Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer Review

We were asked to review the new Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer game for the Nintendo 3DS and of course we couldn't refuse (not that we tried...). Our girls have played Animal Crossing New Leaf quite happily for some time (see our post about the 2DS, which this game can also be played on) so this is a nice extension to that.

For a change, I decided our eldest should describe what the game was like, so here it is in a nutshell:

'It's a game where you are an Animal Crossing character/worker who designs houses. You progress up through job stages and get more design options as you go. Eventually you get to public work projects such as a hospital, offices and shops. The secretary from Animal Crossing New Leaf, Isabelle, helps you with the projects as she has now become the Mayor.'

The game is aimed at 7+ as there are a lot of instructions to be read and choices given in words, but nothing too complicated. There are lots of options within the game, such as picking the furniture objects and colours, but also choosing outfits:

We were also sent some Amiibo cards and were intrigued to see how they would work with Happy Home Designer. After playing the game for a while, you get the chance to unlock an Amiibo phone. You then scan an Amiibo card by simply placing it on the bottom screen of your 3DS, and the chosen character calls to discuss how they would like their house designed. You can also use the characters in public buildings projects - so they could become a teacher in the school, for example. This is a nice little twist and just adds another layer to the game overall.

Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer is available in the Nintendo e-store for £34.99, and the pack of 3 cards costs £3.49. They can also be bought at the usual other retailers.



Disclosure: we were sent these products to test but have not received payment. All views expressed here are completely our own, and we always give honest feedback for the benefit of our readers.