Animal Crossing New Horizons

I have long wanted to play games in the Animal Crossing franchise, but I was always consumed with school and never found the time until Covid-19 made everyone shelter in place. Yes, Covid-19 is serious, but it did give many people free time and left them unemployed, including me.

I work for my university, which was closed. I found myself in bed lying there watching another YouTube video about murderous women, contemplating what I was going to do with my life when my sister, Amber, came in and peer pressured me into buying Animal Crossing New Horizons. I heard about the game multiple times from friends, so I had an idea of how the game worked; I owed a debt to a raccoon.

My Animal Crossing journey began on a Friday. I opened the game eager to play. I quickly learned that there was not just one raccoon but three. The two young brother raccoons named Timmy and Tommy guided me on a journey of character creation and island choosing. I love being able to customize a character. It gives me the freedom to make my character look like me. I stuck with a character with black hair and brown eyes. I had a plaid blue shirt and a cute smile. I also enjoyed being able to choose the island I wanted; however, my first choice of an island was disappointing; looks can be deceiving and I thought I chose an island I liked, but upon arriving on this deserted island; I realized that I did not like the island. I also did not enjoy the fruit that was on the trees around me, my only weakness. Cherries. I have an allergy to cherries so I thought it was ironic that I got cherries. I choose to restart my game.

My new island had apples. I found a place by a waterfall to call home and realized I was able to choose where my neighbors could live. Animal Crossing, not surprisingly, has animals but these animals are anthropomorphic.

I was asked by Tom Nook to gather apples and sticks. We were going to hold a bonfire to commence our island adventure which is when we will decide the name for the island. We drank fresh apple juice and sat around the fire contemplating on names for the island. I decided on the name “UwU” for the island.

The event was held on a small plot called Resident Services. I would have to go to Resident Services to build and sell objects. I also gained access to an ATM for storing my money. The ATM feature is one of my favorite features of the game, because it stored my money. I like money.

I went to talk to Tom Nook who told me that I had to pay him back 50,000 bells (the currency in the game) or 5,000 nook miles (reward points for completing tasks). Luckily, Tom Nook is not a loan provider and explained that he doesn’t charge interest on his loans so I will just have to pay 50,000 bells. Tom Nook then gave me instructions on how to build a flimsy fishing rod and net. He wanted me to capture five bugs or fish and give the creatures I captured to him. I did so and learned about Blathers, an owl who coming to the island to research the inhabitants. I had to find a place for Blathers as well and I choose a spot close to resident services.

I was able to rack up on nook miles. The tasks varied but mainly included catching bugs. The tasks I did allowed me to pay off my loan. Tom Nook then peer pressured me into taking out another loan for a house which would give me storage. I took out the loan.

I discovered a feature in the game, custom designs, and spent hours on it creating freckles for my character and making a new shirt. Custom designs is honestly my favorite part of the game.

My second day of my Animal Crossing adventure began with Tom Nook announcing that Blathers has arrived on UwU. I immediately went over to say hello and learned that he needed 15 bugs, fish, or fossils donated to the museum. I learned how to craft a shovel which allowed me to dig for fossils. Once I collected 15 creatures, Blathers began to upgrade the museum into an actual building for all the critters I collected for him.

All of the characters in Animal Crossing New Horizons are vibrant and unique. Each of the characters has their personality and seem real.

I discovered DoDo airlines and learned that I could connect with my friends via Animal Crossing. I was excited but was dismayed because my internet was out which meant I would not be able to say hi to my friends or get any updates. I was sad, but I learned of a new feature with nook miles, buying items. I could buy airline tickets to travel to other islands.

I woke up to Amber’s cries about the internet working. Finally, I could say hello to my friends via Animal Crossing and get updates. I turned on my game to see a yellow bunny hopping on my beach. I ignored him and went to the airport to travel to my friend’s island. I loved being able to connect with my friend on her island. I went back to my island after we both agreed we should do our homework, but curiosity got the better of me and I went to say hello to the bunny.

The bunny was named Zipper; he talked about Bunny Day. He then mentioned something that I will come to despise. Eggs. Eggs now replaced almost everything. I fish there is no fish but instead eggs. I hated these eggs. My mission for gathering materials grew harder. Timmy and Tommy wanted me to gather 15 of each material. I now had to find a way to get 15 pieces of softwood, hardwood, wood, and iron nuggets. It was futile. My rocks and trees only gave me eggs. I bought a plane ticket to another island praying for trees that did not produce eggs. Thankfully after two or three attempts, I was able to gather all the materials needed. The brothers began to build a new store.

My next day of playing consisted of Tom Nook getting his loan payment. I finally fully paid my loan and again he insisted on me upgrading and I agreed. I had another loan of around 198,000. However, he began to mention having to spice up the island, we needed more villagers and no homes for them to move into. It was up to me to find places for the villagers to live and give them furniture. I also had to build a bridge to help expand the island. I found places for three new villagers to live. I had to buy more plane tickets to gather resources for their furniture.

That night after my adventure I scrolled through TikTok. The TikTok spies learned that I was playing Animal Crossing and showed me a video. The video was of a girl complaining about Zipper and his eggs. I thought it was funny until she said something that made me scream. The cherry blossom trees that I loved so much was an event and it would end on April 10th, making the Egg event last longer since it ends on the 12th.

Despite the good the game has, I found that social media gave me many helpful tips when it came to playing. I learned how to run via social media, because the game never told me. I also learned that I could speed up the dialogue by pressing B. The game did not provide any of these tips. The lack of instruction for new players and the eggs are the only things I have disliked about the game.

Animal Crossing New Horizons is a family friendly game that I and many others enjoy. If you are interested in playing I highly encourage you to. It is a great way to spend time during the pandemic. You do not have to go outside and you can talk to your friend animal neighbors. You can meet up with friends