Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival

Last updated

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival
Animal Crossing amiibo Festival.jpg
Developer(s) Nintendo EPD
NDcube
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Director(s) Aya Kyogoku [1]
Producer(s) Hisashi Nogami
Series Animal Crossing
Platform(s) Wii U
Release
  • NA: November 13, 2015
  • EU: November 20, 2015 [2]
  • JP: November 21, 2015 [3]
Genre(s) Party
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival is a 2015 party video game developed by Nintendo and NDcube [4] and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. [4] Similar to the Mario Party series, the game is a spin-off of the Animal Crossing series that moves away from the series traditional format, instead being a party game that primarily integrates Amiibo figures into the gameplay. Alongside the release of the game, 8 Animal Crossing Amiibo character figures were released for use in the game. It was released worldwide in November 2015.

Contents

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival was a critical and commercial failure, with criticism for the repetitive gameplay, poor Amiibo integration, and lack of innovation, though its presentation was praised.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot at E3 2015 AnimalCrossingAF GameplayE32015.png
Gameplay screenshot at E3 2015

Amiibo Festival is a virtual board game similar in style to the Mario Party series. [5] Playable Animal Crossing characters include Isabelle, K.K. Slider, Tom Nook, and Mabel—four of the series' eight characters upon which Amiibo toys had been based. The game also supports the Amiibo cards which had debuted alongside Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer , [6] and generally requires the use of Amiibo figures for play. [7]

The game also features minigames that may be played by scanning Animal Crossing amiibo cards. [8]

Development

Director Aya Kyogoku stated that the game was conceived as a vehicle for the creation of the first Animal Crossing Amiibo: "Honestly, we just wanted Animal Crossing Amiibo. We wanted the company to make Animal Crossing Amiibo, so that's why we made a game that works with them." [1]

The game was announced during the Nintendo Digital Event at E3 2015 for release in Q4 2015 during the holiday season, [5] later specified as November 2015. [2] Kyogoku distinguished the game from Mario Party by stating that the latter is more focused on minigames, while Amiibo Festival is more of a board game. The game uses Nintendo's Amiibo protocol to insert characters into the game, with eight different Amiibo toys bundled with the game's release. [9] The characters each have personal characteristics, including a house associated with the character as designed in Happy Home Designer. [9]

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival was released exclusively as a retail product, and was not digitally available on the Nintendo eShop in any region.

Reception

Unlike its predecessors, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival received "generally unfavorable" reviews, according to video game review aggregator Metacritic, with an aggregate score of 46 out of 100. [10] IGN rated the game at 5 out of 10, saying that the Amiibo integration is "cumbersome" and "hard to play with" and that the gameplay is a boring and slow "snooze fest" — having almost fallen asleep while playing. The game was praised as "undoubtedly charming", relaxing, and best played with friends. [14] Nintendo World Report gave the game a 4.5 out of 10, citing "Boring, repetitive gameplay" and "Tak[ing] an hour to get anything good." [16] GamesBeat gave the game 3.3 out of 10 and condemned it for being "a blatant attempt to get you to buy more Amiibo, and it’s not even a good one at that." [18] Not all reviewers were so critical; Famitsu scored the game 32/40, with each of the four reviewers giving it a score of 8. [13]

The game proved to be a commercial failure, selling only 20,303 copies within its first week of release in Japan. [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess</i> 2006 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a 2006 action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii. Originally planned for release exclusively on the GameCube in November 2005, Twilight Princess was delayed by Nintendo to allow its developers to refine the game, add more content, and port it to the Wii. The Wii version was a launch game in North America in November 2006, and in Japan, Europe, and Australia the following month. The GameCube version was released in December 2006 as the final first-party game for the console.

<i>Animal Crossing</i> Video game series developed by Nintendo

Animal Crossing is a social simulation video game series created and published by Nintendo. The series was conceptualized and created by Katsuya Eguchi and Hisashi Nogami. In Animal Crossing, the player character is a human who lives in a village inhabited by various anthropomorphic animals and can do various activities like fishing, insect catching, and fossil hunting. The series is notable for its open-ended gameplay, chill gameplay, cute dialogue, nice hourly music, and use of the video game console's internal clock and calendar to simulate real passage of time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K.K. Slider</span> Fictional character from the Animal Crossing franchise

Totakeke, more commonly known as K.K. Slider or K.K., is a fictional character within the Animal Crossing franchise. One of the franchise's most popular characters, he debuted in the title Animal Crossing, and has appeared in every installment since. K.K.'s main role is as a folk rock musician who performs to the townsfolk, through live performances and purchasable in-game albums. He is based on Nintendo video game voice actor and composer Kazumi Totaka – his Japanese nickname "Totakeke" being a contraction of "Totaka K." – and has been said to be an animal caricature of Totaka.

