For anyone living under a rock in the gaming world, the game Animal Crossing: New Horizon (ACNH) has taken over the Nintendo world since the launch back in March. For anyone unfamiliar with the game, Animal Crossing is actually a game franchise that began back in 2001; I’ve never played any of the previous versions but I’m aware of the respect it has garnished in the gaming community. Essentially, you’re simply moving to a new desert island to start your new life of fun, sun, and relaxation. There’s swimming, fishing, gardening, parties, shooting stars, and so much more!
Animal Crossing: The Gist
One of the most common questions I get when I talk about ACNH is: isn’t it a game for children? If you’re not plugged into the gaming world, it’s a easy misconception to have. The game is 100% adorable and literally nothing bad ever happens so it would be perfect for children yet 99% of people I know that play are full-grown adults. So the question is, why? Because literally nothing bad ever happens. Aside from a spoiled turnip investment (see more below), this game is designed to bring kindness, joy, and pleasantness to your everyday life. It has a reputation for decreasing anxiety and depression; honestly, it’s working for me.
I became interested during quarantine but decided to be frugal with new games until about a month ago. John and I are going through some deeply personal things right now, if you know us well than you know this has been a time of exceptional stress, sadness, and worry. John pushed me to get the game after hearing it was a good way of finding positivity while still enjoying my free time gaming. After nearly a year of glitch-ridden Fallout76, I needed a game that was actually enjoyable to play the entire time. I picked up Animal Crossing 4 weeks ago and I was immediately sucked in!
Getting Started on Your Island Adventure
You begin the game by purchasing your island get-away package, your own private island with nothing but a tent, tools, and an abundance of natural resources. Tom Nook, an adorable crook, will fly you to your island and set you up in your new home. He then asks you to choose your player name, island name, and island layout. These cannot be changed so choose wisely. You’ll be able to change your island almost infinitely once you gain the ability to terraform but the ocean inlets cannot be changed so choose wisely. I’m a big fan of puns, so you can find TwoMixers on the island SeasTheDay, our motto is Tropic Like Its Hot! Many design their islands after famous places, such as Azkaban, Hyrule, or Highgarden so put some thought into it! Once you arrive on your island, Tom will give you all the details of your new life!
Once you’ve landed, you’ll find yourself on a large island separated by rivers and cliffs that you cannot get to yet. Tom will ask you to find a spot for your tent so you can set up your home but don’t worry, you’ll be able to move it again later in the game. After you find a spot for your home, Tom will inform you of your massive debt and tell you how to pay him back. Get ready, you will always be in debt and Tom Nook will prove his reputation as a crook. Every time you pay your debt, your house gets larger and the game offers more opportunities to do cool things. After the initial introduction, you’re free to go and do as you please! Go fishing to catch rare fishies, buy a wetsuit to snorkel for pearls, dig up flowers and fossils to decorate your island. Everything has value, there’s no daily cap for how much you can sell, and there are endless items/creatures for you to find.
Basics for Beginners
To be honest, I had no idea this game was so in-depth! There is quite literally a billion things to do! From the start of the game, it feels a little limited so here’s somethings that I did not know that I really wish I knew right away!
- The Museum: Another adorable resident you will meet right away is Blathers, a nerdy little scientist desperate to fill a museum with every fish, sea creature, bug, and fossil you find (just the first ones). The creatures and fossils you find are seasonal, they come out at certain times and certain locations. It’s designed to take you an entire year but traveling to other islands in different hemispheres can help too. I used a combination of friends and online resources (Nookazon, Reddit, Discord, Facebook groups) to find all my fossils, which I just finished yesterday.
- The Villagers: Once you settle-in to your island, Tom will ask you to help settle a couple new residents. People get really excited about which residents come to stay, there are so many and not all of them will be good neighbors (talking about you Rodney!) Each villager has their own style of dress, house style, and they give/craft different items. You don’t get to choose your first few but once you have the ability to put down open plots, you can use online resources or Amibos to get the villager you want. Erik and Sly are my favorites right now but I really want Meringue and Pekoe. If you talk to them daily and give them gifts that match their style, they will give you better gifts and allow you to teach them unique catchphrases. A friend has a Harry Potter- themed island, her villagers call me ‘mudblood’ and I LOVE it! They also sing, play together, wear the silly outfits you give them… so much cute stuff!
