If you’ve ever played any of the Animal Crossing games, have a switch, or you just keep up with the newest games, then you most likely have heard about the newest addition to the Animal Crossing video game series.

Animal Crossing first started out as a game made by Katsuya Eguchi and was first released by Nintendo on April 14th, 2001. While the game has progressed majorly since then, even having its own movie back in 2006, the newest game has had quite the buzz. New Horizons, or rather Animal Crossing: New Horizons, was released to the world on March 20, 2020. According to Kaia Householder, an eighth grader at McAuliffe Middle School, “I think New Horizons has everything you could want in an Animal Crossing game.”

When you boot up the game, you are met with a sign that says, ‘Nook Inc. Deserted Island Getaway Package’ with a Spanish version underneath the English version. You are then greeted by Timmy and Tommy, who both work for Nook Inc., and are asked various questions to personalize your deserted island getaway. Once you answer all of their questions, it does not take too long for you to be boarded onto a plane, and flown off to your deserted island!

There are various things to do while on your island. Decorating your island or house, building bridges, inclines, or new houses for villagers, and getting Nook Miles are a few things you could do on the island. Although the game is all brand new with graphics and new villagers, it is not completely perfect. Unless ‘kindess’ is the right way to spell ‘kindness’!

With technology updating and expanding every day, one just can’t help but think if there will be more Animal Crossing games to come in the future. Emily Keller, a seventh grader at McAuliffe Middle School states, “I both do and don’t hope for more [future games]. The first game dates back to 2001 and has been up and running for nearly 20 years now. While new games keep the series active, over time it may lose the general flavor and quality of the classics.”

In the end, whether you’re a fan of the game or not, most can agree that Animal crossing: New Horizons lives up to the previous Animal Crossing games, and hopefully any new games in the future will be just as good.