You know, it’s like Nintendo is going out of its way to rub salt in the wounds with this whole amiibo thing. We know certain figures are rare. Beloved characters sell out. Instead of doing something to make the general situation better, we’re getting something like Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival . It feels like something to fan the flames, what with its amiibo dependency flagged right in the title and other elements that make it seem like some sort of shameless cash-in. Yes, you read that right. Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival seems like something designed to prey on Nintendo fans of anything adorable.
Let’s start by going over how Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival is played. This is fluff, pure and simple. It doesn’t appear have any of the classic and compelling board game elements of such titles as Culdcept, Mario Party , or Fortune Street . If anything, it seems like Mario Party -lite, only without any real competition, coins doled out generously, and the various adorable trappings of the Animal Crossing franchise. The goal is to make sure your character is happiest, sure, but everything is so light and breezy that there’s no real competition or point to playing.
Instead, it feels like a method of tricking people into playing something because it’s vaguely connected to a welcoming universe. “Look! You remember these characters. Aren’t they great? See how cute this is!” It’s the same thing as Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer . The recognition factor is key.
Except it’s there right in the title – Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival . This is a game about moving amiibo. And not just the Isabelle, Tom Nook, Sable, and K.K. Slider ones shown at E3 2015, but also the amiibo cards that will be marketed with Happy Home Designer . It makes one wonder what the overall quality will be when a large part of the appeal is, “Hey! Can I play as my favorite character if I search hard enough and get the right toy or card?”
Plus, there’s one final concern. Perhaps Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival , and Happy Home Designer as well, are two means of getting an ample number of Animal Crossing amiibo figures and cards on the market in time for a console installment on the Wii U. Instead of seeming like a genuine endeavor, it’s more like a means of Nintendo slipping these out so when the full release is here, people will consider grabbing it because they already have some of the cards waiting. It’s getting people comfortable with the idea of collecting accoutrements to enjoy a larger game.
Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival could very well prove to be good. My fears could be unsubstantiated. This may not be some form of indoctrination. But it’s the sort of game that makes you look at it sideways, due to its apparent dependance on cards and figures.