Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have forgotten one of the summer season's big events: Reese and Cyrus' wedding anniversary photo op. Shortly after the game's launch, players could take a free trip to an isolated photo studio owned by hippy-dog Harvey, allowing them to set up creative sets and take pictures with their villagers. For the month of June, the alpaca couple joined Harv, encouraging players to return daily, set up wedding-themed backdrops, and earn new wedding-themed furniture.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons released in March to financial success and critical acclaim, despite coinciding with the surging coronavirus pandemic. In the subsequent three months, Nintendo has added a bevy of new furniture, characters, and customization options. But many fans have cooled on the game, taking issue with the repetitious activities, lackluster seasonal events, and frustrating economy.
The Animal Crossing subreddit exploded when user Devastas posted a meme poking fun at the forgettable wedding event . The image racked up thousands of upvotes and hundreds of comments, becoming a dumping ground for general complaints about the game. Some players admitted to never visiting the island at all, while many more found Harv's island too inconvenient to justify repeat trips. User she_got_a_way said they didn't hate the event, but wished it didn't take so much effort to start. "Honestly having to leave my island was the biggest barrier to me," they said, lamenting, "The whole process of leaving the island is super tedious in general."
A handful of commenters appreciated the rewards Cyrus and Reese offered them, even if they couldn't personally find a use for the wedding-themed candles and benches. Others actively resisted the event because of an aversion to the happy couple or their canine photographer. User zanier_sola wrote, "Harv is creepy af. I went to his island because he said he had candy. Never again." Other commenters cited forgetfulness and frustration for dissuading them from visiting Harv more often than other factors.
There are many online Animal Crossing: New Horizons communities, and the general consensus is that players want more content and quality-of-life fixes. The collective amnesia around one of the game's monthly events reflects a broader flaw in the game's design. Despite frequent updates and countless micro tasks to complete, the game becomes less interesting the more players achieve. The problem lays partially in a lack of meaningful, diverse content, but even then, the franchise never included a Ubisoft-tier glut of urgent activities. A slow pace suits the game's low stakes. Instead, Animal Crossing: New Horizons struggles under the weight of its interfaces and systems - tedious crafting, ungainly menus, and imprecise controls make it easier to overlook events than participate in them.
Source: Devastas