Animal Crossing for the 3DS goes the interior design route this time with the release of a spin-off called Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer. The game was recently released in North America (September) and Europe (October), with Japan leading the way last July.
Browyn James of NZGamer describes the original Animal Crossing as a relaxing game where you are able to live a happy life among animals. Home Designer will focus more on decorating homes. "Decorating rooms is easy and intuitive. Copying, rotating and selecting items is a breeze and the search function means that you can easily find what you’re looking for. Items are unlocked as you design more houses for villagers which means you get a feel for each set of new furniture one at a time rather than just being thrown into the deep end," said James.
The Animal Crossing franchise always got mixed reviews from gaming journalists. In fact, Happy Home Designer only got a 67/100 Metacritic average that suggests it got mixed critic scores. The primary reviewer complaints about Animal Crossing in general is that it is a "baby game" or a "girl game" with hardly any challenging level of gameplay.
Justin Haywald of Gamespot praised the customization of the game. "At first, I lamented the fact that there's no real gameplay hook to string you along. Designing your house in Animal Crossing games is typically more of a reward rather than the sole objective. But for long-time Animal Crossing fans, it's great to finally be able to design to your heart's content."
There are other game reviewers with the same sentiment that view the game for what it is. Gaming Age reviewed the game well. Reporter Aaron Vaughn said that Happy Home Designer seem to have very slim gameplay elements. He quickly added that the game will develop as you play further along. Vaughn also lauded the perfect use of the 3DS stylus and touchscreen when decorating a home. He said that the use of the touchscreen has set a new bar with how furnishing homes should operate.
Join the Conversation