Thoughts on Animal Crossing New Horizons

During Nintendo's E3 Direct and Treehouse Live event, we were given a pretty decent look at Animal Crossing New Horizons. I thought it would be interesting to discuss my thoughts on the game now that we have some ideas on what to expect.

The first thing that stuck out to me were the graphics. Everything looked very bright and very smooth. Initially I didn't really like it, but I didn't like the way New Leaf looked initially either. After watching the gameplay demonstration I no longer feel like the graphics are that foreign. I think they look crisp, and through YouTube on the Switch, you can even see what the game will look like on the Switch itself.

Musically we know very little. It's likely that the music will change hourly like in every previous main-series Animal Crossing game, but other things like K.K. Slider aren't a guarantee. However I think it's fair to say he or at least his music will return, since we see a radio in the gameplay demonstration.

Some elements from Happy Home Designer are returning as well. Furniture is now moved by half spaces instead of strictly being at least one space away from another piece of furniture. You can also place furniture items outside.

I think my biggest concern is the crafting system. It's not as involved as in Minecraft, but you still need to get materials to craft tools and furniture. Thankfully you can buy them with bells, similar to other Animal Crossing games. I am still somewhat wary of the fact that every tool we've seen in the game so far has been "flimsy" which likely means they break after a few uses. After Breath of the Wild, I don't want another intrusive tool durability system.

Overall those are the things that I took strong notice of. I look forward to seeing what other people find in not only the short trailer, but also the half-hour of gameplay.