oathkeepings

One of my coworkers scared me away from buying this game. He told me, "they basically just wanted to make Animal Crossing amiibo, so they made a game allowing them to do so. Don't expect anything great from it." So, I didn't buy it. Instead, I opted to try it. And I'm thankful he scared me, because I am actually pleasantly surprised with this game. With the main board game, there are no minigames. You just play this light-hearted, calming board game. It would be excruciatingly boring though, if you weren't playing with friends. When you play with friends though, it's a blast. It kind of gives me a Game of Life feeling, because you collect "happy points" which are similar to "life tiles" and you collect bells which can turn into happy points at the end of the game, which is similar to "retiring" in the game. This game makes collecting the amiibos and amiibo cards really fun. So if you don't collect the Animal Crossing amiibo or the amiibo cards, you probably won't get a very good time out of this game. I personally think it's exceedingly better than any Mario Party that has come out in the last 3-4 years. If you're looking for a carefree, lighthearted and fun game that's better than the trash Mario Party has produced these last few years (Mario Party 8-10, looking at you *cough*) and you enjoy amiibos, GET THIS. It's so much fun. But don't expect too much. Definitely not as good as a classic Mario Party, but far exceeds the newest additions. The minigames are to be played outside of the board game portion, but playing the board game with friends or solo unlocks tickets to unlock minigames in the plaza. Amiibo cards are required to play all of the minigames, so if you collected them from the Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, here's a chance to get even more functionality and fun out of your amiibo cards. I was addicted to the tent one, I played it for probably an hour straight. Just some mindless, calming fun. The minigames are better than anything I've played in a multiplayer game on the Wii in a long time, just my personal opinion. I will be buying this game when I get paid next. I personally think $60 isn't a bad price tag, only because it comes with two amiibos to start and three amiibo cards. Without those, I wouldn't pay more than $40 for this. But all in all, if you're open-minded and looking for some light-hearted, traditional board game fun with your friends and you enjoy amiibo, pick this up and give it a try. If you don't care for collecting Animal Crossing amiibo, then don't get this. This game, being called "Amiibo Festival" is heavily centered around the AC amiibo, so if you don't care to invest in them, don't get this.

Let me first say, this game was NEVER intended to be the franchise's next step as their next major Animal Crossing game. Anyone with common sense would be able to read the title and understand it's a spin-off, and should gather that it's mostly just going to be about designing interiors. Just saying. Anywho, I'm a pretty big fan of Animal Crossing. I've loved interior decorating shows & computer games since I was really young. So when I heard about this concept, I got extremely excited. I always loved decorating my house in Animal Crossing, so I was extremely hyped when I heard the news they were releasing this. I also loved the idea of the NFC reader and Amiibo cards. I own all 100, and I think they're extremely charming, and a great idea. Just my personal opinion. As for the game itself, I think it's adorable. People are complaining about the limited possibilities, but the game's title clearly states it's a home designing game. Not sure why people expected more than that. But with that being said, I'm totally content with that. There are tons of villagers to design for, so unless you're playing obsessively, it'll take a long time to design homes for all of them. My only real complaint is the animals always seem happy with your designs as long as their signature items are involved somehow. I wish there was a little more challenge involved, but, with that being said, I find this game a great go-to when I need to calm down or relieve some stress. It's a great creative outlet that can really put a mind at ease, especially if you love the cuteness of Animal Crossing villagers, and the concept of decorating exteriors and interiors for them. It really doesn't follow any kind of story line, but then again, no Animal Crossing game really does. If you want something cute, creative, and mindless, this is the game for you. But if you're looking for traditional Animal Crossing, this probably won't even come close to fulfilling you. You've gotta be open minded for this one, I believe. Also, if I've heard correctly, all the Amiibo cards are going to be compatible with the Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival game, so at least the cards will be used for more than just one purpose... For anyone wondering if they should invest.

Originally, I wasn't interested in getting this game. I wasn't really trying to invest in another Dynasty Warriors-esque game with a beloved game as the skin. But, one day I decided to drop by my local game store and try out the demo, and ended up changing my mind. Yes, this game is exactly what any Dynasty Warriors game could provide to you. Very similar to Hyrule Warriors in concept. BUT, the story and gorgeous graphics swayed me into giving this game a fighting chance, and I don't regret the decision to buy it. Do I think it's worth $60? Not exactly. I'd probably rather purchase it at $45-50, but being the Square Enix fangirl I am, I gave them my money. So if your hesitant on buying, buy it used so you can return it, or wait until it goes on sale. I personally don't think any game that's extremely similar to another should be full price, but as I said earlier, I gave it a go anyway. The voice acting is pretty good, it's graphically beautiful to look at, and it has some unique combat perks in it that make it fresh and interesting. My advice though, is at the beginning when you're choosing your settings, turn off the auto-lock. It's really annoying and makes it hard to move around the map when fighting bosses. The music is really great and yeah, overall this game is definitely great, just not really worth the $60 price tag in my opinion. Everyone should probably stop complaining that it's exactly like Dynasty Warriors. That was the objective. People should really do their research before they buy games.~ SIDENOTE: I see people complaining about frame-rate... I got my game on launch and it's been completely fluid for me. I've never had it lag once, so I'm not sure what these other people are on about.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Not totally sure why this game is getting such mediocre reviews. The combat is fantastic, the graphics are gorgeous, and I personally find the story intriguing. I've fallen in love with all of the characters I've encountered so far. A lot of people are saying the story is lackluster and boring, but I really find it engaging and interesting. I think Sorey's journey as a Shepard with his friends is really fun to follow, and I haven't gotten bored of the story. I think this is one of the best RPG's on the PS4 right now by landslide, in my personal opinion. I also get some moderately strong Star Ocean TTEOT vibes from this game, not exactly sure why. I also really enjoy the voice acting.

Beautiful game art, amazing soundtrack. Great for anyone who loves the classic, turn-based RPG feel. Large selection of jobs to choose from, amazing story line. What more can anyone ask for?