How To Enjoy ACNH Again?

[pawpatrolbab]

My parnter and I's 5 years anniversary is coming up (only relevant because we met / began talking on these forums) which has had me thinking about Animal Crossing and TBT in general again. For some reason I've really dropped off of New Horizons and I'm not sure why. I've played every instilation of Animal Crossing (except City Folk) and never felt bored or stopped playing them, I mean I played New Leaf since the day it came out every day up until 2017. But New Horizons has only been out for a year and I'm struggling to find enjoyment within the game - my partner is in the exact same position that I am.

Does anyone have any advice on how to "get into" or enjoy the game again?
Previously when I felt "tired" or uninterested in previous games I would just restart, something I highly regretted doing later. I promised I would never do that again.
I have no interest in terraforming, I completely flattened my island at the beggining and wish I could go back. Atm it feels like the good is only meant for decorating which is a main struggle.
I have all of the fossils in the museum.

 

[vixenvertigo]

Personally when I get tired of the game I take a little break, maybe just checking in with my fav villagers and getting the daily check in nook miles. But other than that I won't play. On the other hand I'm someone who loves decorating their island, I haven't even caught all the fish and bugs yet because I just don't prioritize that or care.

I played NL first so I was also a little apprehensive to terraform! I decorated my island a lot before I had even an inkling to terraform. I had seen a video of someone else's island and got inspo. Maybe you can try something with rivers if you aren't interested in terraforming cliffs.

I also see a lot islands decorate within a theme or even modeled after real life places or other places in media. If you have trouble decorating maybe you can aim for something like that? Whenever I get into a funk I also find that visiting dream addresses helps out a lot

 

[WaileaNoRei]

My sincere advice to you would be to not force yourself to play, or try to force yourself to enjoy the game.

there does not have to be something wrong with you or the game or the way you are playing or anything for you to not enjoy playing it or give up on it. I think a lot of heartache and dissatisfaction comes from the idea that if you can’t get into something then something is wrong.

I think trying to force yourself to play when you don’t want to or are bored sounds like a way to ensure you dislike it.

If you do want to persevere with it I would say to take any pressure you feel way way off. If you don’t like terraforming, then don’t do it (I have not done much, myself)

if you made a lot of rules for your game play, like a restrictive theme, or a ‘no time travel’ rule, or tried to complete the whole critterpedia in a month then reverse those rules.

And personally I would avoid social media/ YouTube concerning the game. A lot of the content seems to be a highly prescriptive way to play that puts a performative pressure into the game that does not need to be there. It also adds this idea that you need to be doing everything to the max like completing everything at lightning speed, finding only the perfect villagers right away, decorating for 1000 hours…(I think this was something much less around when previous games came out too.)

And at the end of the day, if you don’t like the game, then that is okay! You can quit, or quit for now and come back someday.

I say all this as someone who loves the game and thinks it is absolutely the best - not because I want to discourage your or others from playing! but it is just a game, and meant to be fun, not a chore. If I was not enjoying it anymore I would 100% just not play again until I felt like it. Forcing myself to play/ enjoy would kill it for me.

 

[Aquilla]

Hmm I'm in a bit of a slump myself... All I can tell you is to try and not "stress" over not wanting to play. NH came out at a time where a lot of people suddenly had quite a lot of time to play and needed the distraction. As a result, a lot of folks may have played many more hours a day/week then they'd usually do, finishing big milestones like the museum quicker. It's natural to feel burned out after a while at that pace. There were also a lot of updates that kept the game interesting.

What I've been doing is I just played some other games for now. I even went back to very old Nintendo games I liked as a kid. It helps to distract me. Don't force yourself to play if you don't really feel like it! Maybe it could also help to just pick a small space and start from there? It can be daunting to think of the whole island at once.

