It has been a year since Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released on the Nintendo Switch, and not only was it one of my favorite games last year, it was a lot of people’s favorite. In fact, we’ve written about it before on this blog! Animal Crossing came out in late March 2020, and when the idea of starting a new life on a deserted island sounded great to many of us. Sure, you start the game in debt to a raccoon, but at least his loan terms are generous—no interest! So with a full calendar year of playtime passed, I decided to ask some of my fellow Adult & Teen Services coworkers about their experiences playing Animal Crossing.
Allyson
- Favorite villager? Kidd, a snotty goat. I like giving him fancy jackets and golden furniture.
- Favorite activity? I like fishing during “shark season” in the summer.
- Favorite event? Thanksgiving! It struck the right balance of being fun, achievable and funny.
- Are you happy with your island? Yes! I just got a five-star rating from Isabelle.
- What projects are you working on? I’m currently trying to breed all the rare flowers in their place. I totally ignored flowers until now, which means the flowers on my island are out of control.
- What tip would you share with other players? Place extra tools around your island! That way, if you break a fishing rod or shovel, you can pick up a new one right away without taking up inventory space.
Becca
- Favorite villager? I love Pietro! Many people don’t like him because he looks like a clown, but I think that’s what makes him unique.
- Favorite activity? My favorite activity is decorating my house. Through all the games, I’ve loved being able to make each room its own thing.
- Favorite event? The Halloween event! Halloween is my favorite holiday. The villagers running around asking for candy was the cutest thing ever, and I now have a spooky-themed room in my house!
- Are you happy with your island? Not currently. I got the game right in March but then restarted completely in August. Since then, I haven’t had much time to play, and I haven’t been motivated enough to terraform.
- What projects are you working on? I’m trying to get back into the groove of terraforming so I can finish my island layout.
- What tip would you share with other players? If you don’t want your flowers to grow out of control, you can place a transparent custom design around the area they’re planted. It will block them from continuously blooming!
Julia
- Favorite villager? Elvis. He’s a cranky lion villager
- Favorite activity? Watching shooting stars.
- Favorite event? The New Year’s countdown is my favorite part.
- Are you happy with your island? Yes, and I’m still working on my island. It’s been over a year, and I’m still not done.
- What projects are you working on? I am working on making a Super Mario theme park on my island.
- What tip would you share with other players? Going on Discord/Reddit is a great way to find inspiration for your island or wardrobe.
Nikki
- Favorite villager? Either Marshall or Coco. I haven’t played in months, so I don’t have them on my island, but I love them anyway. Sterling is probably my favorite on my island.
- Favorite activity? Fishing or digging for fossils. I love Blathers, and it’s always fun when he gets excited over a new fossil!
- Favorite event? Halloween! It’s one of my favorite holidays anyway, and seeing it in Animal Crossing was super cute!
- Are you happy with your island? I was, but again, I haven’t played in months, so it’s probably covered in weeds. I had a massive flower field though, so I liked that a lot.
- What projects are you working on? It’ll probably be weeding when I get back to it, but I was also working on getting stairs and bridges figured out.
- What tip would you share with other players? Don’t stress about what other people are doing! Do whatever makes you happy or whatever fits your aesthetic. And don’t let people make you feel guilty about who your favorite (or least favorite) villagers are!