Brain Full of Games

I don’t really want to be taking a lot of breaks from Crystal version, but it is taking me a little longer to beat it than I hoped it would. And the distractions keep coming with so many other things are going on at work and home, but especially with Nintendo. Pokémon is turning 30 and my beloved Zelda series is hitting the big 4 0 this February, so ASSUMING we get a JUICY Direct next month, I won’t be able to keep my mouth shut and continue with my regularly scheduled programming. I suppose there is always the chance that they don’t do anything big for the anniversaries, but considering the performance of the Switch 2 during the holidays, I think they will probably want to psych up fans to get them saving for the inevitable console upgrade they (and I am talking about myself, too) will need to make in order to enjoy the upcoming releases. I’m trying not to get my hopes up, as always, because that is my preferred way of coping with life. I haven’t bought a (new) Pokémon game for almost a decade and I am not the biggest fan of LoZ’s move away from traditional dungeons. But I still enjoyed BotW and TotK, and I am excited to see what is next. But this post is about another Nintendo classic.

I don’t remember exactly when I received Animal Crossing, but I remember being puzzled by it. I had heard of it in passing, probably had seen it at EB Games in my home town or at the mall, maybe heard a classmate mention it. The games I received as Christmas or birthday gifts vs the ones I had to rent at Blockbuster were always a mystery to me. Whatever their reasoning, I’m very happy my parents got me Animal Crossing back in 2002 or 2003 and introduced me to a life-long love.

Based on my age and the fact that I started the series with the original US release, you probably know that I have mixed feelings about the newest installment of the series, the Switch’s New Horizons, due to its pretty major departure from what the game was about for two decades. Thanks to the pandemic and sudden influx of people with disposable income staying home all day, ACNH’s player base, content creators, and online resources dominated online spaces and honestly are probably responsible for the whole ‘cozy game with meeeee’ craze. Suddenly, there were so many people playing Animal Crossing, very loudly online, and really taking decorating and customizing to a new level. It was all a little pastel and saccharine for me (I’m literally holding a pastel yellow Pikachu pen in my mouth because I take notes in a pink Sanrio notebook- what am I even saying), but I get the appeal… something about ACNH is sweet, polished, kind, and oh so very cutesy. And a big part of that is because the player has total control over their island; the aesthetic, the layout, the objects, and even the villagers. The ‘I have created a Deer Ethnostate’ jokes are actually always funny to me, sorry. Couldn’t help but giggle to myself as I invited Shino to the campsite last night and made her a shell bed. This is how it begins.

Just kidding. Anyway, we all know this was never what Animal Crossing was meant to be, and that is where the friction lies with players familiar with the older titles. As a kid sitting down to play Animal Crossing for the first time, I was lost and overwhelmed in a new home. The neighbors could be kind of rude! They never seemed happy with the errands I ran for them. I just wanted Monique to like me, was that so much to ask? But no matter: I could spend the day relaxing, making a few bells from fishing, weeding and planting flowers. Decorating my home was always a nightmare, just like real life. Most importantly, I had no fucking control over these animals. My beloved Bob moved out because I dared spend time with an old friend who happened to be in town one weekend, and I had failed to notice Bob’s furniture packed up and stop him in time. Bob! What a horror. I restarted my game after that.

The lack of control over your villagers had some upsides, of course; the main one being that their friendship was truly earned. When you came back after a long hiatus, it seemed like they missed you, but life really had gone on without you. You weren’t the mayor, you weren’t a linchpin of society in any capacity. They probably returned their own borrowed items when you weren’t there offering to run over to Genji’s place. But you were a beloved member of the community, and that was a big deal. I still get a sense that my villagers missed me when I put down ACNH for a bit, but nothing really changes with them. They don’t really get mad. And they stand still, waiting for me to return. I feel like Coraline returning to Other Mother’s world through the wall. I feel like no one else has any agency or life, that the island is my little Kingdom that exists for my amusement. We are all little dictators of Deer Island. It’s just a game, of course. That is what it is. But it’s a different kind of game than Population: Growing!

To wrap this up, I want to say that I’ve played the new 3.0 update a lot this week. Seriously, a lot. More ACNH than I have played since I was unemployed for like 6 months during the pandemic. I have only played Population: Growing, Wild World, New Leaf, and New Horizons, so I’m not familiar with Pocket Camp or the DLC Happy Home Paradise. From what I understand, in the DLC you decorate homes for animals in a similar way as in the new Hotel rooms. And I love it! It’s great! I will decorate my final hotel room tonight, and I’m excited to see what happens next. Can I change up the rooms? Can I make a hotel theme? How many more items can I unlock in the catalog? Will I be able to poach any of these cuties visiting my island because I have some butt ugly villagers that I need to kill ): This is all very new to me and I cannot help but enjoy the new game-play and new furniture. I actually like making DIY items now that so many quality of life changes have been made to crafting, and Kapp’n is going to be very busy because of it. This update has provided me with hours of entertainment and I have new items to decorate with (did someone say Silent Princess themed island? I’m pulling up all my flowers to make room for her <3). Unfortunately for my gaming schedule this year, I’m going to need to free up time for playing more ACNH this winter/spring as I decorate my home and compete the Deer Island Ethno- SORRY just kidding. I actually need more cats, if anything. And Bea. I miss Bea.

I know I haven’t talked about it at length on this blog yet, but my feelings toward the new AC are exactly what I feel about the ‘Wilds’ era of Zelda. I get something else out of playing ACNH vs playing Wild World (new game: still no Bob), but that doesn’t mean I think NH is a bad game. I can feel a slight betrayal of the original spirit of the franchise without disliking New Horizons, and that’s basically where I’m at. I’m going to keep playing until I finally get my favorite KK Slider song (maybe I should check it hasn’t been removed HAH) and then after that… I’m still gonna keep playing.