Many know that I love Animal Crossing. I have been loving Animal Crossing since the original Gamecube version. In fact, I still have my Gamecube and copy of Animal Crossing and I still play it. I was ecstatic about Animal Crossing New Horizons when I first saw the reveal for it and that was the game that made me want to buy a Nintento Switch. Then, the pandemic happened and the hope for getting a Switch faded because frankly there were tons of scalpers that took advantage of the situation and there was no way I was paying outrageous amounts for a Switch. I lived vicariously through my friends who were streaming it and enjoyed seeing all the wonderful ways they designed their islands and watching all the fun events they could participate in.
Fast forward a year later and thanks to the generosity of everyone in our community, I was able to buy a Switch and Animal Crossing New Horizons. The big thing was working with Tom Nook to choose my island. This was a little overwhelming because I had to really think about the shape and layout of the island, how much room I would have, and thinking about where the rivers and cliffs were. Special shoutout to my friends Jason and Ryan of Betweentwogays for helping me figure all of that out and making it a lot easier. Once I had that set up, I had to choose where I wanted to put my tent and find locations for my two starter villagers, Buck and Sylvia. Then it was time to name my island. Considering what our community is all about, it was quite easy to pick out the name and I think it suits my island perfectly.
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| Welcome to Kindness! |
I was ready to dive into island life and do everything on my island. As with previous Animal Crossing games, New Horizons is in real time so it's a slower pace kind of game. It gives you the freedom to pick and choose what you want to do, but also encourages stopping to savor the moments. You can time travel if you want, but be warned if you time travel too far it can mess with certain things like turnip prices. I do time travel, but only adjust the time to morning such as when it's 10PM at night, I switch it to 10AM because due to my busy schedule and my streaming schedule I miss things, so this is how I adjust it. I'm playing on my own mostly, so I don't think this affects things too much. I started getting familiar with my island. I learned how to craft tools, learned about how the Nook Miles system works, and I got started on making friends with the current villagers.
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| Buck gives me exercise advice. |
The big thing of course, is building your house. Tom Nook as usual builds your house and then you have to pay back the loan. His sons Timmy and Tommy are in on the action as you can sell things to them for bells which is the currency used in Animal Crossing. Seriously, Timmy and Tommy will buy anything. You can pick fruit off the trees, gather seashells on the beach, go fishing, and pull up weeds and sell it to them for a nice lump sum of bells. I was able to pay off the first version of my house from doing all this at the handy Nook Miles machine. The Nook Miles machine is also where I can get rewarded with miles for how many days I've logged in and I can buy specialty items, like the Princess Peach dress. It's an interesting variation from the usual Animal Crossing games.
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| It's a lovely day! |
Running all over the island gathering materials for crafting and for making improvements such as adding a new museum or upgrading the resident services building were not a chore for me because I was having fun and doing a variety of things. The museum is one of my favorite things in Animal Crossing. I love Blathers the owl the museum curator and his desire to share his knowledge and passion for learning with everyone. Digging up fossils, catching fish, catching bugs, and getting art pieces to donate to the museum is a hoot because it means getting to listen to Blathers chat excitedly about it even the bugs which scare him.
Another thing I really love is the character customization. The fact that I can change my character's entire look is very cool. I can use Nook Miles and buy some new hairstyles and hair colors. Tired of that hair style and color? I can change it as long as I have a mirror. It was fun trying out new colors and styles. I just wish there were longer hair options, but I understand it's hard to code hair. My hair is actually pretty long, past my waist so I found something that was as close to that as I could. Purple is my favorite color, so of course I went with purple hair.
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| New look is a go! |
One thing that I am not really enjoying is the durability of the tools. Tools like my shovel can break and then I have to gather the materials to craft another one. It's not a big deal, but it can be a little frustrating when I'm trying to landscape and plan out areas of my island to suddenly have the tool break in my hands. For me, it takes time away from the things I want to do and instead of doing that I'm having to craft more tools. As I said, it does not detract from the game for me, just that I wish tools didn't break at all.
The thing that brought me the most joy was being able to visit my friends on their islands. It was amazing to see how different each island was and the variety of themes that everyone came up with. Special thanks to the following friends and fellow streamers for inviting me to their islands: Altogirl, TheFinnishCeasar, Lisathewhitewolf, RedLotusPrince, Lemmiecat, and QueenTubaMom.
There were islands that were all about Pride, a fantastic homage to The Worst Witch books, fantastic museum tours, and moments of just vibing watching the ocean. Everyone was very kind, welcoming, and made my first dive into Animal Crossing with friends a fantastic experience.
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| Dinosaurs, sharks, butterfly garden, and the ocean oh my! |
Animal Crossing is definitely much more with friends. Being able to open our islands and visit each other is a wonderful time. The best time I had was just getting to explore everyone's islands and seeing all the incredible ways they made their island unique. What shined through was the love and support from everyone and a shared love of the game. I was nervous at first, but because of how kind people in our community were, I found myself smiling and delighted at the incredible creativity of everybody.
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| Pride celebration courtesy of Altogirl. So much fun! |
I never found myself bored in the game at all. I can play it in short bursts or for a few hours depending on my mood. I can putter around on my own or visit friends. Whatever I decide to do in the game, it's always a lovely time. The fact that there's no pressure and I can go at my own pace is great and allows me to not worry about how much I have to do. I can pick and choose a few things at a time or just chill out for a bit.
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| Grand visits with Lemmiecat, Queentubamom, and FinnishCeasar. |
I live with depression and anxiety and sometimes it feels like I have lived with it forever. There are days where things overwhelm me or I feel a lot of pressure to do enough, be enough, and it gets exhausting. Animal Crossing has been a happy place that gives me a pleasant escape from all that. It gives me a few minutes of peace and helps distract my brain a bit. On the really bad grey days, I'm absolutely grateful for Animal Crossing being that place full of sunshine and flowers for me. Whether I'm tending a garden, celebrating a new shop opening, or taking the time to sit on the beach watching a meteor shower, there is always something wonderful to do that allows me to appreciate those moments of joy.
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| Life on Kindness is pretty good. |
Animal Crossing may not be everyone's cup of tea and that's okay. For me, it's great and I have been playing it fairly often enjoying all the things it has to offer. It's a happy place for me and I am grateful for how welcoming and sweet people in the Animal Crossing community have been offering helpful tips when I ask and gifting crafting materials when I run low. It has been so inclusive for many people in our community, and seeing that representation is amazing. Animal Crossing New Horizons is a terrific game and I'm over the moon that I finally got to play it for myself. I can't wait to keep playing more! Thank you to everyone who invited me to their islands, welcomed me to the community, and showed that even though we are far apart, we can come together and celebrate a love of gaming. Thank you for reading. See you at the next adventure!
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| Thank you! See you at the next adventure! |
*Animal Crossing New Horizons is available on the following platforms: Nintendo Switch
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