Monopoly: Animal Crossing New Horizons Review
Stats at a glance
Animals lovers! Get ready for this fantastical bop around the Monopoly board with color-popping twists and turns. It holds on to some of the standard Monopoly traditions like trading but with the modern element of a cashless system using bells as currency.
Brief Overview of Monopoly: Animal Crossing New Horizons
Animal Crossing is based on a video game of the same name and is all about collecting Nook Miles, thus the champion will end with the most. This 2-4 player game comes with a ton of variety, whether you are bargaining fruit to gain bells or selling your resources back to the bank.
Jail time is spent much like in the original Monopoly as is the concept of buying and selling. There is, however, more of a fun shopping vibe and island discovery rather than the more serious property and hotel purchases as in the OG.
Be prepared for a fun-filled treat as you bounce around the islands with your fellow villagers, collecting fossils and fish along the way.
Unboxing Monopoly: Animal Crossing New Horizons
The familiar Monopoly logo of modern times immediately catches your eye while the bright animated animals help bring a youthful but capturing look. There are more components than in the original Monopoly.
Here, we have:
- A game board
- 4 Character tokens
- 4 Skill Cards
- 35 Decoration Cards
- 14 Nook Miles Cards
- 14 Chance cards
- 160 Resource Chips
- 40 Five-bell coins
- 54 Bell coins
- 40 Player Markers
- 1 Numbered die
- 1 Nook Cranny Die
- Label sheet
- A game guide
How to Play Monopoly: Animal Crossing New Horizons
The general gameplay remains the same as regular Monopoly — although you may find some rules are a bit more complex.
Setup
At the start of the game, each player receives 10 bells. A single bell is worth $1 and a bag of bells is worth $5. Resource chips should be separated by type and color and placed next to the board in the space that matches the resource facing up.
Place four skill cards next to Go, and place Decoration and Nook Miles cards appropriately. Each player chooses their token and receives 10 player cards that match their token.
Let’s go
Throw the dice and move accordingly. Islands are used instead of properties and if you land on an undiscovered island, you can put a player token on the space and collect a resource card that matches. At this point, you can turn over the resource card and see how many bells it is worth.
If you land on an island that another player discovered, all players collect one resource from that island. If you land on an island that you discovered, take 2 resources from that island. Gameplay continues until you run out of resources.
When all resources are taken, you can start to sell resources to the bank. This works by rolling the other dice and then selecting any number of resources of the type that you roll to sell. Then you collect the number of bells on the back of the resources and put them back on the pile by the colored island. You can buy, sell and trade resources throughout the game.
You will collect one Skill card after the first time you pass Go and can use the ability as indicated. Instead of railroad lines, this version of Monopoly has airlines that allow you to jump ahead to another space before the next airline.
When you land on a Nook Miles space, you must take a card. Before the game ends you can pay the stated amount to earn Nook Miles. Watch out! – There are some cards that give negative Mook Miles.
Game End
The first player to get 7 Decoration cards will end their turn and wait for all players to reach Go. When everyone arrives, you must purchase decorations up to a maximum of 7. Players should now add up the Nook Miles from their Decoration and Nook Miles cards. Whoever has the most points in total wins the game!
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Easy to play
- Laid-back and less serious than the original
- Focused on visiting islands which is a lot of fun
- Shorter playing time than the original
- High-quality components. Villagers are super cute
- Great for young players
- Nice presentation
- Collecting currency is easy
- Similar to the video game
Cons:
- Setup is long
- Rules could be more simple
- Not many cards, bells, or tokens
Using some small bags to keep the pieces separate or even color-coding them might be helpful for each setup and to keep things in good condition.
Similar to the video game, this version is great for kids, due to the animal element and bright colors. If you’re playing with particularly young children it could be great for helping them with numbers, reading, and even learning trading skills if that’s your thing.
A nice advantage is that there is a definite end to the game, rather than going around in circles and continuously trading. It is focused on islands, animals, fruit, and shopping which gives a light and bouncy feel so if you are looking for something less serious, it’s for sure a winner.
If you run out of cards or continue to get the same ones it can feel repetitive so it’s better to be prepared for that scenario. Also, you may need a bit of patience for the setup but other than those points, once you have grasped the trading rules you’re good to go.
Conclusion: Verdict?
If you’re looking for a relaxing afternoon of jollification, bargaining, and nothing too complex, then it ticks the majority of the boxes, especially if you are a fan of the video game. Getting to grips with the sway of the rules might not happen immediately, but I’d suggest learning as you go.
The villagers are a cute touch and the idea of using a cashless currency system may be appealing to some in this modern and ever-evolving world.
It’s a cluster-filled game with a good variety of components and elements. Overall, I would say even with a low attention span, it’s difficult to lose focus as you’re constantly entertained by something new.
We hope you enjoyed our Monopoly: Animal Crossing New Horizons review! Have you tried this version of Monopoly before? If you’re a fan of the cozy video game, this is a must-have for your Animal Crossing collection! Drop a comment below and let us know what you think. We’d love to hear from you.
