Animal Crossing: New Horizons review published in Famitsu

The first Animal Crossing: New Horizons review has been published in Famitsu.

It awarded the game a review score of 38/40 (via Japanese Nintendo) – the Japanese publication’s third highest Switch review score behind The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (40/40) and Super Mario Odyssey (39/40), and equal to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokémon Sword & Shield.

Famitsu reviews games by taking the scores out of 10 from four separate critics and combining them. Two of its critics awarded Animal Crossing: New Horizons 10/10 and two gave it 9/10.

• Related: Animal Crossing guide – 21 tips for a happy island life

The Animal Crossing: New Horizons release date is March 20.

In a recent Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct broadcast, the platform holder confirmed that the Switch title will not support cloud saves and further detailed the game’s online features.

VGC recently got the chance to go hands-on with Animal Crossing: New Horizons and found that it significantly expands on virtually every series feature.

Nintendo has announced a special Animal Crossing themed Nintendo Switch console for North America, Europe and Japan. Priced at $299.99 / £319.99, it features unique Joy-Con controllers, a custom design on the back, and a special Nintendo Switch dock.

An Animal Crossing: New Horizons Aloha Edition Carrying Case and Screen Protector are also available to pre-order.