- The Shopping: When you start, you’ll have a very basic Nooks tent to buy the things you need and a small selection of cool stuff. Eventually, Nook will ask you to build a shop for Timmy and Tommy to expand your inventory. This happens twice, each time you’re offered more and more stuff. Visit daily to see unique items each day. The same goes for the Nook ATM you see in Nooks tent, there are new items in your miles catalog and special item catalog each day! Many of the items you pick up will be there, in case you want to order another or send one to a friend. Keep an eye out for the island visitor Mable, she’s a fashionista that will open up a clothing store on your island once you spend 5,000 bells at her pop-up stand.
- Island Visitors: I mentioned Mable as an island visitor, she is one of many you will see and each one means something special! Mable & Sable offer unique clothing; Celeste offers celestial DIYs and tells you about shooting stars; Gulliver is pirate you must wake to help find his phone; Flick pays for bugs and CJ pays for fish but both make unique sculptures too; Redd sells fine art for your museum but some is fake; Sahara sells unique rugs/walls/flooring; Leif buys/sells flowers; there are a few more but they come randomly throughout the month. People get really excited about the unique things these visitors offer so make sure to tell your friends when they stop by.
- Turnips: Once you’ve played the game for an entire week, you’ll meet the island visitor Daisy Mae. This snot-nosed little cutie sells turnips every Sunday from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm only. Turnips range anywhere from 75-130 bells each, they’re sold in bunches of 10, so you need to have some bells to invest and you need to be ready for some math. Turnips can be sold at Nook’s Cranny Monday-Saturday, there are morning and afternoon prices, and remember they spoil by Sunday or if you time travel. The goal is to buy turnips at the lowest price and sell them a the highest. Last week I bought 360,000 bells worth the turnips at 90 bells each; I sell them at 527 bells per turnip, which yielded me roughly 2.6 million bells!! It’s complicated and requires connecting with others to get the best prices, new players should tread lightly in the turnip market until you can connect with others. It’s a crash course in economics so get ready, do not procrastinate about selling or you will take a huge loss.
- Visiting Other Islands/Getting Visitors: The absolute best part of this game is playing with others! When you first start, this can be confusing and hard to get started. The first step is going to the airport. Talk to the Dodo to see if you want to visit someone or go somewhere. To have visitors, you have to open your gates; if you want to fly, you have to be friends or have a unique one-time code from the other player, called a Dodo code. In both cases, always choose online play unless the other players are on the same wifi (local play). It’s as simple as that. One you’ve visited each other, you can be friends or best friends and visit each other all the time. Remember to be a good visitor: talk to the villagers, water the flowers, don’t purchase a limited item without asking, and don’t pickup anything without asking (even weeds, some people prefer them).
There are about about a million things that can be said about this game, this article barely skims the surface of what Animal Crossing has to offer. I could talk for ages about time traveling, underground resource markets, villager trading…I’ve only been playing for a month and I am completely hooked. I’ve managed to get together an excellent team of clever, kind players that work together to help build up our islands. We talk daily about the cool stuff we find, we send each other things from our wishlists, and we share about our real lives in the virtual world.
In a time of sadness and isolation, ACNH has given me a beautiful community to retreat to. Each day people I’ve never met work together to build each other up, complimenting each other and giving away things just to make each other people happy. We just moved to Amsterdam 3 months before quarantine, we were worried that Covid would make isolation feel like prison. Now, not only do I see and talk to my friends, we can share our work and give to each other without having to worry about germs or distance. Even as things begin to open up, I’ve realized many of my online friends live nearby-ish. We’re planning an Animal Crossing gathering, our own little ceremony to celebrate making real friends! If you’re new to the game or you just want to hang out, here’s my Switch friend code, SW-6885-2358-7876 . You’re welcome on my island any time!
