Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival
{{Short description|2015 video game by Nintendo}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival
| image = Animal Crossing amiibo Festival.jpg
| developer = Nintendo EPD
NDcube
| publisher = Nintendo
| director = Aya Kyogoku
| producer = Hisashi Nogami
| series = Animal Crossing
| platforms = Wii U
| released = {{Video game release|NA|November 13, 2015|EU|November 20, 2015{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/649495059931471872|title=Nintendo of Europe on Twitter|work=Twitter|accessdate=October 1, 2015|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305120213/https://twitter.com/NintendoEurope/status/649495059931471872|url-status=live}}|JP|November 21, 2015{{cite web|url=http://nintendoeverything.com/japanese-animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-introduction-trailer/|title=Japanese Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival introduction trailer, release date|work=Nintendo Everything|date=October 2015|access-date=October 1, 2015|archive-date=April 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426220331/https://nintendoeverything.com/japanese-animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-introduction-trailer/|url-status=live}}|}}
| genre = Party
| modes = Single-player, multiplayer
}}
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival is a 2015 party video game developed by Nintendo and NDcube{{cite web|url=http://www2.ndcube.co.jp//game/index.html|title=Kaihatsu Jouhou|script-title=ja:開発情報|trans-title=Development Information|website=Nintendo Japan|language=Japanese|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130214842/http://www2.ndcube.co.jp//game/index.html|archivedate=November 30, 2015|url-status=dead|accessdate=November 30, 2015}} and published by Nintendo for the Wii U. 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, eight Animal Crossing Amiibo character figures were released for use in the game. It was released worldwide in November 2015.
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
{{expand section|date=September 2024}}
File:AnimalCrossingAF GameplayE32015.png]]
Amiibo Festival is a virtual board game similar in style to the Mario Party series.{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/16/8789807/animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-wii-u |accessdate=June 16, 2015 |title=Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival coming to Wii U, plus four new Animal Crossing amiibo |last=Sarkar |first=Samit |date=June 16, 2015 |work=Polygon |publisher=Vox Media |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618181008/http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/16/8789807/animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-wii-u |archivedate=June 18, 2015 |url-status=live |df=mdy }} Playable characters from the Animal Crossing franchise 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,{{cite web|url=http://gonintendo.com/stories/235998-animal-crossing-happy-home-designer-cards-work-on-wii-u#comments|title=Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer cards work on Wii U|work=GoNintendo|date=June 16, 2015|access-date=June 17, 2015|archive-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215105917/https://gonintendo.com/stories/235998-animal-crossing-happy-home-designer-cards-work-on-wii-u#comments|url-status=live}} and generally requires the use of Amiibo figures for play.{{cite web|url=http://archive.nintendofeed.com/2015/06/e3-2015-animal-crossing-amiibo-festival_17.html|title=E3 2015: Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival is a Free Download but Requires amiibo to Play|author=Josh M-J|work=nintendofeed.com|access-date=June 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161106055820/http://archive.nintendofeed.com/2015/06/e3-2015-animal-crossing-amiibo-festival_17.html|archive-date=November 6, 2016|url-status=dead}}
The game also features minigames that may be played by scanning Animal Crossing amiibo cards.{{Cite web |title=Be the life of the party with Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, coming to Wii U on November 20th |url=https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/News/2015/October/Be-the-life-of-the-party-with-Animal-Crossing-amiibo-Festival-coming-to-Wii-U-on-November-20th-1061771.html |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=Nintendo of Europe SE |language=en-GB}}
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."
The game was announced during the Nintendo Digital Event at E3 2015 for release in Q4 2015 during the holiday season, later specified as November 2015. 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. The characters each have personal characteristics, including a house associated with the character as designed in Happy Home Designer.
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival was released exclusively as a retail product, and was not digitally available on the Nintendo eShop in any region.
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| IGN = 5/10{{cite web|url=http://ign.com/articles/2015/11/18/animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-review|title=Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Review|last=Plagge|first=Kallie|website=IGN|date=November 18, 2015|accessdate=November 18, 2015|archive-date=November 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120033252/http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/18/animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-review|url-status=live}}
| VB = 33/100{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/11/17/animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-is-a-boring-random-mess/|title=Animal Crossing: Amiibo festival is a boring, random mess|date=2017-01-11|website=VentureBeat|last=Clark|first=Willie|access-date=August 29, 2017|archive-date=November 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120034550/http://venturebeat.com/2015/11/17/animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-is-a-boring-random-mess/|url-status=live}}
| EuroG = Avoid{{cite web |last1=Schilling |first1=Chris |title=Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival review |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-11-25-animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-review |website=Eurogamer |date=26 November 2015 |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-date=October 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003225631/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-11-25-animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-review |url-status=live }}
| NLife = 5/10{{cite web |last1=Wahlgren |first1=Jon |title=Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Review (Wii U) |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/animal_crossing_amiibo_festival |website=Eurogamer |date=25 November 2015 |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-date=October 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003225633/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/animal_crossing_amiibo_festival |url-status=live }}
| Destruct = 5/10{{cite web |last1=Andriessen |first1=CJ |title=Review: Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival |url=https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-animal-crossing-amiibo-festival/ |website=Destructoid |date=3 December 2015 |access-date=3 October 2021 |archive-date=October 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003225633/https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-animal-crossing-amiibo-festival/ |url-status=live }}
}}
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. 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. 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." 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."{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2015/11/17/animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-is-a-boring-random-mess/|title=Animal Crossing: amiibo festival is a boring, random mess|author=Clark, Willie|publisher=GamesBeat|date=November 18, 2015|accessdate=November 18, 2015|archive-date=November 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120034550/http://venturebeat.com/2015/11/17/animal-crossing-amiibo-festival-is-a-boring-random-mess/|url-status=live}} In Japan, four critics from Famitsu gave the game a total score of 32 out of 40.{{cite web|url=http://gematsu.com/2015/11/famitsu-review-scores-issue-1407|title=Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1407|work=Gematsu|date=November 17, 2015|accessdate=December 1, 2015|archive-date=November 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123033708/http://gematsu.com/2015/11/famitsu-review-scores-issue-1407|url-status=live}}
The game proved to be a commercial failure, selling only 20,303 copies within its first week of release in Japan.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 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917194927/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2015/11/animal_crossing_amiibo_festival_has_modest_impact_in_japan_as_3ds_sales_improve |date=September 17, 2020 }}). Nintendo Life. Accessed 26 December 2016.
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References
{{reflist|30em|refs=
{{cite interview | title=Nintendo's Aya Kyogoku on Evolving The Series | first1=Katsuya | last1=Eguchi | first2=Aya | last2=Kyogoku | interviewer=Jeremy Parish | date=July 9, 2015 | work=USgamer | url=http://www.usgamer.net/articles/honestly-we-just-wanted-animal-crossing-amiibo-aya-kyogoku-on-the-genesis-of-amiibo-festival-and-happy-home-designer | accessdate=September 29, 2015 | archive-date=September 26, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926201930/http://www.usgamer.net/articles/honestly-we-just-wanted-animal-crossing-amiibo-aya-kyogoku-on-the-genesis-of-amiibo-festival-and-happy-home-designer | url-status=live }}
}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://animal-crossing.com/amiibo-festival/}}
{{Animal Crossing}}
{{Nintendo Cube}}
{{Portal bar|Video games}}
Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games
Category:Nintendo Entertainment Planning & Development games
Category:Video games about dogs
Category:Video games about raccoons
Category:Video games developed in Japan