Parents' Guide to

Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival

By Marc Saltzman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Animal Crossing board game spin-off loses depth, fun factor.

Game Nintendo Wii U 2015
Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

age 7+

Based on 4 parent reviews

age 9+

Amiibo- Expensive Game-Good

The kindergarten class couldn’t understand a single thing in the game and amiibos are expensive. But the 5th grade class enjoyed this.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much consumerism
age 6+

amiibo Is Taking Over the Franchise

Look at the past 3 AC games. HHD, includes amiibo, the ACNL update, with amiibo and now a game that REQUIRES amiibo. I hope this year's game does not need amiibo.

This title has:

Too much consumerism

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (5):

Since it was launched without as much fanfare as other Nintendo games, you might not have heard of this spin-off that adds a board-game twist to the popular town-simulation franchise, but you're not missing much. Sure, those Animal Crossing characters are so darn cute, and the integration with amiibo figures and cards work very well, but there's just not that much meat here. Roll the die, move down the board, watch an animation play out, and then it's someone else's turn. It never feels thrilling or competitive like a game of Monopoly or chess, which reduces the fun of playing with a friend or a family member.

The highlight of amiibo Festival is called Desert Island Escape. This is a one player mini-game that lets you control a team of three characters, each with different powers, but they all have to work together to gather materials and get off the island. Some of the eight mini-games are fun, but most are straightforward and unexciting. Plus, unlike other Nintendo board/party games such as Mario Party, you can't play mini-games while playing the main board game -- you'll have to wait your turn before you get a chance to influence the game. The result is a game that falls short of the elements that made Animal Crossing such an enjoyable experience.

Game Details

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