One last thing I'd recommend is reading the entries in the ACNH appreciation thread. It sometimes makes me want to play again after reading some of the comments there

Overall, a game is there for you to enjoy it. If you feel like you don't want to play it for now, that's totally fine! You don't have to! Maybe you need a long break, so don't feel bad for taking one!

 

[texas toast]

I'm in a little bit of a slump too and I've found that I've enjoyed going back and catching all the fish, bugs and sea creatures I'm missing from not playing! It kinda gives me a goal and it's something that I have to think too hard on I just figure out what I need to get and try to find them!

 

[Etown20]

The main reason I have been playing recently is to meet new villagers. Every two weeks or so when I get a new villager, there's a period where I enjoy logging on just to gift them some clothes that look good on them or furniture that fits their house.

Other than that, I agree with what others have said about trying not to force enjoyment. I'm new to Animal Crossing, but I've had this experience with games in other series where I was really into previous installments and then my interest waned with later installments.

While it's true NH is missing some of the features from NL, I think sometimes the burnout comes from the games being too similar. For people who have put a lot of hours into New Leaf and don't enjoy terraforming, there's not much gameplay that is "new" or different to recommend in NH.

 

[LuchaSloth]

If you don't have any interest in terraforming or decorating...then you are probably just finished with the game, tbh. I don't know what people would spend their time doing if they didn't care about those things. Luckily, I obsess over the fine details of island design. So, even when I get bored (which I do)...it's only a matter of time before I come back and get obsessed with island design again.

 

[Jaco]

My parnter and I's 5 years anniversary is coming up (only relevant because we met / began talking on these forums) which has had me thinking about Animal Crossing and TBT in general again. For some reason I've really dropped off of New Horizons and I'm not sure why. I've played every instilation of Animal Crossing (except City Folk) and never felt bored or stopped playing them, I mean I played New Leaf since the day it came out every day up until 2017. But New Horizons has only been out for a year and I'm struggling to find enjoyment within the game - my partner is in the exact same position that I am.

Large parts of my island are dedicated to seasonal items and decorations. I have to at least update some custom designs at least bi-weekly to keep up, and I like to keep my dream current for surprise visitors.

But I agree with the other posters. If you don't enjoy playing NH anymore, you don't have to force yourself to play it.

 

[Dunquixote]

I think I made a post about this recently in another thread. Not much has changed since then. I’m also in a slump and have been taking frequent breaks. I have tried substituting items for my ideas and improvising as best as I could with what we have and now have not been able to come up with anything else. I sometimes would go to Harv’s studio (used to go every day) to mess around with the furniture, also to come out with funny outfits to make it interesting. That too has honestly lost its appeal. I feel like a lot of the items are random knick knacks. I know people have been able to make a lot out of simple panels and such, but I don’t like following trends and like to make something different and out of the box. Plus I already am using quite a bit simple panels and don’t want the lag from having so much stuff on the island. I really want to play, but I feel uninspired by the stuff in the game so, for now i have put it aside and moved on to pocket camp and other things. Nothing I can do but wait and see if there is going to be a big update or nothing.

I think as the others said, to take a break and just play it when you feel like it. No point trying to force yourself to play something that you’re not having fun with.

 

[Moritz]

If I get bored I change my villagers and its like starting over again. Its my go to way to get excited for the game

 

[BluebearL]

My advice would be that you don't have to! It doesn't have to be another game you play every day for years. While that was a great experience with New Leaf, you can't change the fact that you don't have the same desire to do so with New Horizons. Look at playing other games on the switch, perhaps something in a similar genre. There are tons of brilliant games out there to play to fill that hole and I am sure that over time you will find yourself checking back into NH even if you're not an everyday player. It's one game, if you are feeling done with it then embrace that and enjoy new things.

 

[-Blue-]

I wouldn't force yourself to play the game to like it. I've never had fun when forcing myself to do something. I force myself to do school work, chores, and work in general. Not all the time, but like there could be a task I would be putting off and would have to force myself to get it done.

