The latest Animal Crossing game arrived at the most perfect time, when the entire world was basically in lock down due to the pandemic. It helped me cope up with being stuck at home, and I’m sure it’s the same for everyone who played the game since its release last March. I did not know what to expect when I purchased the game. I thought it was similar to Harvest Moon, and it is in some ways, but it’s much more than any life simulation game I’ve played before. It is my first time to play Animal Crossing and I was immediately hooked.

A reflection of human nature

Everyone starts the game as a stranger to an island that’s teeming with life. As you start building your own life on the island, you start taking from it. This isn’t wrong – but it makes you realize how we human beings really are. We live like we own the world, disrupting nature for our own advantage.

The early days are spent exploring the island, building tools, and making money by selling things (and creatures). Catching bugs and fish felt like Pokemon, trying to catch them all and filling up my Critterpedia.

No man is an island

You can play by yourself but Animal Crossing is best played with others. My villagers felt like real people to me, and I was attached to them in no time.

One of the best features of the game is that you can connect to the internet to visit other players from all over the world. You can generate a Dodo code and share it on the internet to invite visitors to the island, and visit other islands using other people’s codes, too! I was thrilled having visitors on the island – I couldn’t do it in real life but this was possible on Animal Crossing!

You can trade items with your friends – the possibility is endless. There’s even a Nookazon (an Amazon rip-off for Animal Crossing items) where you can buy things for Bells (Animal Crossing currency) or Nook Miles Tickets.

Time is Real-Time

I love how time runs at a real-life pace in the game. The day officially starts at 5AM every morning with an announcement from Tom Nook (and later on Isabelle). And, not just time, even the weather and the seasons follow real life.

I chose to live in a Southern Hemisphere island where the seasons are the opposite of most players (I think majority chose Northern Hemisphere). At around March/April, it was Summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and there were a lot of creatures not spawning in the North, where it was Spring. But, I was envious of the cherry blossoms so I also looked for friends living in the North so that I could visit and take photos with Cherry Blossoms.

There are also events that coincide with real life holidays, such as Bunny Day event which happened on the week of Easter in the real world. Egg hunting wasn’t as fun though, because they were all over the place and it certainly got annoying after a few days.

You are your own enemy

Animal Crossing New Horizons is a very chill game. There are no enemies to be defeated. Yes, you are forced to take up huge loans with Tom Crook — sorry, Nook, to advance in the game – but there’s no deadline so you are not pressured to pay it.

You can design your island and your house however way you want! Your imagination is a limit! Most common themes I found on the internet are Japan-inspired alleys, zen gardens, coffee shops – you can really go crazy with your concepts.

The goal in developing your island (note you have the power to change its landscape, too) is to become a 5-star island. Once you reach this status, a unique flower (Lily of the Valley) blooms as a reward for your effort. It doesn’t sell for much, though, but just think of it as a badge for having a 5-star island!

After spending hours of developing your island, it’s not unusual to end up being dissatisfied with your output, especially if you check out other people’s islands on the internet. I am quite chill with the game and I don’t let other people’s islands get to me – but my brother is a perfectionist and because we share the same island, Ubec is forever under construction!

In conclusion

Animal Crossing came at the perfect time. It’s not a perfect game, but no game comes close to being engaging in the time of this pandemic. Its charm comes from how it’s a simulation of life, like living in the matrix, in a world where there’s no virus, it’s not very difficult to make money (I didn’t even talk about the Turnip “Stalk” market), and you have a lot of control over things. It definitely helped me with my anxiety and my need to be creative without being too pressured.

My island is already so different from how it was. And, if you play the game and want to be friends at least in this parallel world, let me know in the comments and I can add you!

If you have a Nintendo Switch and haven’t played Animal Crossing yet, please give it a try! It’s a great distraction from the crazy world we live in now! It’s almost therapeutic! 🙂