Animal Crossing New Horizons brings players onto a deserted island to begin a new life. This guide will help beginner players step into the world of Nook Islands and Animal Crossing New Horizons. Animal Crossing New Horizons is unlike any other gaming franchise to release a new entry this year. The appeal isn't exactly clear to outsiders-looking-in as it just seems like another life simulator. Now while this is true, Animal Crossing New Horizons is much deeper and elaborate than that and it has its reasons for why it was several people's most anticipated game of 2020. In this title, the player is given a vacation package to a deserted island by Tom Nook. Here, players can customize the aspects of there vacation like the type of home they wish to live in, interacting with neighbors on the island, and overall just take in a relaxing, low-stress experience. While the game does begin slowly with what it offers the player, after a while hours, the game begins to open up with new features and gameplay elements that will continue to leave players hooked. This guide is for beginner players of Animal Crossing New Horizons.
For starters, the player is given a few items from Tom Nook the moment they land, including a tent to live in, a Nook Phone to interact with the menus, and a large bill for all the expenses. This is pretty common with Animal Crossing, as one of the first objectives of the game is the pay off the player's loan. To begin with, players can explore parts of the island, gather fruit from shaking trees, and speaking with their new neighbors. The game also follows real-world time, meaning events in the game only happen when enough time passes in the real game. There is a workaround for players who don't wish to wait for all the events. They can enter the Nintendo Switch system settings to change the date to forward in time. This pushes the waiting period for things like the creation of buildings or when new neighbors are scheduled to move in. This is just the iceberg of what to expect with Animal Crossing New Horizons.
Nook Miles in Animal Crossing New Horizons
Nook Miles is a secondary form of currency in the game. These are rewarded to the player for completing certain tasks, some long-form, while others are very quick to complete. Opening up the Nook Phone and checking the Nook Miles section will provide a checklist of things players can accomplish during their playtime. This is a great way to keep the player busy with stuff to do. Completing these tasks will reward the player will Nook Miles and they can spend them on certain items inside Nooks tent by speaking with the ATM-like machine. Also, once the player unlocks Nook Miles+, they can complete short tasks that will provide the player with double the Nook Miles. Nook Miles is essential for growing the player's island, as even in the beginning of the game, the player can pay off their first massive debt using the Nook Miles. Nook Miles are also rewarded pretty frequently, so it always feels satisfying to check one of those boxes.
Exclusive Fruit in Animal Crossing New Horizons
At the beginning of the game, the player will realize trees have a specific fruit on them. With Animal Crossing New Horizons, the player is given an island containing 1 out of 6 fruit. Here is the list of fruit.
- Cherries
- Coconuts
- Peaches
- Apples
- Pears
- Oranges
The islands will only provide one of these types of fruit. In order to get the others, the player can either visit their friend's islands via the internet or local play, or they can participate in a Nook Tour. For the low price of 2000 Nook Miles, the player can purchase a ticket at the ATM-like machine to visit a nearby island. Here, players can reap all the benefits of the island with no negative repercussions. It is completely random the type of island the player will get per Nook Tour, but it is possible for this island to spawn new types of fruit. Fruits from other islands can be sold for a high price from the Nook children.
Unlocking The Museum in Animal Crossing New Horizons
One of the first structures players can create is the Museum on the island. Here, players can collect all the bugs, fossils, and fish they capture all in one location for display. To unlock this, go around the island and capture 5 different types of creatures. Head over to Tom Nook and submit them to him. After a while, Tom Nook will mention reaching out to his friend, Blathers. Blathers is an owl that will create a museum structure for the player. Once Blathers arrives, he will task the player to capture 15 different specimens to open the museum, he will also provide the player with the DIY recipe for a shovel and a vaulting pole for jumping over bodies of water. Once all 15 have been submitted, the Museum will enter the construction phase and will open up on the next day. There is a large encyclopedia of bugs and fish to collect and they will be put on display in a beautiful museum for all the neighbors and friends to see. This is also one of the most difficult projects to complete in the game, but it is important to begin somewhere.
Animal Crossing New Horizons released next to Doom Eternal, two titles that are completely different in tone. One requires that players kill as many demons as possible while the other is all about relaxing and enjoying every waking moment of their island adventure. The internet exploded with memes when it was announced these two games shared a release date and both have been received critically well since their release. Animal Crossing New Horizons is the best in the series so far, with the inclusion of so many quality of life improvements since its predecessor. New content is planned for the game in the future and with a game like this, players will enjoy it for years to come.
Animal Crossing New Horizons is available now on the Nintendo Switch.