In Animal Crossing: New Horizons Tom Nook and a gaggle of other familiar characters are promising to take us on a journey of new exploration and wonder.
The towns and villages of the previous games have gone, replaced with a desert island getaway which looks set to pique the interests of fans of the much-loved franchise.
Set to release on Nintendo Switch on 20 March 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is one of the most eagerly anticipated games of the year, and this location is one of the reasons why.
This is what we know about it so far.
Welcome to Island Life
When Nintendo announced at E3 that the location of the latest addition to the Animal Crossing series was to be on a desert island many fans were concerned about how the game might turn out.
After all, the games have always been set in a town or village and that formula has always worked out great for them in the past.
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However, as Nintendo has continued to release trailers and more information about the game many concerns have drifted away. Animal Crossing: New Horizons looks like a breath of fresh air and a welcome escape from village life.
From the information released by Nintendo, it is known that the player will assume the role of a customisable character who moves to a deserted island after purchasing a vacation package from Tom Nook, the lovable Racoon from the previous titles.
The player can then customise the desert island to their desires with a wealth of options on offer to facilitate this, including the new feature of being able to create and have furniture outdoors. Allowing the player to create some truly unique islands.
NOOK RETURNS: Tom Nook is back in New Horizons.
On your new island metropolis you can go camping - as every island comes with its own tent - grow plants and scavenge for resources as seen in the previous games, and when you’re tired of the constant, work you can unwind and relax on the beach.
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You can also pave roads to different destinations in the game to make your island even more luxurious and fun to come back to time and time again.
The main differences
What stands out most in Animal Crossing: New Horizons in comparison to its predecessors is that it has more freedom than ever before.
As we’ve already learned, New Horizons is a fresh idea and a whole new experience for the player. It is truly a blank canvas on which the player can make their mark.
RELAXING ON THE BEACH: New Horizons has more locations than ever before!
The player is now unbound by the past rules of the previous governed societies, you are now free to build decorations, benches, pathways, position signs and gardens across the deserted island.
This is Animal Crossing at its most expressive and exciting,
the new deserted island setting gives the player unlimited ways to let their
imagination go wild whilst playing and provides so many new features and ways
to play to ensure it stands out from the Animal Crossing crowd.