Jacob Waring – News Editor
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the right game to debut during an unprecedented time. It is a game that is structured to give players something to look forward towards beyond the bleak statistical data of COVID-19. Establishes a routine, a sense of normalcy in an era where a pandemic has drastically transformed our way of life.
The graphic in the game are colorful. The villagers that populate the game are whimsically adorable. It is a game that is bursting with positivity. The game functions as a form of escapism from a reality that is filled with fright, an uncertain future and isolation.
You can go fishing. Chop wood. Smash rocks. Explore other deserted islands. Sell goods and expand the island. Make payments towards loans to progress towards the next loan that will be taken out to expand the island.
All those activities become chores. Those chores become a fun routine to do on the daily. A new day starts at 5 a.m., and I find myself getting excited to do all those activities again. “
The game is an expression of creativity. I have designed costumed shirts and hats within the game for my character. I have been collecting and building items to decorate my desire home. I am constantly rearranging the island in order to achieve my goal of creating my version of an island oasis.
The game takes place in real time. Shops open and close at specific times. Many of the Insects and fish only appear during specific times during the day. Those same critters are also seasonal. Those who want to collect all the fish and butterflies can aim to do that but it will take an entire year
Those critters can be donated to Blathers who oversees a museum on an island. Thus, enabling to see all the fish and insects you have collected be on display. Fossils can be dug up from the ground and donated too, to be showed in an exhibit. I personally cannot wait to see that museum be filled.
Every villager has personality which are as colorful as their appearances. For some veteran players who have played previous installments of the franchise, they will be in search of their favorite villagers to live on their island. Some will visit on their own accord, some will be able to be recruited on other deserted islands. Talk to them enough and they may gift you rewards. They add life and joy to the island.
Bells and Nook Miles is the game’s main form of currencies. Bells you can buy items from the shop or other goods. Plant Bells into the ground and you may sprout a money tree. Nook Miles is used to buy tickets to visit other deserted islands that have their own benefits to explore. Nook Miles can also buy exclusive items or upgrades to make your gameplay progress quicker.
It may seem daunting to pay a huge loan with bells or feeling down that you are low on Nook Miles. You will get frustrated with the endless catches of Sea Basses from the ocean when you are aiming for other fish. Yet, that feeling of paying off a loan or catching that fish that you have been hunting for hours is priceless.
At the time of this writing, the game is experiencing its first holiday event in relation to Easter. You must collect eggs from April 1 to 2 to craft all the Easter exclusive items. Sounds like a wonderful idea in practice but I am sick of getting eggs. Especially when fishing because it is always an eggs… never a fish. It is obnoxious and it will be twelves days of being bombarded with eggs. I am hoping future events will either be shorter or be less obnoxious.
The best aspect of this game, this is due to the pandemic, is the ability for other players to visit your island. I am self-isolating. I am stuck inside the house away from many of my friends. Those that have the game have been able to visit my island and it is a blast. It is great to be able to interact with friends again even if it is through Animal Crossing.
This game is fantastic and perhaps the perfect game to play during a global pandemic.
While the world may be a frightening, uncertain place but least in Animal Crossing: New Horizon it is a place to breath and take a break from it all.
