After the success of its predecessor on the Animal Crossing's core gameplay, it's easy to see how simplistic and repetitive it is, yet the game isn't only successful because it released during a pandemic amid a world full of stressed, lonely, and bored customers.
Animal Crossing is difficult to compare to most other video games because there is ultimately no goal or story to follow. Players simply move to a remote island and decorate it and their homes to their heart's content. Doing so, however, can actually be a clunky and needlessly grindy experience. A plethora of the game's decorative items need to be crafted using resources found across the island but gathering them borders on mindless tedium. Smacking rocks to gather iron or hitting trees to collect wood isn't nearly as engaging as solving a complex puzzle in Breath of the Wild, or pulling off a devastating combo in Smash Ultimate, so why has Animal Crossing's sales numbers mopped the floor with both of these killer app Switch titles seemingly overnight?
Plucking fruit and fishing may be extremely simple tasks, but they work well in Animal Crossing because the game rewards players for the time they put into it. As players gather resources and expand their collection of items, they find themselves with far more options for how to design their island than ever before. Some individuals come up with extremely creative and inspired ways to share their love for the game online like recreating a SpongeBob episode in the game or by making an island based on a movie or show. What makes Animal Crossing unique from other Switch games is that it isn't about the journey, like Super Mario Odyssey, but it is instead like a digital Lego set that becomes something incredible only after putting in blood, sweat, and tears. Players with the best islands are the ones who have been playing for hundreds of days, and their hard work makes it even more satisfying once their visions finally become reality.
New Horizons' Social & Multiplayer Mechanics Made The Game
There's simply no realistic way to deny that Animal Crossing: New Horizons released at the perfect time from a commercial perspective. This clearly wasn't planned by Nintendo, but many people were suddenly sheltered in their homes and running out of indoor activities to do. Animal Crossing is cute, easy to understand and New Leaf managed to earn the series a reputation as one of Nintendo's best franchises. But it's real strength was its ability to give those trapped at home a way to connect with their friends and loved ones in a safe and playful way.
This social aspect of Animal Crossing is without a doubt its biggest strength, with or without a pandemic. The game's sales most likely were inflated by players who were simply bored at home and wanted to in the craze, but if Animal Crossing: New Horizons lacked social features, the game wouldn't have performed half as well. Those aforementioned incredible towns would have never been built without a community willing and able to trade resources and share creations with each other. It's the connective glue that holds the entire experience together, and without its multiplayer features, Animal Crossing New Horizons wouldn't have blown up like it did, even during a pandemic.
