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Nicole Billing

Five ways Animal Crossing: New Horizons can help cure quarantine blues

On March 20, a brand-new Animal Crossing game was released on the Nintendo Switch, offering players everywhere a distraction from the impacts of Coronavirus.


As if by fate’s design, fans were able to get their hands on a copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons around the same time governments and health organizations began urging people to stay inside to avoid the spread of COVID-19.


Screenshot by Nicole Billing

Explore your very own deserted island paradise.


At the start of the game, players arrive at their islands and find that it is covered with fruit trees, weeds, bugs, rivers, and even a couple of residents. After getting some tools, it is time to get to work.


Animal Crossing sets itself apart from other video games because it involves waiting long periods of real-time before reaching your goals. These goals consist of building infrastructure, paying off a home loan, designing a home, and more.


After being named Resident Representative, players should expect to live on “island time” and improve their deserted paradises by putting in a little bit of work each day.


Now that a lot of people are home from school and work, players will have more time to discover everything their islands have to offer and make those long days inside less redundant.


Unwind by taking care of your island and keeping up with chores.


One of the most exciting and rewarding aspects of Animal Crossing lies in its simplest tasks: chores! It sounds wrong, but these chores can be very relaxing and fun.


Some of the chores players can partake in is pulling weeds, cleaning up tree branches, mining ore, and doing favors for other island-dwellers. The completion of certain chores allows players to earn Nook Miles, which can be exchanged for goodies to decorate each island.


Some players choose not to partake in chores and, instead, change the time settings on the Switch in order to speed things up and “time travel” to complete projects in an instant.


Each Animal Crossing experience is unique because the game is whatever the player makes it.


Build your collection of critters.


For players that ever dreamed of starting a massive stockpile of bugs, fish, and dinosaurs, look no further. Every island is teeming with all sorts of creatures to catch and donate to the museum. New Horizon’s museum is bigger and better than those in past games, so players are sure to spend some time there admiring the exhibits.


Stay connected with real-world friends.


Due to social distancing, many folks are experiencing social deprivation and missing their loved ones. Fortunately, those with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, can link up with their pals and visit one another.


Some Tinder users are even getting really creative and using the game to go on dates with other singles they meet on the app. This is a great way to remain in contact with people without putting anyone’s health at risk.


Watch your island slowly transform into your very own wonderland.


Nintendo has been keeping fans enamored with its adorable and light-hearted game since 2001. Part of what makes it so satisfying it watching a town or island flourish into a personal creation after investing time and care.


The work put in on even the longest and most boring days adds up to something beautiful. So players have taken advantage of this extra downtime and turned their islands into something truly spectacular.


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