Game Review: Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Game: Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Developer: Nintendo
Release Date: 8th November 2012

Games from the Animal Crossing series are particularly hard to review against other video games. For a start players are encouraged to play in small amounts each day rather than the marathon sessions I'd spend on Yakuza games. Also the pace of the game is such that without a few months of gameplay, it's hard to experience enough events, progression and differences from previous instalments to give a fair score. I've been playing since June this year, logging over 70 hours pretty easily, almost as much as my favourite Gameboy Colour RPG; Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

In New Leaf, players assume the title of mayor, allowing them to change more about their town than ever before, in addition to new features and customisation options. One of the best new features is the town ordinance system, allowing players to choose one bonus from a list of four, to accommodate for late risers, early risers, those seeking cash or those trying to keep their town green. This is helpful since I used to play the game on my way to work, and the earlybird ordinance allowed me to interact with villagers earlier and sell off unwanted goods instead of waiting until I'd finished work to reboot the game.

Another fairly unique trait of Animal Crossing that I've observed over the years is player loyalty towards villagers; if you've had a certain villager in your town before, you'll want your favourites back again. Animal Crossing: New Leaf has lots of new villagers to choose from including a big selection of mice and rodents in addition to loads of the classic cast. It's also easier than ever to try and lure your favourites into town with the campsite providing a rotating list of villagers camping in your town whom you can invite to move in whenever you'd like. In this way I'm hoping to get Lily the frog before too long!


House expansions and paying off your mortgage are still the crux of the game, with more expansions and house decoration styles available than ever. It's possible to make a truly unique and themed house with the items available both in the game and designed by other players via QR codes. Paying off your mortgage must also be balanced with mayoral duties and paying for new things to be built in town, especially on the main street where there's tons of shops that'll start to appear if you play the game often.

Graphically the game is better than ever, still in its cartoon style but with the possibility to experience the world in autostereoscopic 3D. The music of Animal Crossing has always been a strong selling points, and with a new tune for every hour of play, special seasonal tunes, and all of K.K. Slider's songs this game is no exception. The relaxing music sets the scene for spending an hour or two just talking to your villagers or improving your town, providing some much needed stress relief as you play.

Overall you get as much out of Animal Crossing games as you put in, but with more things to do than ever, New Leaf is the best version out there currently. The Nintendo Switch is due to get an instalment of the series soon though, so it's possible this won't be true for long. Whatever happens though, players are able to choose a version of the game, and have their own unique experience, build bonds with their villagers and invest their travel time, quiet moments or whenever they play into something that gives back to them.

Rating: 88/100
Grade: A