Animal Crossing: Seeing New Horizons

A n i m a l C r o s s i n g : A n i m a l C r o s s i n g : S e e i n g N e w H o r i z o n s S e e i n g N e w H o r i z o n s

By: John Raspante Assistant Editor

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” (ACNH).

In case you haven’t heard of it, “New Horizons” is the newest game in Nintendo’s "Animal Crossing" series. The best way to describe the game is like a life simulator. The player can customize their avatar and renovate a deserted island into a bustling town full of adorable, animal villagers. Every player gets to style their island any way they want and live out their island life however they see fit. With 400 villagers that can inhabit your island and over 20,000 decorations and furniture items, the possibilities are endless. It is the perfect game if you’re looking for an escape from reality, and it could not have been released at a better time.

ACNH came out on March 20, 2020, which was around the time the COVID-19 pandemic was forcing everyone to quarantine in their homes. We were unable to go outside and enjoy real life, but we could go fishing, visit a museum and watch firework shows in “Animal Crossing.” We couldn’t get together with our friends, but we could invite them over to our islands to hang out in “Animal Crossing.”

For me, ACNH was a big part of my life for months. I was stuck in my home during the pandemic, but I could do anything I wanted in "Animal Crossing." I was able to go out and have fun with my villagers and friends, design outfits or decorate my island any way I wanted to. The game brought so much joy to my life at a time where I felt so disconnected from the real world.

After the summer of 2020, I fell off with the "Animal Crossing" hype, like many other players did. I would occasionally log on and do my daily tasks, like picking weeds and watering flowers. Every major holiday had an in-game tie in event, so I went on to trick-ortreat with my villagers on Halloween and deliver presents around the island on Christmas. I spent so much time on the game during quarantine that it felt like I did everything there was to do. There just wasn’t much for me to get excited about anymore.

Now that all changes. As of November 3, Nintendo released the biggest update for the game EVER. There are new shops, new characters, over 9,000 new items and so many incredible new features that have completely revitalized the game for me. I have been playing every free second I have had since the update dropped, and the amount of serotonin it has brought me is immeasurable.

Who knows, maybe in a month or two, I will feel burnt out again and like I have experienced everything the game has to offer. But for now, I am enjoying every single moment that this virtual island life is bringing me. With this new update, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” feels just like it did when it was first released, and I don’t know if there will ever be another video game that makes me feel this way.