<i>Animal Crossing: New Leaf</i> 2012 video game

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is a 2012 social simulation game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. In the game, the player controls a human character who takes on the role of mayor in a town populated with anthropomorphic animals. As the fourth main title in the Animal Crossing series, it was released in Japan in November 2012, and in 2013 in international territories.

<i>Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS</i> and <i>Wii U</i> Pair of 2014 video games

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, both commonly referred to together as Super Smash Bros. 4 or Smash 4, are 2014 crossover platform fighter video games developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U video game consoles. It is the fourth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, succeeding Super Smash Bros. Brawl. The Nintendo 3DS version was released in Japan on September 13, 2014, and in North America, Europe, and Australia the following month. The Wii U version was released in North America, Europe, and Australia in November 2014 and in Japan the following month.

<i>Mario Party 10</i> 2015 video game

Mario Party 10 is a 2015 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Wii U video game console. It is the tenth home console release in the Mario Party series and a part of the larger Mario franchise. Featuring gameplay similar to the prior series entries, players compete against each other and computer-controlled characters to collect the most mini-stars, traversing a game board and engaging in minigames and other challenges. There are multiple game modes, including one where players traverse a board in a vehicle, sabotaging each other and making choices to collect the most mini-stars by the end. Mario Party 10 adds two modes over its predecessors: Bowser Party, where four players compete in a team against a fifth who controls Bowser on the Wii U GamePad, and Amiibo Party, where players use Amiibo figures. Their gameplay is interspersed by over 70 minigames with various play styles.

<i>Animal Crossing Plaza</i> Discontinued social networking service

Animal Crossing Plaza was a social networking service developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. It was a spin-off of the Animal Crossing series, associated with Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS. The application allowed players to socialize via Miiverse, Nintendo's now-defunct social networking service; players could share images from their New Leaf save file and interact with others, among other features. It was announced and released on August 7, 2013, in Japan and North America and the following day in Europe. The application is no longer actively supported by Nintendo, and was removed from the Nintendo eShop on December 22, 2014.

Amiibo is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch video game consoles. These figurines are similar in form and functionality to that of the Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Lego Dimensions series of toys-to-life platforms. The Amiibo platform was preannounced to potentially accommodate any form of toy, specifically including general plans for future card games. Amiibo use near field communication (NFC) to interact with supported video game software, potentially allowing data to be transferred in and out of games and across multiple platforms.

<i>Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker</i> 2014 video game

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a 2014 puzzle-platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game was re-released for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS in 2018 with additional content. It is a spin-off of the Super Mario series and a part of the larger Mario franchise. The game stars Captain Toad and Toadette as they complete levels, defeat enemies and save each other from the antagonist Wingo. Each level is contained within a miniature diorama-like environment that requires puzzle-solving and platforming challenges to complete. The player also uses the Wii U GamePad to rotate the camera and reveal new information and interact with the environment.

<i>Kirby and the Rainbow Curse</i> 2015 video game

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, known in PAL regions as Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush, is a 2015 action-platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for Wii U. Part of the Kirby series and a follow-up game of the 2005 Nintendo DS title Kirby: Canvas Curse, was released on January 22, 2015 in Japan, February 20, 2015 in North America, May 8, 2015 in Europe, and May 9, 2015 in Australia. The game supports the Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede Amiibo.

<i>Splatoon</i> (video game) 2015 video game

Splatoon is a 2015 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game centers around Inklings—anthropomorphic cephalopodic lifeforms that can transform between humanoid and cephalopod forms and frequently engage in turf wars with each other and use a variety of weapons that produce and shoot colored ink while in humanoid form, or swim and hide in surfaces covered in their own colored ink while in their cephalopodic forms. Splatoon features several different game modes, including four-on-four online multiplayer and a single player campaign.

<i>Yoshis Woolly World</i> 2015 video game

Yoshi's Woolly World is a 2015 platform game developed by Good-Feel and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. The game is the seventh main entry in the Yoshi series of games and the first home console title in the series since 1997's Yoshi's Story, as well as the spiritual successor to 2010's Kirby's Epic Yarn. The game was released worldwide throughout 2015. A port for the Nintendo 3DS, known as Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World, was released worldwide in early 2017. Both versions received generally favorable reviews, with reviewers praising the art style, gameplay, and innovation, but criticizing the easy difficulty.

