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My Thoughts On - Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
10 years ago
General
Short version: I do like it, but I don't think it's for everyone.
Long version: When this was first announced, I wasn't too attentive of it, but I didn't resent the idea. Animal Crossing hasn't had a new main game since New Leaf in 2013, and that's fine (although I wish they did more special events with it), as it seems to be taking the spin-off route, which is nice because it's something different. While I don't think to highly of the upcoming amiibo Festival game (although it seems like Mario Party but less cutthroat), Happy Home Designer was something I was willing to give a shot. I got it for my birthday thanks to my older brother, and with my love for the recent Super Mario Maker and "creator" games in general, I was pretty hopeful about HHD.
That is, until I saw things like some reviews of it. ScrewAttack flat out said it wasn't worth it, GameXplain gave it a "Meh" (although the reviewer stated he's not one for sim games so come on), and IGN's was seemingly the most favorable, with the only gripes being that the rewards feel like they're handed out to you, and you don't get a house of your own. And while those are true, I don't think the game isn't worth it, I just think it's not for everyone.
It's the same issue with Tomodachi Life. I loved it when it first came out, and it was something to talk about on my now defunct Tumblr blog. If I was still willing to put up with Tumblr's bullshit, I'd probably flood it with my HHD posts, and talk about how pretty my houses look. What I love about Happy Home Designer is the same reason I love all the Animal Crossing games in general; they're laid-back, feel-good games to play if you want to unwind, relax, and not stress yourself with other games. Sometimes, games I love playing make me angry, or put me in a foul mood, and Happy Home Designer is the kind of thing I'll pull out when I'm feeling like that, because it helps me to unwind and relax and just feel great. It's right there in the title; it makes me feel happy.
And about the amiibo features, they're completely optional. Unlike games like Splatoon where you require amiibo to get certain things, all the cards are for are basically if you have a favorite villager who hasn't shown up in town to ask about a house, you can scan them and they'll be there. Or, you could have them drop into someone else's home. And as far as the whole "no house of your own" goes, I've taken to "living" at one of my favorite villager's houses, designing it with the both of us in mind. Hopefully, I can edit the homes I make because learning how to do things like floor plans will greatly improve said home. And another thing; based on the times I play them, I almost like to consider Happy Home Designer as a continuation of my New Leaf character's life; where this is his day job before he goes back to town to relax.
But I can perfectly understand if others don't like it, and that's fine. Like I said; it's not a bad game by any means. Everything works as well as it does, and while 40 bucks seems steep, think of it this way. I could pay 15 for a session of aromatherapy and another 15 for another one a week later. Alternatively, I could pay 40 for Happy Home Designer, which gives me just as much satisfaction and doesn't cost anymore for future sessions.
Long version: When this was first announced, I wasn't too attentive of it, but I didn't resent the idea. Animal Crossing hasn't had a new main game since New Leaf in 2013, and that's fine (although I wish they did more special events with it), as it seems to be taking the spin-off route, which is nice because it's something different. While I don't think to highly of the upcoming amiibo Festival game (although it seems like Mario Party but less cutthroat), Happy Home Designer was something I was willing to give a shot. I got it for my birthday thanks to my older brother, and with my love for the recent Super Mario Maker and "creator" games in general, I was pretty hopeful about HHD.
That is, until I saw things like some reviews of it. ScrewAttack flat out said it wasn't worth it, GameXplain gave it a "Meh" (although the reviewer stated he's not one for sim games so come on), and IGN's was seemingly the most favorable, with the only gripes being that the rewards feel like they're handed out to you, and you don't get a house of your own. And while those are true, I don't think the game isn't worth it, I just think it's not for everyone.
It's the same issue with Tomodachi Life. I loved it when it first came out, and it was something to talk about on my now defunct Tumblr blog. If I was still willing to put up with Tumblr's bullshit, I'd probably flood it with my HHD posts, and talk about how pretty my houses look. What I love about Happy Home Designer is the same reason I love all the Animal Crossing games in general; they're laid-back, feel-good games to play if you want to unwind, relax, and not stress yourself with other games. Sometimes, games I love playing make me angry, or put me in a foul mood, and Happy Home Designer is the kind of thing I'll pull out when I'm feeling like that, because it helps me to unwind and relax and just feel great. It's right there in the title; it makes me feel happy.
And about the amiibo features, they're completely optional. Unlike games like Splatoon where you require amiibo to get certain things, all the cards are for are basically if you have a favorite villager who hasn't shown up in town to ask about a house, you can scan them and they'll be there. Or, you could have them drop into someone else's home. And as far as the whole "no house of your own" goes, I've taken to "living" at one of my favorite villager's houses, designing it with the both of us in mind. Hopefully, I can edit the homes I make because learning how to do things like floor plans will greatly improve said home. And another thing; based on the times I play them, I almost like to consider Happy Home Designer as a continuation of my New Leaf character's life; where this is his day job before he goes back to town to relax.
But I can perfectly understand if others don't like it, and that's fine. Like I said; it's not a bad game by any means. Everything works as well as it does, and while 40 bucks seems steep, think of it this way. I could pay 15 for a session of aromatherapy and another 15 for another one a week later. Alternatively, I could pay 40 for Happy Home Designer, which gives me just as much satisfaction and doesn't cost anymore for future sessions.
