ComicBook.com's Games of the Year: Animal Crossing: New Horizons

The Animal Crossing franchise has been delighting fans for nearly 20 years, but it's safe to say that no entry in the series truly connected with audiences like Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Nintendo Switch. Released in March, the game arrived just as the coronavirus pandemic began to take off in North America. With people around the world starting to stay inside their homes, the game was quickly embraced as a way for players to connect with friends and family. While some games released this year offered more cinematic experiences, or gameplay that represented a bigger leap over their predecessors, New Horizons represented something truly special for the video game industry as a whole. The latest Animal Crossing proved that games could help players bond during an unprecedented time for the world.

For those unfamiliar, Animal Crossing: New Horizons allows people to create their own island getaway, where animals take up residence, and players can spend their time fishing, digging up fossils, and creating their own designs for clothing, flags, and more. Players are given tasks to complete by Tom Nook, but there's a lot of freedom to go at your own pace and simply enjoy the game as you please. That laidback pace was just the thing for folks desperate for a more relaxing experience during such troubling times. Video games are often seen as a form of escapism, and New Horizons provided just that when it was needed the most.

The Nintendo Switch hardware brought a lot of benefits to the Animal Crossing franchise. New Horizons was not the first game in the series to appear on a handheld platform, but the Switch's improved Sleep function allows for smaller, quicker bursts of gameplay, which is perfect for those without a lot of time to spend. Hopping into the game for a few brief minutes just to check in with residents, or on the price of Turnips each day has never been easier, and everything looks sharper and more impressive than it has in any previous game in the series. Notably, the island's museum got a major upgrade, truly showcasing each of the discoveries players brought to Blathers.

A lot has changed in video game technology since the release of 2012's Animal Crossing: New Leaf on Nintendo 3DS. Since then, the idea of being able to share images and videos from consoles via social media became a standard, and Nintendo's system has made that easier than ever. As a result, some of the most impressive Animal Crossing creations quickly went viral on Twitter and Facebook, and it seems likely that this increased presence on social media encouraged others to check out the game. Physical copies of New Horizons quickly proved hard to locate, and it helped propel sales of the Switch console, as well.

That increased ability to share with other players allowed the creativity of the game's community to take on a life of its own. 3DS Games like New Leaf and Happy Home Academy allowed players to share clothing designs via QR code, and that continued on Switch. However, it wasn't just clothing designs players were sharing, this time. Some players showed the world how they used the game to celebrate Mother's Day, while others recreated Disney Parks since the real locations were closed. Rogue One writer Gary Whitta even used the format to create his own talk show! Video games really helped players connect with one another this year, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons was one of the first to truly break out as a "lockdown game."

Ultimately, New Horizons far outsold its predecessors, becoming nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, and one of the biggest games of 2020. The game's massive success drew comparisons to Pokemon Go's cultural impact during the summer of 2016. While Pokemon Go helped players bond together outdoors, Animal Crossing brought people together when they couldn't be physically near one another.

It's impossible to say whether Animal Crossing: New Horizons would have found as much success if it were released in any other calendar year. It's possible that New Horizons was just the game that everyone needed exactly when they needed it most. The game helped Animal Crossing become one of Nintendo's premier franchises once and for all, alongside Mario and Zelda. In the end, it doesn't really matter; when players look back at 2020, the impact of Animal Crossing: New Horizons will likely be forever remembered.