This book was super nostalgic! I loved revisiting one of my favorite games while learning about its origins, design choices, and cultural influences. This was really fun to listen to and full of little insights that made me appreciate the game even more. A must read for any Animal Crossing fans!

I 100% I would play the Diablo-ed Animal Crossing and I can't wait to just sprinkle that nugget of information into every conversation I can.

This was a charming and informative dive into the cultural and development history behind Animal Crossing. Kelsey Lewin explores the origins of the series with warmth and clarity, mixing trivia, personal insights, and commentary on the appeal of the first title and franchise as a whole.

Amanda Dolan captures the cosy and reflective tone perfectly and sounded like a friend gushing about their favourite thing.

Whether you're a long-term fan or discovered Animal Crossing during lockdown, this is a delightful listen - though I do think long termers will get more from the book than ACNH only fans.

Now to go check on my abandoned town and island...

I was obsessed with Animal Crossing when I was a kid so the entire time I was listening to this, I just had these warm, fuzzy, nostalgic feelings the whole time ❤️

It was so interesting to read about the history of Animal Crossing. I learned a lot of things and was reminded of things I had forgotten.

Half of the book is the history and how Animal Crossing came to be, while the other half is more of how and what to expect when you play the game.

The narrator did a fantastic job! I definitely recommend listening to the audiobook!

Highly recommend for a short and sweet little nostalgic kick 🥰

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Big thanks to Kelsey Lewin, RBmedia, and NetGalley for the audiobook copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

This turned out to be such a delightful little surprise!

Gotta say—the cover? Pretty plain. They easily could’ve gone for something a bit more charming. But once I hit play, it felt like a cosy stroll down memory lane. I grew up with Animal Crossing and still have a soft spot for the series, so skipping this would’ve been a total betrayal of my inner child.

To my surprise, I actually learned quite a bit! From the game’s origins, the meaning behind its gentle chaos, and how it all reflects certain Japanese cultural values. Never thought I’d be learning new things and cracking up at the idea of a tanuki out for my hard-earned bells.

Is it profound? Not really.
Is it worth giving a listen? Absolutely.

A light, nostalgic experience best enjoyed with a pinch of skepticism—and a whole lot of Animal Crossing love.

listening to the audiobook while playing animal crossing for the 4D experience

i am obsessed with animal crossing, i have spent countless hours on my island. i learned so much about the game i love thanks to this book! i thought it was really well written and it kept me engaged the whole time. i loved learning about the history of animal crossing and all the lore about the fandom.

thank you RBmedia and netgalley for the audioarc!

a delightful, informative, and nostalgic dive into the creation, execution, and legacy of the original japanese and english animal crossing games (and—in lesser ways—the rest of the series). as with all books from boss fight books, this is a short, excellent dive into video game history and one fans of animal crossing won't want to miss!

3.5 stars. This felt like watching a video essay on a game I’ve played since I was wee. Would have liked a touch more depth in some of the analysis, but overall a lovely.

Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of the audiobook. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

I am a recent Animal Crossing fan. Animal Crossing New Horizons was my introduction to the franchise during the COVID-19 pandemic. So I found it nice to know more about the development about the original games and all the games before ACNH. But I was very partial to the last chapters about ACNH because I actually played that game. Overall, I highly recommend the audiobook to anyone who ever played one of the Animal Crossing games!

The narration by Amanda Dolan was pleasant to listen to as well.

This book was a fun little listen about a peaceful game. It was not that deep, but it was an entertaining history of the creation of Animal Crossing and Nintendo's intent behind it. I was a little disappointed the book focused almost exclusively on the GameCube game, but despite that I didn't get bored. If you enjoy Animal Crossing you'll enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for an ArC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting insight into the background on Dobustu no Mori vs Animal crossing. Probably only one for Nintendo nerds though!

I was introduced to the world of Animal Crossing via my DS, with the second installment Wild World, and like many others across the world rejoined the franchise through New Horizons. While I’ve been aware of the other iterations between those two, the original game remained a bit of a mystery to me, and it was really nice to discover it through this book.

The highlights for me were the details about the game’s creation. There were so many little nuggets of trivia which fascinated me, and I loved finding out about the journey the game went on before eventually becoming the game we know and love.

The in-depth description and analysis of the original game was perhaps slightly over-detailed at times, but it was still really interesting and I especially enjoyed when it was linked back to the game’s development. Details such as the localisation process or the way the real-time function was created were particularly interesting, and weren’t things I’d ever thought about before.

