What is the difference between Animal Crossing and Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Animal Crossing vs. Animal Crossing: New Horizons: A Detailed Comparison

The core difference between Animal Crossing and Animal Crossing: New Horizons lies in the setting and the degree of customization and control players have. The original Animal Crossing games typically placed players in a pre-existing town with a random assortment of animal villagers, offering a more traditional, open-ended experience. New Horizons, on the other hand, thrusts players into a deserted island getaway, where the primary goal is to develop the island into a thriving community. This fundamental shift in the starting point leads to significantly different gameplay experiences, primarily in the level of player agency and customization. New Horizons offers far more extensive customization options, from character appearance and island layout to crafting furniture and terraforming, making it a much more personalized and directed experience than its predecessors.

A Shift in Setting and Gameplay

The Traditional Town Experience

Traditional Animal Crossing games, such as the original on the GameCube, Animal Crossing: Wild World on the Nintendo DS, and Animal Crossing: City Folk on the Wii, start with the player arriving in a pre-populated town. This town already has established shops, villagers, and a defined layout. Players engage in activities like fishing, bug catching, and paying off their mortgage. While there was a sense of community and progression, customization was limited to things like house décor, clothes, and simple pattern designs. The core gameplay loop revolves around daily routines, social interactions with villagers, and gradually improving your house and status within the town.

The Deserted Island Adventure

Animal Crossing: New Horizons dramatically alters this formula. Instead of inheriting a town, players begin on a completely deserted island. This means players are responsible for the development of the island from the ground up. They start with rudimentary tools and a tent, learning to craft new items and unlock facilities as they progress. This island getaway concept provides an immense level of customization, allowing players to manipulate landscapes through terraforming, placing buildings, and meticulously designing their island’s aesthetic. This level of control and creativity is a significant departure from the more linear progression seen in earlier titles.

Customization: A Game-Changing Factor

Limited Customization in Classic Animal Crossing

Earlier Animal Crossing titles offered personalization mainly through furniture arrangement, clothing styles, and town flags. Players could choose from limited options for hairstyles and skin colors. While these options allowed for some degree of self-expression, they were nowhere near the depth of what is available in New Horizons.

Unleashed Creativity in New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons revolutionized customization in the franchise. Players can now completely customize their character’s hair, skin color, facial features, and more from the beginning. Beyond character creation, the game allows extensive island customization. Players can terraform the landscape, including creating rivers, cliffs, and paths. The crafting system lets you create unique furniture, tools, and decorative items. Even buildings can be relocated, offering an unprecedented degree of control over the overall layout and design of your virtual world. This level of freedom is a hallmark feature that sets New Horizons apart from its predecessors.

Progression and Objectives

Linear Progression in Original Titles

Progression in traditional Animal Crossing games is often tied to paying off loans, expanding your house, and building relationships with villagers. While enjoyable, the objectives were more pre-determined, with limited flexibility in how players reached their goals.

Player-Driven Development in New Horizons

New Horizons features a more open-ended progression system. Players are still required to pay off loans and develop the island, but the path to success is less defined. Players can set their own objectives, whether it’s creating the perfect museum, designing a themed island, or collecting every villager. This more sandbox-style approach allows for a more personal and less directed experience, accommodating different player styles and preferences.

Other Key Differences

  • Multiplayer: Both series support multiplayer, but New Horizons offers enhanced co-op with up to 8 players on an island.
  • Crafting: Introduced in New Horizons, the crafting system allows players to make tools and furniture from collected resources.
  • Terraforming: The ability to alter the landscape is exclusive to New Horizons, providing unparalleled creative freedom.
  • Updates: New Horizons has received numerous significant content updates, introducing new events, features, and items.

Conclusion

In essence, while both Animal Crossing and Animal Crossing: New Horizons share the cozy, relaxing nature of a life simulation game, New Horizons greatly expands on the player’s role in shaping their world. From establishing a deserted island to crafting the majority of the island’s design, New Horizons offers a far more customizable and open-ended experience compared to the pre-set world of previous Animal Crossing titles. This makes New Horizons an ideal choice for players who enjoy personalization and design, while the more traditional games cater to those who prefer a simpler, more structured, experience.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Which Animal Crossing game should I start with?

For new players, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is highly recommended due to its intuitive design, extensive customization, and numerous beginner-friendly features. It’s widely considered the best entry point into the series.

2. Is Animal Crossing: New Horizons better than other Animal Crossing games?

While subjective, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is praised for its enhanced customization, terraforming capabilities, and constant stream of updates, making it a popular choice for both new and veteran players.

3. What do you do in Animal Crossing as a beginner?

Beginners should focus on getting tools from Tom Nook, tending to flowers, exploring the island, befriending villagers, fishing, bug catching, collecting resources, and donating items to the museum.

4. Is Animal Crossing: New Horizons worth it without online play?

Absolutely. While online play adds to the experience, it’s not essential. Single-player mode is just as enjoyable, and you’ll only miss out on some trading opportunities.

5. Is Animal Crossing: New Horizons difficult?

No, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is designed to be a relaxing and intuitive game. It features a gentle learning curve, making it accessible to players of all skill levels.

6. What age is Animal Crossing good for?

Animal Crossing is rated PEGI 3, meaning it is suitable for children aged 3 and over. It’s a family-friendly game enjoyed by all ages.

7. Can you change the language in Animal Crossing?

Yes, you can easily change the language settings from within the game’s options menu.

8. Is Animal Crossing good alone?

Yes, Animal Crossing: New Horizons works excellently as a single-player experience. Multiplayer is optional and not required to fully enjoy the game.

9. Why is Animal Crossing so popular?

The game offers a relaxing, creative, and social experience, providing an escape for players of all ages. Its unique gameplay loop, combined with constant content updates, contributes to its popularity.

10. What is the main goal of Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

The main goal is to bring civilization to a deserted island by foraging, collecting, building, and customizing your island into a thriving community.

11. Is Animal Crossing addictive?

Yes, the game’s fun features, minigames, and endless customization options can make it quite addictive. It’s also relaxing and can become a daily habit.

12. Is Animal Crossing good for couples?

Yes, many couples enjoy playing Animal Crossing together, collaborating on island designs and participating in shared activities.

13. Do you have to play Animal Crossing every day?

While not required, playing daily can help you progress faster and unlock new content. However, the game is designed to be flexible, allowing you to play at your own pace.

14. How many years can you play Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons will no longer be playable after the year 2060.

15. Who are the most popular villagers in Animal Crossing?

Popular villagers include Raymond, Stitches, Marshal, Coco, and Roald, among others, each with unique designs and personalities that resonate with players.

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