My First Island on Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing was one of the first games that I bought when I got my
Nintendo GameCube. I skipped the N64 after Famicom, so I wanted to reacquaint
myself with Nintendo. The Internet was still new back then, but I've been
hearing fun things about Animal Crossing from friends, and magazines, so I
wanted to see what's the big deal.
Animal Crossing: Population Growing for the Nintendo GameCube was a game
that piqued my curiosity when I read on the back-cover that it's supposedly
synced to real-time, which means new things are happening in the game even
if I'm not playing. The truth is still charming though when the game is
simply tied to the system's clock, where the days and nights are synced on
the game as well as the current season. Such a captivating premise was
unlike any current farming or life sims back then; in addition, Animal Crossing did
not demand of anything from me; there was no deadline, no health or stamina
bar, and it played as a relaxing game. I loved this unique mechanic of
'playing each day as a new day'. And since the game also features its own
in-game holidays and events, Animal Crossing can be played for a year. Rinse
and repeat.
Animal Crossing encouraged players to live at least a simple life at any
pace in a quaint peaceful village along with interesting neighbors. Not to
mention, this was also a local multiplayer game where my sister and I would take
turns playing. It became a bit competitive, because the first player gets to
buy the best furniture. Honestly, what I was more more impressed is that the
game ran on 60fps. Specifically, Animal Crossing: Population Growing was
truly one of my childhood bridges, because of its fun & relaxing
gameplay as a life-sim game. The catchy tunes would trigger nostalgia, and I
love the quirks of how I can't reset the game 'just because'. Animal
Crossing is still relevant as it's an excellent game to introduce someone to casual gaming or
simulation games.
Fast forward to March 20, 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released.
It was an instant hit by Nintendo -- also since people are stuck at home
with nothing to do during the pandemic. This latest installment became a
success due to incorporating features that were ripe for the series such as
being able to place items outside the home, expanded crafting, and
introducing terraforming; if we take all of which plus the unique gameplay
that built Animal Crossing, the result is a newly beloved game. It was a
no-brainer to buy and since I'm still working from home when it released, I
knew that I was in for a new (or a renewed) experience. I call it the start
of something beautiful.
I named my first island as Alderman and found it on April 3, 2020. I still
have my first villagers to commemorate my first playthrough - and they're
going to be stuck with me forever. You hear me, Frita and Sprocket?!
FOREVER! Anyway, I'll be posting more Animal Crossing: New Horizons
literature on this website as a series of content. To kick it off:
Let me introduce you to my top villagers for Alderman!
3. Audie
Audie is my favorite peppy on Alderman. What makes her extra special is that she's new to Animal Crossing and she's the only peppy Wolf villager. I have two Peppy villagers in
Alderman and it's a problem because I don't have a snooty -- which means
I'll be missing out on reactions and recipes if I don't kick anyone. It's a
problem, because I'm not kicking anyone out.
I love Audie's design especially when she's wearing those purple shades on
top of her head. She always stands out as a character. She's the perfect
island villager, because her outfit looks like she's always on vacation.
She's a wolf, but her fur pattern makes her look like a fox too. Audie is a cute
and delightful villager to have.
|
| You think you can just walk away like that, huh? You're mine! FOREVER! |
2. Vesta
Oh, Vesta. Every time I see Vesta, I want to give her a hug. She looks
so comfy and fluffeh! Most people are after Dom, but
Vesta and I are tight since ACPG. Vesta was one
of my first villagers in the Animal Crossing (GCN), and so I'm absolutely
pleased when she moved in after placing the first three plots. This means Vesta would also be one of my starter villagers on my first island in New
Horizons!
She's a warm villager and I love her white beady eyes. When she
works out, she always does her best even though she can only make 5 reps. She always makes me smile when I see
her walking around the pavements on my island. As mentioned, we go way
back and she's given me a lot of items ever since. Vesta is not going
anywhere!
|
| Baaaffos for life, Vesta. Baaaffos for life. |
1. Filbert
When I saw Filbert on the cover of New Horizons, I knew I had to have this vibrant
squirrel. Filbert is like a baby brother who is always thinking of snacks.
Squirrels are one of my favorite species on Animal Crossing, especially
when they wag their tails while thinking. Filbert's design comes off as innocent and
childish while sporting those pink cheek blushes.
He's smiling all the time! I wish I'm as carefree as Filbert. He's
always talking about snacks and sleeping - two things of my favorite things in life. See, if people talked more about snacks
and naps, I believe the world would become a better place.
it's a yes. #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/NwJEoC8o7e
— thechosenground (@chosenground) June 26, 2020
I like to think that Cheri and Filbert are related. They're not -- but
still.
Special mention: Static
July 9 Happy birthday Static. One of my fave crank and starter from ACPG. Glad to have you again. #AnimalCrossing #ACNH #NintendoSwitch pic.twitter.com/fC2SaZvI2E
— thechosenground (@chosenground) July 9, 2020
Static was also one of my starters on Animal Crossing: Population Growing. Honestly, him and Apollo are the only cranks that I remember during my GameCube plays. He gave me a lot of stuff back then too. He was a good neighbor. He still is. So when I saw him during my villager hunt, I nabbed him in a heartbeat.
THE HARVEST GAMER
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