The final chapter, focussing on the latest and biggest release New Horizons, was what let the overall book down for me. Lewin was very upfront about the things she didn’t like about the game, but it was her final claim that it went against the principles of the original game that I disagreed with. She spent so much of the early chapters talking about communication, and how communication had been the goal of the original game designers. I would argue – including with some of Lewin’s own examples of the far-reaching nature of New Horizons – that it accomplishes this better than any other instalments. To ignore this in favour of her own opinion about the game felt like a huge oversight, and did leave some of her arguments feeling unfinished.

That being said, this is still a fascinating read/listen for any Animal Crossing fans, that will change your appreciation for the franchise.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

Love the history and evolution of Animal Crossing so much! The author did a great job at explaining what all went into one of the favorite games in the entire world. The narrator was wonderful as well. Bravo!

I really enjoyed this audiobook because I am a BIG fan of the Animal Crossing franchise and have been playing since (almost) the beginning on Gamecube. I enjoy how the author/narrator blends both her own personal love of Animal Crossing and her rationale for playing this game with the business side/creation side of what Animal Crossing was and what it has become and who helped it to become what it has. Listening to this also helped me realize why I keep coming back to Animal Crossing, even if time has passed between me playing and if I've gravitated to other games from time to time...Animal Crossing is one I will always return to.

Oh yeah, absolutely loved this one. I’ve been playing Animal Crossing since the early 2000s, and as someone still obsessed, I had to check this out.

I really enjoyed learning the history of Animal Crossing, but most of all, I really enjoyed the look into how the culture from Japan gets adapted and translated here.

A very enjoyable read for fellow Animal Crossing fans or general video game nerds.

I had a great time listening to Animal Crossing by Kelsey Lewin. The narrator did a fantastic job presenting the information clearly while still infusing the narration with energy and emotion. There was only one mistake in the audio I noticed, where she repeated a sentence twice with slightly different inflection, but that wasn't enough to detract from the experience. As someone who has only ever played Animal Crossing New Horizons, I was curious and excited to learn more about the origins of the series. This book somehow managed to make me feel nostalgic for games I've never played, and I intend to purchase an older animal crossing game as soon as possible. Thank you Netgalley for this audiobook arc.

Listening to this felt like a slow stroll through my Animal Crossing village as Lewin unpacks the whimsy, quirks, and quiet joys of Animal Crossing. This was such a relaxing and nostalgic listen with a reminder that who you are can grow right alongside your village. (It has also reminded me to go back to my village as I haven't been on for a while!)

Thanks to Kelsey Lewin, Netgalley and Highbridge Audio for a complimentary audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Like many people, Animal Crossing is a game that is close to my heart, and particularly during the time of the pandemic where the new release, New Horizons helped create a sense of community and routine in a very strange lonely time. I was excited therefore to listen to this book from the Boss Battles series about one of my favourite games.
The book is well researched and the audio narrator does a great job in making the title accessible, but I was a little sad that this book mostly covers the early years and release of the franchise rather then all the games. It was interesting and I found a lot out about the creation and information based around the original Animal Crossing but I did wish it had been a little more comprehensive.
Overall, this was a decent overview of the early years of the series and the author clearly did their work with meeting and interviewing the original creators of the series but it felt a little lacking in terms of the personal impact the game series had on people, which could have been a really touching thing to look at given the impact of this game during the lockdown.

Wow this was so lovely!

I absolutely adored Kelsey Lewin's effortless and nuanced explanations of Animal Crossing's many iterations. She easily conveys her passion and experience with Nintendo's Animal Crossing franchise. This book is a good mix of history, personal anecdotes, and information related to the franchise. Amanda Dolan nailed the happy-go-lucky informative tone the book is written in and was easy to listen to. I learned a lot about localization in video games and I appreciate that only the last 5% of the book was focused on the time period of Animal Crossing New Horizons.

This audiobook was really informative and it makes me want to pick up Animal Crossing again. Audiobook not long which makes the reading experience better, It does encourage me to read more from this series.

This was a fun, light-hearted exploration of Animal Crossing and the philosophy behind its wholesome, addicting charm. The audiobook feels like both a nostalgic rewind and a surprising deep-dive into the game’s cultural roots. Especially its Japanese origins and design choices.

While I wasn’t a fan of the cover (it’s giving missed opportunity), the content made up for it. I laughed, I learned, and I suddenly want to be emotionally indebted to a capitalist tanuki again.

Perfect for fans of the franchise or anyone curious about the “why” behind one of the most beloved comfort games of our time.