Did YOU find ACNH to be a chill game?

[Silkfawn]

I'm wondering.

It seems that AC is known to be a very chill and relaxing game due to its non competitive nature, but I can't help but notice that a lot of people feel overwhelmed, even insecure about their islands.

I understand that being competitive is part of human nature, and despite AC being a non competitive game, people still compare their islands to others and strive to have an island worthy of praise.

Some people even went s far as leaving the game because they didn't find it as relaxing as they thought, in fact it increased their anxiety.

What's your personal experience with this?

 

[meggiewes]

I find it to be rather chill. The only times I feel overwhelmed is when I'm trying to do something and it just isn't working. But, I also like challenging myself to improve my design process (with landscaping and custom designs), so I really bring it on myself. But, I do know my limits and I know when to take a break. The best part about New Horizons is that I feel absolutely no pressure to play it daily because villagers won't move out unless I give them approval and they don't move in randomly, so I don't have to worry about that.

 

[Pintuition]

I find it to vary depending on the day. In the past I've been stressed out about terraforming projects or making things nice. Now I much prefer to just relax and have a good time hanging out with my friends and doing my daily tasks. The game is kind of what you make it in that way, either you let yourself have fun or get bogged down by stress.

 

[mermaidshelf]

I find this game to be less chill than previous main titles but it's not as bad as Pocket Camp, which by far the worst in terms of stress. I think once I've finished more of my collections and have more of my homes and island decorated, it'll be more relaxing again.

 

[Sheydra]

I find it extremely chill, having played a few other ac. I think the best way to go about it is to remember you don’t need to do everything right now. Relax and just kiNDA let your island grow.

 

[tajikey]

The rush of new seasons and new recipes brought along the stress of shooting down countless numbers of balloons to finish the rolodex, but other than that, the game is very chill for me. I am at a point where my only tasks are gifting villagers in an effort to obtain photos, and then cycling through villagers via campsite or island hopping for some fresh faces.

If I let the design ideas of other island reps dictate the quality of my work, I'd feel inferior and frequently let down.

 

[Jam86]

i think it was
terraforming didn't annoy me too much, i really like decorating and it's nice seeing my villagers everyday
completing my museum and balloon hunting was pretty stressful though haha

tbh new leaf was more relaxing to me because i didn't really do much on it tbh
i just logged in and ran around listening to the hourly music lol

but yeah, NH is a pretty chill game too

 

[ForeverSoaring]

The game itself is very chill—it’s people’s expectations for themselves, and the external pressure of some other community members that can cause stress. For some people that adds to the fun, but for others, it’s a good reason to take a break from the internet for awhile. Just work at whatever pace feels comfortable for you! c:

 

[NatsumiSummer]

The game to me is very chill. I rarely ever compare my island to other people's. I just enjoy mine, and whenever I do visit someone else's island (whether it be through the dreams feature or by visiting their island directly,) I just enjoy my time, and I never take anything as a serious critique against my creative skill with the game.

 

[John Wick]

I find it's the opposite of chill.

It's one giant grind.

Every single thing in the game.
Constantly gathering materials and tools breaking.

It's not a fun game.
They've removed the fun and replaced it with dread.

I avoid the activities I used to enjoy in previous fun titles, because It's become an OCD to customize tools after every use so they don't break, so I just don't fish or catch bugs.
They've killed the joy.

It usually takes a few years for me to feel like it's time to quit because it's become a chore.

It's took three days with NH.

The only reason I haven't quit is because I keep holding on to that shred of hope, that certain items and features, will return.

That's my feeling and opinion on this.

 

[charmingpeach]

In all honesty, I find that it isn't. The main stuff that made Animal Crossing chill was the atmosphere, music, the way you could chill and take a walk around the shopping district and making PWP was exciting. With New Horizons, I feel like the music isn't as relaxing, terraforming and designing can be rather stressful and the lack of QOL like the way you have to shop multiple times at Ables and the crafting mechanics really broke that chill for me. Perhaps I might change my mind when I finish my island but I feel like it's so much work and they didn't do much to help the painfully slow progress (like a sandbox mode or something to make it quicker). I really dread terraforming, the other games where you simply focused on taking it slow and getting along with your villagers was definitely more relaxing, but I agree that social media has had its impact in players' enjoyment.

 

[Bluebellie]

I love it but it’s stressful. I don’t remember being so stressed on the previous titles. I have images how I want my island to look, but how it actually turns out is never quite how I want it to look. That’s the stressful part. I guess once my town layout is complete, I can relax and enjoy more.

 

[oak]

I get stressed about having nice island for my dream address but that's something I also stressed over in New Leaf. I updated my dream address even more in NL then I do now in NH. I hate seeing a flower out of place but I think that might just be me.

 

[Raz]

Absolutely. Even more than the previous games in the series. As a long time Sim City player (back when the game was good), I find the process of terraforming incredibly relaxing and fun.

 

[bleached]

Sometimes I find it relaxing, but most of the time I find it pretty stressful D: I get really scared when people visit my island for trades and stuff. I only find the game completely relaxing when I've completely decorated my island, have the popular villagers, completed the museum etc. It's frustrating, but hopefully I'll be able to stop comparing my island to others :]

 

[RollingAntony]

Yes. It's the chill game that people always talked about, I was very pleased to see all the praise was true and I found a new loved franchise. All the QoL updates compared to previous entries make me feel relaxed and erased some of the fears I had about AC.

I don't feel bad about watching other islands or progress, I'm just amazed at all the creativity the game offers. The way the islanders breathe so much life into the island is relaxing in itself; I can sit on the plaza for hours just listening to my neighbors singing K.K. songs, watch how Boots and Bianca airplane-run while avoiding all my palm trees and laugh at my own immaturity when Julia uses a magnifying glass to observe the statue of David and Discobolous.

I don't force myself to play when I don't want to and I don't grind a lot, so I safely avoid stress from terraforming/tools breaking- I enjoy the activities and never have found them tedious.

The only times I may have feel a little less chill/stressed was during the Cherry Blossom balloon hunting, but I soon understood that I didn't need everything at once and I was going to play the game at least a year to experiment it to its fullest. Oh and when I have full-storage issues haha I get stressed that I don't know what I need to sell.

 

[JKDOS]

I think so. I still remember the feeling of coming home from work back in March and playing the early game the rest of the evening. I wish I could experience it again. Now I'm too obsessed over figuring out how I want my map.

 

[Islander]

I do use it to relax, and I try not to stress too much over finding the right things to fill my museum (but it has meant I have missed out on some things I could have caught which is rather annoying). As other posters have said, the constant crafting is annoying though.

 

[BunburyBrianna]

I think it is a chill game! The only issue is that I (being a type-A control freak) am not always chill about the way I play it. I'm working on that!

 

[coldpotato]

I definitely think it's a chill game. It was my main form of stress relief for months. If anything upsetting happened in my life I'd play AC and all of my negative feelings would fade away for a while. About the being insecure about your island thing, how I deal with that is I don't put my island out there for everyone to view and just focus on making it a comfortable place for me and my close family/friends who I know won't judge it harshly. If I put a dream address out there I'd definitely feel a bit anxious but it's not a requirement to have a dream address or anything. I'd say the only anxiety provoking part about playing the game is sometimes having to trade/interact with strangers online, and doing so running into people who try to make this wholesome game not wholesome.