A little over a month ago, Nintendo released Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the switch console. With everyone stuck at home, this game completely took off! Many are finding themselves playing it constantly; the adorable characters and overall sweet nature of the game keeping the spirits up in this hard time. Here are some tips and tricks to aid in your gameplay, or just some fun facts to know!
1. You can pop a balloon with the net.
This tip is sort-of useless, but when I found out it became something I greatly appreciated. If you are on a cliff and can see the balloon in front of you, not above you, and hit it with your net, it will drop the gift! I sometimes find this easier than using the slingshot because the aim is more precise. However, it can be rare to find the balloon at the right height.
2. Time traveling to kick out villagers that you don’t like
At first, I found myself against the whole concept of time traveling. But, as villagers moved in that we’re constantly fighting or were not particularly cute, (sorry Gaston), I found myself wanting to hunt for new island friends. The easiest way to do this is first, talk to two or more of your villagers. This can include the one you want to kick out, the process is random so it doesn’t make a difference. Next, set the date and time on your switch 15 days ahead between the hours of 12 pm and 3 pm. This is when your villagers are most likely to be out of their houses and wandering around the island. (NOTE: this will cause a bunch of weeds to accumulate on your island and your flowers to grow! I personally don’t mind this because I clean it up later and sell them for bells. I have also gotten some really cool hybrid flowers this way!) Look for a villager with a thought bubble over their head. If you can’t find one, talk to two or more again, save and exit, and change the date one day forward. Wander around the island again in search of the thought bubble! If one doesn’t appear or if it appears on a villager you don’t want to leave, simply tell them to stay and repeat the process again.
3. Daily DIY’s
Throughout the day, three different villagers on your island will be crafting in their homes. This will occur at three different times throughout the day. If you enter their homes and talk to them, they will give you the DIY recipe that they are crafting! This is personally my favorite way to get new DIY’s because it forces me to check in with my villagers that aren’t out and about. (It is so sad when they think you are ignoring them!)
4. Ask K.K. Slider to perform on Saturdays!
If you have already completed the portion of the game that invites K.K. Slider to your island, he will now come once a week on Saturdays! If you ask him to perform, (he only takes requests starting at 6 pm), he will ask you a few questions and play a piece for you and whatever villagers are in the plaza. At the end of his performance, he will give you a copy of the song he played! This can be played on any radio, stereo, jukebox, or record player on your island, and is a great way to diversify what you hear while playing.
5. Talk to Sable every day
When I first went into the Able Sisters tailor shop, Sable wanted NOTHING to do with me. She simply kept telling me that she was busy at her sewing machine and brushed me off. However, I was curious to see if I could ever get through to her, and I did! There is a HUGE perk of becoming her friend; not only is she actually incredibly sweet, but she will also give you patterns to customize furniture that you have crafted! I love all the patterns that she has given me over time, and they really help to personalize everything on my island.
6. Fruit gives you superpowers!
This trick has been by far the most useful that I have come across. If you eat any type of fruit or one bundle of turnips, you will gain super strength! 1 of these will help you entirely dig up one tree or break one rock. While I don’t use this on my own island, I do use it when I travel to the mystery ones. One mystery island has an area surrounded by water – the only thing that is on the land there is rocks. These rocks contain bags of bells and if you break them you can pick them up! Extra bells are always a great thing, and being able to move trees around makes decorating easier!
7. Invite your friends to your island!
This isn’t exactly a fun trick, but it is something that I have really loved doing while playing. I have hopped on facetime numerous times with a few of my close friends and had them come visit my island. I introduced them to my villagers, gave them a tour of my island, and had fishing competitions! It’s a really great way for us to connect, especially when we can’t actually be together in person and there isn’t a whole lot to talk about when you’ve been stuck at home for weeks.