So after a long wait it's finally time for another review! This time I'm reviewing Animal Crossing New Leaf for the 3ds.

So I actually got this at launch day last year after having played a little bit of wild world for the ds but otherwise being somewhat inexperienced to the franchise but not enough so I can't make some comparisons . And what did I think? Well judging by the score you can probably imagine but yeah.

So let's get into it once again... Not gonna make a bad joke this time.


Graphics: 10

The game features a pretty simplistic art style like the previous Animal Crossing games but it has been improved upon in nearly every aspect. The characters, especially the avatar (as I will call him for the sake of this review because I think calling him the villager can get confusing) who looks a lot taller and more slender compared to previous games allowing for the addition of pants! Yes pants are their own item in this game, finally. Also just things in general look a lot more detailed not just compared to previous animal crossing games but 3ds games overall. This seems like the first animal crossing game to take full advantage of the console it's on instead of just going for a less is more feel while still retaining a similar style to previous games. And it made one of the best looking games on the 3ds when it came out and it still is today. Another cool thing about the game is it allows for a bit more customization when it comes to your town. Not just for the mayor mechanics which we will get into later but the fact that you can actually choose between a few different preset layouts before moving into your town as well as being able to choose where to build your own house and such.

Sound: 9

The game features 24 main tracks that play outside in your town. One for each hour of the day all of which I enjoyed. They manage to capture the feel of the specific time of the day pretty well while still all somewhat relaxed in their mood and despite having played for a really long time I haven't grown tired of them. The game also features a few tracks specific to some areas which are all pretty well done and fit the specific locations pretty well. KK Slider makes a return through a building that will unlock later in the game that allows you to listen to him playing various songs as well as remixed version of these songs sometimes. Of course like previous games you'll also be able to collect them in the form of CDs which can be obtained in various ways and then played using a stereo in your house which will then always play in your house, essentially meaning you can customize your house background music. Different villagers will play different themes in their house as well.

Another thing that deserves to be mentioned as well for new players is the town tune. This also makes a return from previous animal crossing games and allows you to make essentially a short little jingle. Various versions of it will then play during moments in the game such as when initiating a conversation with a villager and it's a nice touch that helps make your town more personal. As for the sound effects in the game there are a lot of them and I found them to be well done, they often times helps immerse you into the game just a little bit more.

Addictiveness/Gameplay: 9 (decided to change the name a bit to make things easier

The game has the same Animal Crossing gameplay you've come to expect. There's a variety of things to do and it's really up to you how you approach them as you're never really forced to do anything. You could socialize and help out villagers, become a bug/fish catcher and fossil collector (or sell them for bells).You could also focus on decorating and expanding your house.  Or a new addition to this game the diving suit! Which isn't exciting as it sounds but still fun since it lets you swim around in water and find items and different sea creatures. And that's just some few examples which are all very fun and relaxing things to do.

Another new addition is tortimer island. This is a function that willunlock a while after playing that will allow you to go an island (and the trip there is pretty much one of the best things about the game) where you can play various minigames by yourself and eventually against other villagers and earn coins to buy special item rewards with. It's a fun distraction that allows you to take a break from regular Animal Crossing life (because it's just soooo exhausting). The island alsohappens to be the best place to go to if you want to earn bells as it also features a small area where you can potentially catch some rare fishes and bugs that you can sell for a lot of bells or donate to the museum.

But let's get into the biggest new addition to the game which is acting as the towns mayor. Firstly there are public work projects which allows you to add various decorative objects to your town such as benches or fountains. Some of the more advanced ones can even allow you to make entirely new additions such as expanding an existing building or adding a new bridge etc. You can also enact laws that changes how the town operates in the form of ordinances. Unfortunately there are only 4 pre selected ones to choose from but they can be pretty convenient depending on your playing style. One thing that should be noted though is that it will cost a lot of bell to finance new public work projects or enact ordinances which mostly you'll have to pay for (I still say there should've been an ordinance forcing villagers to pay tax).  While I did still think the ability to be a major was a nice addition it was sort of over hyped and not as involved as I think most would've hoped for it to be regardless that doesn't make the game any less fun but it's still a shame as I feel it had a lot more potential and it's pretty much my main gripe with the game if any. 

Story: Blank

Unlike previous Animal Crossing games this game has somewhat of a main objective in the form of the development of the town but there's not much more to it then that. Instead most of the dialogue comes from interacting with the villagers and in my opinion that's one of the best parts of the game. Helping out, talking and socializing with villagers is probably one of my favorite things to do in the game due to all the different villagers available it actually lead me to getting kind of attached to some, and hating others... (Dammit Elvis... You ruined Elvis for me!) which actually lead me to being a bit sad when my favorite villager moved out of my town after I had been gone for a week... Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to cry over a video game until we get to the next category.

