New Horizons Brings Exploration Indoors
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is exactly the game we need in these times of quarantine. It may actually take the crown away from Stardew Valley as one of the most chill games available right now!
For those who don’t know, New Horizons lets you explore and customize your very own deserted island. You’ll spend hours crafting, fishing, and building community with neighboring residents and online friends.
While the world deals with ongoing Switch shortages, those who already had the console picked up New Horizons in bunches. It’s been reported that 5 million copies of the latest Animal Crossing have been sold, and the number just keeps growing!
Several folks from the Average Gamer community have been building out their respective islands and they were gracious enough to share their thoughts, tips and tricks to help out newbies. I asked the pressing questions to understand why they picked up the game and how they’ve been succeeding.
Use this as a reference guide to see if Animal Crossing: New Horizons should be the next title in your video game library!
Which Animal Crossing games have you played?
According to Wikipedia, there are 12 Animal Crossing titles, 3 of which are spin-offs and 4 are apps. Apparently, none of the Average Gamers have played through Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, but we’re pretty familiar with all the rest.
Nintendo’s Animal Crossing franchise pairs human characters with anthropomorphic animals. In your sandbox environment, you’re free to do everything catching bugs to decorating your home.
There’s nothing really stressful in these games and they are extremely accessible for anyone looking to pick up a calming game.
What excited you most when you heard about New Horizons?
Something to do during self-isolation
Just the fact that a new animal crossing was being released! It was way overdue. I also love how it is even more customizable.
I was excited to be able to fully customize my island for the first time.
Seems like a fun, casual game for my switch
Overall, the sentiment continues to be that Animal Crossing games are relaxing and put you in the driver seat of a highly-customizable world. As you’ll see in the video below, there are a ton of unique features in New Horizons that make this entrant a blast to play!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhmgxB_WKz4
What are your thoughts on Tom Nook?
Capitalist lion tamer
He’s kind of lazy in this game making me do all the work for him ?
I have no idea why I like a character who is always putting me in debt. lol
He’s the worst! He exploits innocent people!
Most of the community agrees that Tom Nook isn’t a good guy. If you type “why is Tom Nook” into your Chrome search bar, Google auto-completes your query with “evil”. Is Tom designed to be the villain? Not according to the devs. But we all know where his true colors lie…
What’s one thing you wish you knew before you started playing the game?
How slow and unskippable the text is
I don’t think there is anything I wish I knew – I love learning everything as it comes!
I’m loving all the new additions they added. I guess my biggest thing I didn’t realize was how much customization there would be in the game from the island landscape down to clothes you wear.
How much upgrading my home would cost!
Here’s where we can start to build off the things our Average Gamers have learned from. These are the things you should do before hopping into the game:
- Learn how to make text go faster
- Explore customizing your clothing
- Plan out how you are going to expand your home
- Review what you need to get golden tools
- Check out when and where to catch all the fish
Equipped with these guides, you’ll be well on your way to New Horizons success!
Any tips for maximizing your gains in the Turnip Stalk Market?
Time travel No one wants my advice on that topic. I am terrible! I did get some ants and flies from them becoming spoiled…. I check everyday lol. You can also use websites dedicated to finding islands with high turnip prices. I have not looked into Turnips yet
Our community wasn’t the most helpful when providing Stalk Market tips, but I’ve still got you covered!
The stalk market, similarly to the real-life stock market, allows you to risk some bells for a high return. Making money in the stalk market is all about timing, so you’ll want to pay careful attention to spike patterns. During the week, you’ll see a peak turnip price as well as a low price, which will govern when to buy and sell.
Gamespot has a fantastic guide the describes the details further so check it out to rake in millions of bells from the stalk market!
Who is your favorite villager and why?
The little ghost guy who comes out at night because he’s totes adorbs So far I’d have to say Bianca. She is bright and bubbly. She also enjoys singing and pretending to be an airplane. Love her! Admiral. Always so cranky and makes me laugh. I like Timmy and Tommy. Though it’s a little creepy how they follow you around the store
Villagers are a big part of New Horizons. Each villager has a predetermined personality which will affect your interactions.
There are many that are easy to fall in love with, and some that are fun to hate. Additionally, New Horizons lets you build friendships with these animals and eventually receive presents from your pals!
You can grow your small community by inviting villagers to your island. If you end up not liking someone, there are ways to get them to leave. Options include the cold shoulder, a personal cloud, or telling them outright that you want them to scram.
Talk to as many villagers as possible and enjoy the company of these cartoon critters!
How would you describe the interior decorating style of your home?
Sparce So far it’s a mess. I’m trying to go rustic with some dark wood tones. I also love the “lovely” design in games previous so anything pink and hearts I’ll collect. I also have a room dedicated to seasonal or holiday styles. Terrible, I’m basically hoarding right now until i figure out what i want to do. Sophisticated and clean. Organized, not too cluttered
You’re in full control of the design of your abode. We can’t all be Martyn Lawrence Bullard, but we can at least make our New Horizons home respectable. Check out some of these designs for inspiration and put your own twist on your rooms!
What’s your best performance in the Fishing Tourney?
7 or 8 I got silver in the fishing tournament, but now that I know playing with friends earns even more points I will definitely have no problem getting gold! Silver Trophy on this game so far I haven’t entered yet
In New Horizons, there’s a fishing tourney where you need to catch as many fish as you can in three minutes. Your first try is free, but then you’ll need to fork over some bells to participate again. The tourney nets you a variety of exclusive fish-related gifts and you should make sure to stock up on fish bait before entering.
We know the game isn’t perfect. What things do you not like about New Horizons?
Slow and repetitive text. Not worth 60 bucks. I don’t like that I have to pay to redo where every building in my town is now that I can customize. I will also be happy if I never see another egg again. That gold weapons still break. I haven’t gotten one yet but i heard even the gold version of weapons break which i don’t think should happen. Maybe I’m doing it wrong, but the game seems so repetitive. I feel like I spend most days foraging for things to sell to be able to pay back Tom CROOK
There were some mixed emotions about New Horizons from the Average Gamer community. We covered a bunch of positives about the game but the slow, repetitive nature of Animal Crossing isn’t for everyone.
Our respondents gave an average score of 4.3, so it’s clear to see that the good outweighs the bad. Ultimately, New Horizons is a peaceful social simulator which can be a great way to pass the time.
Care to share any tips for newbies?
Time travel I’m obsessed with the museum so my advice is to catch bugs, fish, dig up fossils, and buy all the artwork you can (once it becomes available) and donate! Catching everything that’s available for the month is a MUST. Enjoy the slow pace of the game. There’s something enjoyable about logging in everyday, checking in with your residents, and doing your daily routine. Visit the machine that you exchange Nook Miles at everyday for bonus miles!
Words of wisdom from a group of gamers who have already logged hundreds of hours into New Horizons! Glorii7 (friend code: 606308831231) was even kind enough to share her Gamertag for folks looking to expand their community!
We also want to hear from you! What are some tips and tricks you’ve learned in your first month of New Horizons? Is there anything else you’d want us to cover in a follow-up post? Leave a comment below to join in on the conversation!
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