After signing up for the Nook Inc. travel agency's "deserted island escape package", the player only has to create their avatar before being able to land on the promised land. The creation tool allows you to choose between different haircuts and other nose shapes, in an aesthetic quite similar to those of the Mii. Once in play, the characters fortunately remind us more of Lego or Playmobil figurines than these somewhat simple Nintendo avatars. The player must also indicate whether he is in the northern or southern hemisphere, so that the game can properly calibrate the seasons. Finally, you have to choose an island from four proposals, quite similar to each other. In any case, you will be entitled to a landing beach located to the south, a residents' office placed a little higher, a winding river serving as a natural obstacle, and an area of raised land to the north. Everything is displayed using simple but effective 3D graphics, always fluid (in portable mode as in television mode), and which notably offer very nice lighting effects.
Childish characters and warm decors contribute to the "feelgood" atmosphere that characterizes the game. Little flowers, rainbows, exclamations of joy and other blissful smiles are commonplace here. All the characters, including the most temperamental or the most commercial, are benevolent. Even having to constantly repay credits takes place here in a good mood. Moreover, as in the other parts of the series, the main currency of the game is called "bells", which is immediately much better to pass the pill. Note that a second currency is appearing in New Horizons. These are the Nook Miles, which you earn by completing sorts of Achievements, such as "catch so many fish, plant so many flowers, make so many pieces of furniture, log on so many days in a row", etc. Some of these objectives are only achievable in the long term, but others, achievable much more quickly and grouped in the "Miles Nook +" category, serve above all as motivation to encourage the player to come back often, a bit like a free-to-play.
IN THE CHILDREN'S ISLAND...
Important point to consider for players who are not familiar with the series: one should not expect from an Animal Crossing, any more than another, high stakes, a thrilling scenario or a complex story. Moreover, we start our game by picking up dead branches fallen at the foot of the trees. Later, we will have an ax to cut wood, a butterfly net to capture flying or crawling insects, a fishing rod, a shovel to dig the ground and hit the rocks, a ladder to climb the cliffs, or a pole allowing us to jump the river, while waiting for the construction of the bridges. Like a survival game, New Horizons also has a crafting system. The DIY workbench allows you to create at first rudimentary tools, which will eventually break, then more solid versions and, finally, various and varied furniture.
Decorating is an essential part of the game, which is full of items to craft or buy. Sims players who spent more time decorating their homes than managing the needs of their inhabitants will be in heaven. Fashion lovers too, since outfits and other clothing accessories are also very numerous. It should also be noted that the developers have not forgotten the essential surgical mask, which is very trendy these days. Those who have a soul of collectors will be able to fish in a loop in order to harvest as many fish as possible. Same principle for capturing insects or unearthing fossils. All these more or less living trophies will end up in a beautiful museum, of which the paleontological wing is certainly the most interesting. Between reconstructing dinosaur skeletons or collecting butterflies, there is no comparison! And since we are talking about photography, 2020 requires, know that it is possible to take pictures using a smartphone and apply Instagram-type filters to them.
...IT'S NOT ALWAYS SPRING
This smartphone, baptized Nookphone, gives access to nine applications among which we find, apart from the camera, an encyclopedia (sorry, a "babypedia") of captureable creatures, a map of the island, or even a tool allowing create custom patterns. These can then be applied to the clothes of our choice as well as to certain pieces of furniture. Unfortunately, it should be noted that we cannot draw by touch as we could do with Animal Crossing New Leaf, thanks to the 3DS and its stylus. This is very regrettable, and all the more surprising since it is possible to use certain menu items with the Switch's touch screen (in particular the virtual keyboard). Apart from this misstep, the interface is generally successful. Especially once you have unlocked the radial menu (which allows you to easily and quickly change tools) and the inventory extension. These improvements are simply obtained by spending a few Nook Miles, which can also be used to buy DIY plans or plane tickets. These allow you to go for a ride on a randomly generated desert island, just to collect more and more resources. We can also take the opportunity to bring flowers, fruits and "exotic" creatures to our island. And even invite a few solitary natives to come and settle permanently with us, in order to strengthen our community.
The biggest novelty of Animal Crossing: New Horizons concerns the presence of a terraforming tool, which can only be unlocked after many days (or even weeks) of play, and which allows in particular to create small cliffs, waterfalls, rivers and paths. Enough to further extend the life of a game that has no real end anyway. An Animal Crossing is consumed on a daily basis and over time, just to take full advantage of all the events depending on the calendar. The music and lighting change according to the real time, special events are organized for Christmas or Easter, the decorations change according to the seasons (snow in winter, dead leaves in autumn…), certain animals can only be captured at certain times of the year, and a small ceremony is even held by the islanders to celebrate the player's birthday. And that's how we pass the time in New Horizons, nonchalantly sending postcards to our virtual friends and planting beautiful flowerbeds. Obviously you have to like the genre, and some players will be irremediably resistant to these simple pleasures. The game also has some more objective flaws, such as the camera that is not free enough and which is sometimes awkwardly placed. Or even the lines of dialogue of certain characters, which we have to type day after day and which we cannot really speed up. Not enough to scare fans of the series, who clearly have New Horizons with one of the most successful episodes!
