My First Island on Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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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!

Boffos for life, Vesta. Boffos 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.
I like to think that Cheri and Filbert are related. They're not -- but still.

Special mention: Static

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
Sam1, a portmanteau for someone, is an aspiring novelist in the romance, comedy, and horror genre. He is a university graduate with a degree in Business Administration and Applied Computer Science. He is an indie game-developer on itch.io and also an avid gamer. He currently works as an Exams and Adaptive Technology Coordinator.

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