the Switch edition. Yet, once you're immersed in the gameplay, it unfolds quite delightfully, offering daily activities such as fruit harvesting, fossil hunting, and contributing to public projects. The latter, in particular, serves as the core of the game. Despite our mayoral role, our actual impact is quite limited. We can only enact town ordinances (like altering shop hours) and initiate fundraising for public works. Strangely, the residents never seem to utilize these public works, and their contributions toward them are meager, rendering them somewhat redundant. This has been a persistent issue throughout the series, leading me to believe that Nintendo should reevaluate how residents interact with players in the upcoming installment, particularly for those like me who prefer offline gameplay.
In summary, the game offers a relaxing experience, making it perfect for a vacation devoid of internet access where you can indulge in a bit of daily gaming. I would also recommend it to those who enjoyed the Switch version, despite its quirks. Nonetheless, it's crucial for Nintendo to enhance the depth of resident interactions in the next release.
This discovery led me to revisit the game, which I had previously dabbled in. I had fond memories of the DS installment, my introduction to the series, and naturally, like many others during quarantine, I thoroughly enjoyed playing the Switch version in 2020. My recollection of the 3DS version was hazy at best, apart from the fact that I had abandoned it rather swiftly. However, inspired by the podcast, I decided to give it another go, especially because I lacked internet connectivity at home.
My reappraisal of the game surprised me. It starts off a bit slowly, somewhere between the unbridled freedom of the DS edition and the structured tutorial of the Switch edition. Yet, once you're immersed in the gameplay, it unfolds quite delightfully, offering daily activities such as fruit harvesting, fossil hunting, and contributing to public projects. The latter, in particular, serves as the core of the game. Despite our mayoral role, our actual impact is quite limited. We can only enact town ordinances (like altering shop hours) and initiate fundraising for public works. Strangely, the residents never seem to utilize these public works, and their contributions toward them are meager, rendering them somewhat redundant. This has been a persistent issue throughout the series, leading me to believe that Nintendo should reevaluate how residents interact with players in the upcoming installment, particularly for those like me who prefer offline gameplay.
In summary, the game offers a relaxing experience, making it perfect for a vacation devoid of internet access where you can indulge in a bit of daily gaming. I would also recommend it to those who enjoyed the Switch version, despite its quirks. Nonetheless, it's crucial for Nintendo to enhance the depth of resident interactions in the next release.