How Does Animal Crossing: New Horizons Hold Up 6 Months Later? (Re-Review)

Animal Crossing is a series made to be played over a long period of time. When we first reviewed the game it certainly had some growing pains from being in the early stages, but how does it hold up 6 months later? We've had a fair few updates since we last reviewed the title, so let's dive in to see how our thoughts and opinions have changed since then!

It's no secret that we felt the game very very bare boned when it first released. Since then, we've seen a number of hefty updated to the game, currently sitting at 5, with each one adding more and more layers to each players potential play style. We've received diving, dreaming, farming, and much more. Of course, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. A number of our gripes are still present, such as the lack of customization and quality of life options, and the lost potential of features such as Mystery Island Tours, but what they've added to the game really softens the blow here.

We previously raised concerns that this can be very daunting, and whilst we still somewhat agree with that statement, the number of updates the game has received certainly has helped. Just recently with the 1.5.0 update, we've been inspired to create a nice little farming area on our Island.

Speaking of updates, we have received a tonne, with the latest adding over 100 new items! This is great and keeps things fresh, but for the most part, we're really hoping a future update adds other items that aren't all themed to a specific holiday. We're sure we'll get one sooner or later, it's just waiting game.

The rate at which visitors appear seem to be tweaked with each update. We used to go weeks without seeing some, now more than likely we'll see all potential visitors within a 2 week cycle, some even more than once! This really shows Nintendo are listening to fans and actively trying to improve the game.

Parts of my island are still very barebones, and I'm eagerly awaiting some future new updates, but with how things are going so far, the game still holds up 6 months later (or closer to 7 since we're a little late). If you're one of the very few Switch owners who hasn't picked this up, or even grew tired of the gameplay and haven't touched it in a while, we'd highly recommend it giving it a shot! With the assortment of new features added since launch, it really will cut down on the player fatigue we felt in the early stages of gameplay.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and we feel that's been the case with Animal Crossing. When this first released, there weren't very many games that peaked our interest, so we spent a tonne of time playing Animal Crossing. We did originally bring up this is a game that's supposed to be played over a long period of time, just in short bursts, but for those of us who are hardcore AC fans it can make us feel fatigued. With many other games coming out since launch, Paper Mario, the Super Mario 3D All-Start Collection, and even the Pokemon Isle of Armor DLC, it's really helped take the "pressure" of the game, and in turn make it much more enjoyable. 

Right now is probably the most I've enjoyed Animal Crossing since it launched. It no longer feels like a chore, and once again feels like something I want to play, rather than feeling forced to play. With a number of future released incoming, such as the Crown Tundra Pokemon DLC, Pikmin 3 Deluxe, and even Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, these indirectly help improve my enjoyment of New Horizons, and I'm really looking forward to the next few months! As always, if you haven't already, be sure to follow us over on Twitter and Tumblr, as well as considering supporting us on Patreon if you're able to, your help and support goes a long way!