It's really hard to believe that ACNL came out 11-12 years ago! It feels like no time at all. We've gotten New Horizons about 4 years ago, and I do own it, but something about New Leaf keeps me coming back for more. I remember getting it for my birthday when I was a child, and it's consistently kept my attention since then. Why, though? Why is it that this 12 year old game managed to keep me coming back for more, but the more recent installment of the series ultimately fails to keep my attention?
There is so much that New Leaf does right. I feel like what ultimately keeps me away from New Horizons is that, if you're playing the game after all the heyday around the game... it ultimately feels slow to start and a bit boring. Back then, only doing a bit a day and unlocking essentials gradually was more tolerable, because everyone was going through it at the same time. You had updates to look forward to! Now that the community is more developed, it feels like such a slog to get into New Horizons.
So... why is New Leaf still different from this? New Leaf is 12 years old-- and most of the NL community has moved to NH. I opened NL today for the first time in a year or so to try and find out why. Spring is in full bloom in NL, and cherry blossom pedals fly across the screen. Villagers are commenting on how long I've been gone (sorry) and my town is essentially overrun with flowers (though I'm not complaining about that part).
The best part about New Leaf? Tools don't break. I think this is a common complaint made about New Horizons, but I just can't use my tools in that game without being constantly worried that they'll just break. Plus, don't golden tools break in that game? Why? The whole point of golden tools is that they're special, and that they're a reward for something that is typically hard to do. Unlocking the golden watering can in NL was probably one of the best days of my life as a child. Golden tools breaking in New Horizons feels so... bad. I can't explain exactly how, but I don't want to keep making my special tools when they break (even if they do break less often than their weaker counterparts).
New Leaf has smaller inventory space, but I found myself not minding this as much. Villagers have a lot of personality, and I actually feel compelled to interact with them. I also feel compelled to do those fetch-quests for them, which is typically a high bar to pass. Fetch quests suck. I want to complete the encyclopedia and finish the museum and get a perfect town.
And if that's not your thing? You can back up your save using Checkpoint and edit your save online. You can make an amazing town, with all the villagers you want, right off the bat if the long-term progress isn't your thing. Vapecord gives us great in-game cheats, and romhacks like Welcome Luxury make the game way different. Stores are open 24/7, which is great for nocturnal players (like I was when I was younger). Textures are re-worked, the sewing machine is automatically unlocked, the mayor's permit is automatically done. The romhack makes a lot of good quality-of-life changes if you find the default game to be too sluggish.
Animal Crossing New Leaf also still has amazing music and graphics. It still looks so so good! I'm hoping that online functionality is added to Pretendo sooner rather than later, because playing online with strangers is one of my favorite memories I have from when I was younger.
Animal Crossing New Leaf is absolutely still worth playing nowadays, even though it tends to be overshadowed by it's successor. If you have a modded 3DS the game gets far more expansive and possibly more fun. It still holds up exceptionally well, and I'm thrilled to get engrossed in it again as an adult.
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