Depth: 10

If you have ever played Animal Crossing you saw this 10 coming. There are games that may last you for several days, some even a few weeks or dare I say several weeks but how many games can last you a whole year? Yes you heard that right. Essentially this game is meant to be played in short bursts over a very long period of time. You'll often run out of things to do during a long session of playing and then quit and come back the day after to find plenty of new things to do to take up your time. Since the game plays out in real time there's constantly different events, holidays and competitions happening in the game on different days. Not to mention scripted events that occur after a while such as shops expanding new villagers moving in coupled with your regular activities like earning bells, decorating your house, donating to the museum etc. And it adds up quite a bit.

It's kind of hard to gauge exactly how long the game might last you but the general consensus seems to be a year as by then you should technically be able to experience everything there is to see in the game. Of course you could time travel (a.k.a changing the time in the game for various reasons such as a villager moving in or to trigger an event) if you want but I feel that sort of takes away the fun of the game.


Difficulty: 4

This is a time consuming game. Let me rephrase that a VERY time consuming game. Earning enough bells to pay for house expansions or new public work projects take a long time. However it's not particularly difficult by any means and that's probably for the best since the game is supposed to be a fairly relaxing experience. I'd say the one reason that I didn't rate the difficulty lower is because some fishes and bugs like the shark for example (yes you use a fishing rod to catch sharks, go figure) can be somewhat challenging to catch. Though they usually become fairly easy to catch once you figure out the trick to it... Now while I could just say how to catch sharks here I wont because you need to find your own way (by that I mean using Google).

Overall: 9.2

This game is a very relaxing experience and while I've tried to do my best to explain why it's good, it's best if you actually experience it for yourself. Rest assured if you're an Animal Crossing fan you'll love this game. And you probably already have it because it launched over a year ago... Ahem.

And if you're new to the series this is a good starting point. I'd personally recommend this game to any 3ds owner as a great buy unless you have a personal vendetta against life sim games for some reason (even though I'm not really comfortable with calling it a life sim game).


So that's finally another review done! A little bit on the shorter side this time around (probably because there wasn't too much to say on some categories) but hopefully still enjoyable. As always please rate my review, offer your opinion on it and what  you think I did well and what I could improve upon and feel free to suggest games for me to review in the future!

And now to the summon list which is actually going to end up breaking my record for most summons in one post! How many of them will fail? Place your bets now!

juuldude :
Cradily is love :
sonicthehedgehog57 :
EideticMemory :
Sword legion : Figured I might as well summon you
Gamin'Gal:
A user of this :
Pokefreak219 :

Now that is what I call  a lot of summons, pretty sure I didn't forget anyone though.

If you want to be added to the summon list just tell me I'm always happy when more people want to read my reviews.

So yeah that's it for now. I'm sorry I haven't posted a review in so long at first I have to admit I have been stuck in this review for a while and then I got sick and wasn't able to do it but yeah it's here now and I plan on releasing my next review soon which (spoilers) is going to be an RGR game.

Zlinqx : x3 well I uh....Like your title xD haha probably the best thing to make me laugh since my school program. great length but sadly the bad joke was in the title so...*shuns* Great job and keep it up!

sonicthehedgehog57 : I lied. There's always a bad joke... Always 3

Zlinqx : great review! I have ACNL, but I stopped playing because my save file got corrupted(MY ANKHA IS GONE ;-; *cry Sob sob*), Also beautiful title.  The only thing I didn't like was when I was reading the part about tortimer island where there were a bunch of gaps between each line. Otherwise GREAT REVIEW, and I hope you make more that I can read. 

P.S:  I'd love to be on your summon list

AceShock : Thanks and yeah that happened to me when I played a ds game (Pokemon Soulsilver :c) Funny story though I actually have Ankha in my most recent town And yeah I know I give that title 10/10 even though I was the one who made it because I deserve it.

Also thanks for letting me know I fixed it.

And sure I'll add you to my summon list (I should probably start writing everybody down on a list .-.) so I'll summon you to my future reviews

sonicthehedgehog57 : Ha, I agree, the title is a great joke. The facebook nature of Animal Crossing's gameplay is so true.

endings : Yeah, who knows it might've inspired facebook games to some degree.

Gamin'Gal : You always escape my summons ._. Hopefully I fixed it now, if not crud.