<i>Pokkén Tournament</i> 2015 video game

Pokkén Tournament is a fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game combines gameplay elements from Bandai Namco's Tekken series and other fighting games, such as 3D and 2D movement, with characters from the Pokémon franchise. It was released for Japanese arcades in July 2015, and worldwide for the Wii U in March 2016. An enhanced port for the Nintendo Switch, Pokkén Tournament DX, was released in September 2017. The arcade version was published by Bandai Namco, the Japanese console versions were published by The Pokémon Company, and the console versions outside of Japan were published by Nintendo.

<i>Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer</i> Video game for the Nintendo 3DS

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer is a 2015 sandbox video game developed and published by Nintendo, with assistance from Monolith Soft, for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in Japan in July 2015, in North America in September 2015, and in PAL regions in October 2015. The game is a spin-off of the Animal Crossing series where the player designs homes for various anthropomorphic animal characters.

<i>Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash</i> 2015 video game

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash is a 2015 sports game in the Mario Tennis series developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, released internationally in November 2015, and released in Japan in January 2016. It is the first Mario Tennis game to feature simultaneous online worldwide multiplayer. The game received mixed reviews from critics; it was criticized for a lack of additional modes, its smaller character roster than prior entries, and a perceived lack of enough innovation, with many deeming the game to be inferior to previous installments in terms of content, although its visual presentation, gameplay, and multiplayer were praised.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development</span> Division of Nintendo

Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development Division, abbreviated Nintendo EPD, is the largest division within the Japanese video game company Nintendo. The division focuses on developing and producing video games, mobile apps, and other related entertainment software for the company. Nintendo EPD was established in September 2015 after merging their Entertainment Analysis & Development and Software Planning & Development divisions.

<i>Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge</i> 2016 video game

Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge is a 2016 puzzle-platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The seventh entry in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, the game was free to download on the Nintendo eShop, but requires Nintendo's Amiibo lineup in order to play. It was released in Japan in January 2016 and worldwide in April.

Isabelle (<i>Animal Crossing</i>) Fictional character from the Animal Crossing franchise

Isabelle in Japan, is a fictional character from the Animal Crossing series of video games. She is a gentle Shih Tzu that debuted in the 2012 release Animal Crossing: New Leaf, where she serves as the secretary to the player character.

Aya Kyogoku is a Japanese video game director and producer. She is the current manager of Nintendo's Entertainment Planning & Development (EPD) Production Group No. 5, which oversees the Animal Crossing, Splatoon, and Wii Sports franchises. Kyogoku is best known for her work on Animal Crossing, where she has alternately served as a producer, director, and supervisor since 2008.

References

  1. 1 2 Eguchi, Katsuya; Kyogoku, Aya (July 9, 2015). "Nintendo's Aya Kyogoku on Evolving The Series". USgamer (Interview). Interviewed by Jeremy Parish. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Nintendo of Europe on Twitter". Twitter. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Japanese Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival introduction trailer, release date". Nintendo Everything. October 2015. Archived from the original on April 26, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Kaihatsu Jouhou" 開発情報 [Development Information]. Nintendo Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 30, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Sarkar, Samit (June 16, 2015). "Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival coming to Wii U, plus four new Animal Crossing amiibo". Polygon . Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer cards work on Wii U". GoNintendo. June 16, 2015. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2015.
  7. ↑ Josh M-J. "E3 2015: Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival is a Free Download but Requires amiibo to Play". nintendofeed.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Be the life of the party with Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, coming to Wii U on November 20th". Nintendo of Europe SE. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Nintendo Life (July 10, 2015). "Animal Crossing Series Director Explains the amiibo Focus of Happy Home Designer and amiibo Festival". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on November 30, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  11. ↑ Andriessen, CJ (December 3, 2015). "Review: Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival". Destructoid . Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  12. ↑ Schilling, Chris (November 26, 2015). "Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival review". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  13. 1 2 "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1407". Gematsu. November 17, 2015. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
  14. 1 2 Plagge, Kallie (November 18, 2015). "Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Review". IGN . Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  15. ↑ Wahlgren, Jon (November 25, 2015). "Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Review (Wii U)". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  16. 1 2 Ronaghan, Neal (November 18, 2015). "Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival (Wii U) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  17. ↑ Clark, Willie (January 11, 2017). "Animal Crossing: Amiibo festival is a boring, random mess". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  18. ↑ Clark, Willie (November 18, 2015). "Animal Crossing: amiibo festival is a boring, random mess". GamesBeat. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  19. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas, 25th November 2015, "Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival Has Modest Impact in Japan as 3DS Sales Improve" (http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/11/animal_crossing_amiibo_festival_has_modest_impact_in_japan_as_3ds_sales_improve Archived September 17, 2020, at the Wayback Machine ). Nintendo Life. Accessed 26 December 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.