Reggie (the old Nintendo president) once said something along the lines of 'If you're not having fun, why bother?' If you want to play with your partner to relive that moment and aren't have fun with NH, why not try one of the older games?

 

[. Rarity .]

I wouldnt reccomend restarting, because then you have to go through the whole process again, and it might make you more bored, even if you have fresh faces

I entertain myself in different ways, mainly decorating, but also having fun with my villagers. As if you are at a high level they may ask to play games, or give you names. You can also do things with them. I've entertained myself alot by playing pranks on them, confusing them by changing my look. Theres many ways to entertain yourself with who you have.

You could also, if you haven't, try to get everyone's photo. Another way I'm entertaining myself is on Harv's island, making mini movies, random sets like cafes or more. With alot of items it really expands your options.
---
Maybe trying out new activities like the ones above would entertain you. This game is about creativity, but also bonding, trust me. Things really change if you have high friendship, some new dialogue too.

But yes. If you want to get back into it, try to work with what you have, and look beyond the decorating. That's my advice,

 

[xxcodexx]

i know that youre bored with the game...but it might be kind of cute if someone had a wedding scene in their village and you guys renewed our vows on it, on your anniversary. i would surely go to that just because it would be adorable lol

i wish they had allowed you to have more than one island, like they did in new leaf. i finished one town in new leaf then i got another game card and created another one, and then another...i now have 5 towns in that game. they should allow that *ahem nintendo!!!*

 

[pawpatrolbab]

Just posting a general comment since there's a lot of replies and just think this would be easier!

I have no interest in terraforming because at the start of the game I flattened my whole island (and regretted it later) -I've tried my best to get it back to how it was at the start from memory so I don't want to change that up! I absolutely love decorating, but it seems like that's all there is to do on the game and that's mainly what I'm struggling with. Atm I'm still doing my town and trying to re-do my house.

It's not that I'm bored with the game or don't have fun I'm just looking for some activity suggestions that aren't related to decorating. Since once of my main struggles is that I can't seem to find much else to do other than decorate.

I think I'll try and figure out what bugs and fish I'm missing from what seasons and go about catching them. Time travel isn't something I want to do so it will give me a reason to play each month. I didn't even realize that there was friendship levels in New Horizons, especially so much so that it changed up the dialogue. A big problem for me is getting repeating dialogue from my villagers so I think that will help a lot!

Thankyou so much for all the suggestions <3

 

[-Blue-]

Just posting a general comment since there's a lot of replies and just think this would be easier!

I have no interest in terraforming because at the start of the game I flattened my whole island (and regretted it later) -I've tried my best to get it back to how it was at the start from memory so I don't want to change that up! I absolutely love decorating, but it seems like that's all there is to do on the game and that's mainly what I'm struggling with. Atm I'm still doing my town and trying to re-do my house.

It's not that I'm bored with the game or don't have fun I'm just looking for some activity suggestions that aren't related to decorating. Since once of my main struggles is that I can't seem to find much else to do other than decorate.

I think I'll try and figure out what bugs and fish I'm missing from what seasons and go about catching them. Time travel isn't something I want to do so it will give me a reason to play each month. I didn't even realize that there was friendship levels in New Horizons, especially so much so that it changed up the dialogue. A big problem for me is getting repeating dialogue from my villagers so I think that will help a lot!

Thankyou so much for all the suggestions <3

NH has pretty much put everything else on the backburner to focus on designing. So if you're looking for other stuff to do besides that, you'll have more of a difficult time 'enjoying' the game for what it is. It's one of the reasons why I take pretty frequent breaks. You can play the events, catch different critters, go island hopping, chat with villagers, but you won't be able to get as much mileage out of it as you would with all the designing aspects.

 

[BoonyBoo]

When getting bored of Animal Crossing, I just do things that'll help my mind gain interest in it again.

Usually, this is by drawing pictures of the villagers on my island and making headcannons about them

 

[RollingAntony]

Just posting a general comment since there's a lot of replies and just think this would be easier!

