"Brimming with colourful characters and charming gameplay, Animal Crossing: New Leaf encompasses everything Nintendo stand for – carefree, endearing and fun gameplay that just about anyone can enjoy."
The Gameplay:
"What can you not do in Animal Crossing: New Leaf?" that should be the question you first ask. When you first generate your random barren town, it’s hard to believe that eventually this cute little pad of land will become the buzzing heart of your animal-based community. Shops expand, houses grow in size, ornaments begin popping up and your own little town grows in size as you continue your reign as Mayor.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf gives you freedom never seen before in the franchise and consequentially makes the growth of your town even more personable than before. Accomplishments, whether big or small in nature, are celebrated all the same as you continue creating your own perfect fictional world.
The essence of Animal Crossing: New Leaf is to accumulate the game’s currency (bells) by hording items, whether by fishing, bug catching, digging up fossils or hording fruits. Selling these items for currency then allows you to purchase new equipment, new clothes and new items for your own home and the town. Despite its simplistic nature Animal Crossing: New Leaf becomes very addictive as you strive to purchase that next big thing for your town or find another rare animal for your museum collection. Gamers in need of a clear goal might find the open-nature of Animal Crossing off-putting but those looking to melt into a vibrant world created by your doing will find unlimited things to do in this fun experience.
The Presentation:
In typical Nintendo fashion Animal Crossing: New Leaf is a cute looking game. Your townsfolk are comprised of various animals and communication is nothing more than speech bubbles accompanied by a rather irritating jibberish-like noise of various pitches. That being said, it’s brightly coloured and very pretty to look at. A melodic soundtrack follows your adventure but presentation doesn’t really go any further than that. It’s also worth noting that the 3D mechanic plays absolutely no role in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
The Verdict:
Animal Crossing: New Leaf is a very difficult game to review because it can only be recommended to a very specific type of gamer. The best way I can describe it is although it’s a 3 + rated title, like all Nintendo games, it’s important not to be fooled by initial appearance and the first layer presented to you. Much like Pokemon, which is cute and fuzzy on the outside, Animal Crossing: New Leaf is a relatively deep and thoroughly enjoyable experience on the inside if, and only if you let it engross you. The chances are if you don’t like the look of it and have stayed clear of the franchise so far then it’s wise to continue doing so. If it holds initial appeal or you’re a fan of the franchise, then this game is absolutely for you. Just keep in mind, looks can be deceiving.
Gameplay – 8/10
Presentation – 6/10
Replay Value – 10/10
Verdict – 8/10
Igor Kharin
Animal Crossing: New Leaf at CeX
