Coming from somebody who has played every Animal Crossing, I agree it seems a bit lifeless, they gutted the match and have been slowly trickling in Animal Crossing Bells older features/characters through upgrades, you can not even upgrade the Nook shop that was a staple of previous games, I can absolutely admit they fucked up, despite me with 500+ hours in New Horizons.
Also, the hardcore players will surely buy it twice just to have multiple islands. I bought ACNL two (one physical, one digital) for this reason and that I currently have digital ACNH and'm thinking about picking up a physical backup only for a fuck-around island.
I bought it because of the hype. That is unpopular to saybut the game is really dull. After you receive your three of four key buildings done and a handful of island residents, all you do is collect materials and craft stuff in a work bench. Or you may purchase things at the general store. Like I can not even devote a full hour on Cheap Animal Crossing Items the game at a time.