“Animal Crossing” is a game about building up a town on an island, but instead of people for NPCs, there are animals. This game is two years old now, and I stopped playing it several months ago. I just recently booted up the game again, and now I am going to answer the question, “two years later, is it still worth it?”

Many games just have an initial release, and that is all of the content that there is. However, for “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” there is seasonal content, as well as events, and new features occasionally. Currently, the season is winter, and cooking was added back in October, which I had no clue about until I made an oven for my kitchen. Yes, crafting is a thing in this game, and it is something the player has to do quite often. House design is also a feature, players can craft, buy, and find decorations for their houses.

Cooking is a feature as of update 2.0, and it brings a whole new crafting aspect to the game. Players can eat food to gain strength on certain tasks, like allowing them to dig up a whole tree, or break a boulder in one swing. Different recipes give different amounts to the food meter, and allow more actions to be done. While eating is not necessary, it does allow the player to do special actions. Along with cooking, new crops were added, including wheat, sugarcane, and tomatoes. Players can buy these from Leif, or find them on a Kapp’n Island Adventure.

As for seasonal content, some bugs and fish can only be caught during certain months, under certain conditions, such as the Football Fish, which is able to be caught during winter. Players can catch these creatures for donation to the museum, which is a great collection to show off to guests. Some of the caught fish can also be cooked. With winter comes snowfolk, which can be brought to life with two large snowballs. When constructed, they will speak to the player, and potentially give them a crafting recipe for winter-themed items, like a snowflake wand.

With all this content, is the game still worth buying at a price of $60, with an additional purchasable DLC for $25? Personally, I would say yes, as once one gets into the rhythm of playing daily, it can get really fun. There are so many different activities to do, and over 400 villagers to meet. The game can be played for hours on end without getting boring, as long as there is something to do. Be warned though, that one can only do so much in a day, before it does get boring. If that happens, best to just put down the game and do something else for a bit. 

So yes, two years later, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” is still worth buying.