As the latest offering from the Animal Crossing universe, amiibo Festival is unfortunately somewhat of a disappointment. Obviously the title is at its best when played with friends, otherwise it's extremely slow and grating. Despite that, it's probably not the first thing to recommend to anybody looking for party games. Whilst there are warm moments for Animal Crossing fans, a lot of the content will feel foreign to anyone unfamiliar.
At its core, amiibo Festival is a board game set in an Animal Crossing town, featuring characters those who enjoy the series will be accustomed to. Happy Points are what a player needs to walk away the winner when all is said and done, and Bells act as currency. It's a very simple premise, with a couple of game-changing moments such as town visits and turnip markets which could shift momentum to add a little flavour, some sweet and some bitter.
Every roll of the dice will see you land on a scenario spot - the pink spots lead to good scenarios where you'll gain Bells, Happy Points or both, and the blue ones result in a loss of the same. Again, these little scenario tidbits will show something that AC fans will feel engaged with, such as your character visiting the museum or digging up a bunch of fossils, but they'll fail to do much for everybody else.
The Stalk Market, a place for trading turnips, is perhaps the most exciting part of the game. Every weekend (each game runs for a month, which is around 45 minutes real-time), turnips are offered to each player, who then has an in-game week to sell them at a higher price or face a loss. If they haven't sold all of their turnips after the week's out, they'll go rotten and be worthless. If you've got a group of strategic players onboard for a match-up, you could have some real competition with this element. Once bought, turnips can be sold on any space on the map, each space offering a different price. You can sell as soon as you land on a space that offers a higher price than the one you paid, but don't be surprised if you later land on a spot offering a much better reward before the week's out.
After 45 minutes, my 5-year-old brother had taken the win and I sat dismayed that I had been beaten by someone 18 years my junior. He was happy he'd won, but his attention to the game waned around 20 minutes in, and he's not asked to play again since. My 11-year-old sister was less impressed, confused by what was going on around five minutes into play, and leaving the two of us to battle it out without her.
The minigames available on amiibo Festival are very simple, and charming at times. The Quiz Show actually proves challenging, whilst the other seven games are easy to get to grips with. Most of the minigames use amiibo cards, but those who purchase the game will have three of those included. Their integration into the game however cna be frustrating at times when speed is key.
Overall, amiibo Festival may only be for those who have a few roommates all super excited about anything Animal Crossing. For anyone else, it may be a play once and forget about job. The use of the actual amiibo figures seems lazy, and it just feels like a lot more could have been done here.
Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival is available now for Nintendo's Wii U.