The new summer update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is going swimmingly so far. Some players are already splashing around in the ocean finding treasures and fun, while others are hunting for all of the new bugs on their Animal Crossing islands. It's a much needed boost for the most comforting game to play during the pandemic.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released on March 20, 2020. In the game, the player moves to a deserted island at the behest of Tom Nook, a benevolent Tanuki landlord. The game takes place in real-time and players develop their island with the help of a community of anthropomorphic characters.
The latest update goes beyond island development and allows users to take some time off to play in the ocean and catch sea creatures. On Reddit, many players say they stayed up overnight to get their wet suits (required for swimming in New Horizons' update) in the mail. Some have been doing synchronised swimming with friends while others have managed to compile a list of all of the sea creatures available and when they can be caught. The swimming update is also available for Southern Hemisphere players, but the cold never bothered them anyway.
Players are loving a new character in Animal Crossing: New Horizons named Pascal, a beanie-sporting sea otter who is constantly hungry for scallops. "I would die for Pascal", says u/idkhowtousethat. Meanwhile, other players are just keen to find him in the first place. "I think I’ve killed my island's coral reefs and marine ecosystem. Still no scallops!", remarks u/xxxxxchx. The update also includes new bugs on the island, which is bad news for Blathers. The insect-hating owl has an all new round of insults for the bugs players bring him, including calling a walking leaf a fraud, and calling cicadas rude for being noisy.
This first wave of summer updates really freshens up a game that was becoming pretty stale for a lot of players. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game meant to be played at one's leisure, but members of the community latched onto the game hard in the early months due to a number of factors: some were out of work due to COVID-19, and others were in need of entertainment while being stuck at home during quarantine. Players made quick work out of developing their islands into five star showplace resorts, leaving them with little to do for months after the initial release.
The second wave of summer updates is sure to have even more for players to do, but many are hoping for more quality of life upgrades in it too. Being able to craft items in bulk is an update players have been requesting since March, as well as a way to easily sort through one's inventory. It would also be helpful to be able to buy multiple items at the Able Sisters shop. Quality of life issues aside, the new updates will probably bring more players to the best-selling Animal Crossing game to date, giving Nintendo more incentive to keep supporting Animal Crossing: New Horizons for a longer period of time.
Source: Reddit