Opinionated Logan: Animal Crossing amiibo Festival

If reviews from popular gaming websites are to be believed, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival is at best a rarely fun experience, but generally a snooze fest, legitimately. Some reviewers said they fell asleep playing this. We picked up the title over Christmas, and sure, some of what these reviews are saying is legitimate. However – and I have spoken about this in the past – it shows a disconnect between hardcore Nintendo fans and the casual audience Nintendo continues to cater too. My son Logan falls into that second category.

Overall, Logan was really impressed with amiibo Festival. He loved using the amiibo – which get expensive quick! – as well as having a really solid use for the hundred or so amiibo cards we own. It is easy enough for him to understand, and never gets overly complicated. The hardest thing for him to figure out was buying and selling turnips.

The game is colorful and entertaining, and usually the characters are engaging with the players on a consistent basis with neat and funny little animations. It is a nice touch on a game meant for kids. So when I asked Logan what he thought about amiibo Festival, he had one answer: “It is one of my favorite games this year because I can play it with you and mom!”

And there it is. Out of the mouth of a six year old child. There is great value in amiibo Festival, and I think Nintendo knows it. I hope they release more titles like this. Perhaps the price point is a different discussions – i.e. perhaps this should have been a 29.99 or 39.99 game! – but overall, these types of games resonate with kids and families. Kudos to Nintendo for that. They deserve the praise. In our home, we have one happy 6 year old kid!