5 🌟

Ok, this was way more fascinating than I thought it'd be. For example, did you know that Diablo initially inspired the creation of Animal Crossing? It was going to be a dungeon crawler game, but with animals. Consider my mind blown. Thankfully, hardware limitations meant they had to scrap that idea and make something more similar to the Animal Crossing we know today. This book presents various interesting facts about the different iterations of the game, in chronological order.

Granted, I am new to Animal Crossing, having only played New Horizons. Admittedly, this game helped save my sanity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. (This phenomenon is touched on towards the end of the book.) I'm not even sure what the older versions of the game are like, but I wish I had played them when I was a kid.

Amanda Dolan narrates the audiobook. She does a great job. It's like just listening to a close friend gush about Animal Crossing to you.

Recommended for any Animal Crossing fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the ALC.

This audiobook felt more like talking to a friend about our favorite game than just listening to facts and history. Kelsey Lewin shares fascinating insights into Animal Crossing, and Amanda Dolan’s warm, engaging narration brings a comforting sense of nostalgia and connection that perfectly matches the spirit of the game. A must-listen for any fan of the series.

This book accomplishes its main goal... I want to play Animal Crossing again. A short but detailed history of the franchise, this was both informative and entertaining. Even as someone who knows a lot about video games, especially Japanese games, this contains a lot of information I hadn't heard of before. I think my favorite parts were hearing about the complicated process of localization into the American market. While it focused a lot on the first installment of the game, I wish we hadn't rushed past the last game, especially hearing about how big of a departure it was from the previous games. I understand the author's critques of New Horizons, but I still wish it had been given more attention. I think this is great for both casual and hardcore fans of the franchise, and really could be interesting for anyone interested in video games in general.

Thank you Netgalley and HighBridge Audio for the Advanced Listeners Copy!

I picked this audiobook because I am a huge Animal Crossing fan and felt I would be able to judge it well from that perspective.

I enjoyed learning about the beginning and history of this game. It was a quick listen but still provided a ton of information on the history and gameplay.

I loved that Nintendo found women so valuable in the development of the game. I appreciated the description of the opening scene in the GameCube version; it was so nostalgic.

The narrator had a great voice and the perfect amount of enthusiasm for an informative book.