I have no interest in terraforming because at the start of the game I flattened my whole island (and regretted it later) -I've tried my best to get it back to how it was at the start from memory so I don't want to change that up! I absolutely love decorating, but it seems like that's all there is to do on the game and that's mainly what I'm struggling with. Atm I'm still doing my town and trying to re-do my house.

It's not that I'm bored with the game or don't have fun I'm just looking for some activity suggestions that aren't related to decorating. Since once of my main struggles is that I can't seem to find much else to do other than decorate.

I think I'll try and figure out what bugs and fish I'm missing from what seasons and go about catching them. Time travel isn't something I want to do so it will give me a reason to play each month. I didn't even realize that there was friendship levels in New Horizons, especially so much so that it changed up the dialogue. A big problem for me is getting repeating dialogue from my villagers so I think that will help a lot!

Thankyou so much for all the suggestions <3

Here are some things you can do that don't involve decorating/"terraforming"- I don't know if you have achieved all these goals, apologies if you have done them!

a) Grow all the flowers
NH has the biggest amount of breedable flowers, with the amount of colors and complex breeding system making it a very nice goal to achieve. The different species have from 6 to 9 colors you can get, and they have have the additional purpose of being resources needed for crafting lots of items.

b) Get photos from your neighbors
You can either get all 10 from your dreamies (if you have them) or make the absolute madman goal of getting all 397 photos. The repeating dialogue you mention may have been related to the weird "order" system this game has, where you need to talk constantly (4-5 times per day) to your neighbors in order to get more "interesting" and "varied" lines- this has been fixed with the latest update, and it's easier and faster than ever to get through the "contextual" dialogue (1-2 times). This also has the side-effect of letting you get requests from them faster. Oh and some reactions are tied to your friendship level, so you may also want to get those.

c) Complete the critterpedia/complete the museum
With 200 different creatures to catch, 55 pieces of art and lots of fossils, this is a gargantuan and fun task (except maybe 100% the art wing as Redd is a bit hard). Many creatures feature different tanks/cages, so it's also nice to collect 'em all; and almost all the diving creatures have tiny special animations when they are inside their tanks! If you want to go even further, there are 160 furniture items locked behind the fishing and bug catching activities so that's another goal you can go for- instead of only needing to catch 1 of each fish/bug, this game incentivizes you to catch 4 of each (5 if you want to keep one with you if you want to re-read Blather's dialogue). Those very rare fish/bugs make this task very challenging.

d) Complete your catalog
There are thousands of items. There are thousands of color variants. You can either go the easy way and catalog everything from other users, or try the hard way of getting almost all of them by yourself. If you go for the second one, be sure to shake your trees everyday to get the guaranteed 2 items and visit Mystery Islands to get other items there. The catalog of this game is not only limited to items bought from shops and items received from special NPC's- this game also has you get all the DIY recipes and the resources needed to craft them. You may have gotten the Blue Rose Wreath DIY and the Golden Casket DIY, but if you don't have blue roses and few gold, you need to get those in order to truly get all items.

e) Complete all the Nook Miles Stamps
This is an activity that takes years to complete. Even if you don't need Nook Miles, you are also getting the new titles to be used for your passport and ymmv if you find satisfying to get all of them marked as complete. Some of the miles are a bit grindy, but you don't need to go full-out grind, you can go at them little by little. Don't force yourself to craft 500 tools on one day in order to get the 3,000 needed- craft 5-10 daily and more when you're feeling it and the progress will go up slowly but surely.


I don't really know what you were doing on NL, maybe there is an equivalent on NH that you are missing. If not, I hope those activities are something you can get behind and enjoy! And like others have said, take a break if you need it.

 

[KittenNoir]

I want to servilely change my island up but I have no motivation and no more online membership so I can not use the online thing to view custom designs How do other players find motivation to play?