Over the years, my sister has been a really huge Animal Crossing fan. She would carry it around her 3DS and spend hours talking about her villagers and investing in her village. When we switched over to have the Nintendo Switch, she had a countdown for when Animal Crossing: New Horizons would be released and went to the extent of wanting to dish out $300 for the Animal Crossing Edition of the Switch.
Soon my friends around me mentioned that they wanted to get the game as well and one of my friends bought his girlfriend the new edition of the Switch just in time for the arrival of the game. My sisters and I teased that it was her "day of reckoning" as March 20th finally arrived and it was time for her to play the game. Soon, social media broke out in frenzy talking about the game and since I am in self-quarantine due to COVID-19, my desire to see the game for myself grew too much to resist.
I bought the game and was struck with my first question: how do you win the game? The short answer is that you can't. I learned very quickly that Animal Crossing is a game of patience that values hard work and taking time to enjoy things. Rather than skipping over characters as you complete missions in other games, Animal Crossing awards you for doing pointless chores such as talking to all of your villagers, picking weeds, and planting trees. I was so used to playing games where the objective was to win that this game was a breath of fresh air because there is no rush to get anything done.
For most of the game, the mechanics are either taught to you by President Tom Nook (more on him later) or you learn on your own. Conveniently, my sister is an Animal Crossing expert so I was able to learn a lot of tips and tricks from her oddly large knowledge of the game. I started the game off incredibly confused on how I should even begin but Tom Nook always lets you know things that should be done next or what can be done in order to progress the island. Funnily enough, Tom Nook seems to help you out by introducing you to the island then bills you approximately 50,000 bells - the island currency. Thankfully, Tom Nook is an understanding man who does not give you a due date nor charges you interest but will sass you if you don't pay him back whenever you interact with him.
A fair chunk of the game is randomized so that everybody's experience is a little bit different. There are several different options for your native fruit and the villagers that live on your island in the very beginning are randomized. If people really wanted to, they could restart the game over and over again until they get the exact island customization that makes them happy. I personally got oranges as my island fruit with a blue airport and decided that this was a cute combination for my island.
Despite playing the game for only a couple of days, I feel like I've learned so much. The game's focus is escapism and it definitely makes the time fly by while I spend my days at home self-quarantining. Here's to spending Nook Miles and creating the perfect island get-away!
