Should I Take A Break From NH?

[hzl]

Spoiler

Hey all, I'm sitting here and debating whether or not I should step back and take a break from NH. Truth be told, the game is frustrating me...a lot. I think the addition of terraforming was one of the worst decisions that AC has ever made. Don't get me wrong, people can terraform truly BEAUTIFUL islands...but that's why I don't like it. No matter how hard I try, it's just never good enough for me and I find myself more frustrated with the game than I am entertained. I just can't make my island look how I want it to. I'm sick of resetting, sick of asking people to hold my stuff for me, and sick of finding villagers again. Each and every reset I tell myself I'm going to like this island, but I never do. It's really just...getting to me. I try to find ideas, go on Pinterest or Google, and end up feeling lousy and incompetent because I stink at terraforming.

Should I take a break from NH and focus on simpler games like New Leaf? Or should I just try to make this island work and deal with it? Or should I just start a new island and do it with just paths and no cliff/water terraforming?

agh! I totally agree - I am too much of a perfectionist to be able to enjoy the whole terraforming aspect of it without getting frustrated!
I've been taking a break since Nov 2019 - I briefly jumped on to transfer all my stuff to my partners island so I can do a reset (I tried so many times to terraform around the plaza that was placed right behind the airport + 2 south rivers but to no avail) but haven't played since transferring about half of my stuff.

Definitely take a break - it seems like you are wanting to. If you come back my suggestion would be only do it if you find yourself having a great urge to play and if you do - don't go into it too seriously and definitely try not to compare to other people's islands! (my downfalls which probably apply to a lot of people).

I do hope you find your love for the game again at some point <3

 

[Kg1595]

Whether you take a step back or not is entirely up to you. Sometimes a break is good simply to regroup and think what you’d like to do next. Think about what aspects of the game you do enjoy— could you reset and focus on those over terraforming? You mentioned going back to the simpler days of New Leaf, which had no terraforming. That’s a possibility, but it is possible to play ACNH without terraforming AND have a nice play experience.

I play without terraforming (I have literally only changed one block that was in my way building a ramp and that is it). Sure, I don’t have a million waterfalls and hills everywhere, but I enjoy my island and don’t regret not going the terraform route. Are there things I don’t like about my island? Sure there are— flowers/bushes that I swap out if they don’t feel right, whether I should move a tree, etc. However, these are a bit more manageable than terraforming, which although not permanent, requires a lot of effort and is difficult to undo if things don’t work.

Whatever you choose, remember it is a game at the end of the day— if it is not enjoyable and entertaining, than it is not doing its job. Put it down and take a break until you feel like you can enjoy it.

 

[Bluebellie]

I think a break is always good. I’ve been struggling a lot in new horizons as well, and took a small break while the camp event started. I played a little bit yesterday, and I had all sorts of ideas. I think it helped that I was coming in with fresh eyes and a fresh mind after the break. It helped me overcome some brain block.

 

[Dracule]

from my perspective, one of the biggest the differences in this game from previous games isn’t within the game itself, but the prevalence of social media, which makes people feel a lot of pressure to play the game in a certain way, which is often artificial, rushed, and focused on what other people like.

I think the relaxing, open game play is still very much there in the game, but social media culture tends to thrive on feeding dissatisfaction and setting unrealistic standards.

This is SO true. I remember breaking down my island completely not long after seeing the rise in ACNH influencers and their use of majorly terraformed islands. I think for me, I was already unsatisfied with my island, and so this made me make the decision to “restart” in a sense (I probably would’ve stuck with my original island if I hadn’t seen these videos and pictures.) So, social media does play a huge role in how others feel about their islands. I don’t remember this amount of insecurity or dissatisfaction from people’s ACNL towns. I still follow a lot of ACNH accounts on YouTube and Instagram, but I’ve learned to disassociate it from my current island, because overall I’m much happier with it than with my first attempt. It’s not easy at all to get to that point though. :u

 

[your local goomy]

Tbh I do kinda miss when AC was more of a niche thing in western markets, like you barely heard about NL when it was out...but with NH it gets so much marketing and I strongly dislike the fact that irl companies and the like are injecting their stuff into AC. It just feels kinda wrong to me. Not to mention the political stuff. I'm politically neutral for religious reasons and I have nothing against him personally, but Joe Biden seriously didn't need an AC island for his campaign. But that's just me :/

I mean, it's not the game's fault or anything. To me it's just unfortunate that AC became the way it is.

 

[MelonPanIsland]

I have been in the very same boat as you. At first, the only reason I wanted K.K. Slider to come to my island was so that I can use the construction app but it really was beginning to become frustrating me. It took me a few days just to complete the island layout then I had to spend over 2MIL Bells just move things around. If it wasn’t for my best friend I would not have finished it.

Sometimes it is REALLY important just to take a break so you can always come back to it in better spirits and continue to enjoy it. We certainly don’t want you to hate the game and regret buying it (because $60 is a lot…). We want you to get your money’s worth.
Finally, your mental health should always come first in any circumstance. Please take a break, luv!

 

[CL4P-L3K]

Absolutely. It’s just a game. Put it on the back shelf and let go of the stress. Take the time to figure out what you really want from this game. Perfection will never happen and you’ll only find disappointment and stress if you keep trying to get it.

My advice? Take a break, then find an island you like the overall shape off. Just touch it up with landscaping, don’t remake it. Change some edges, center some ramps, then put the landscaping away and RELAX. Go talk to Rosie. She’s super into whatever your island already looks like.

 

[Brookie]

Tbh I do kinda miss when AC was more of a niche thing in western markets, like you barely heard about NL when it was out...but with NH it gets so much marketing and I strongly dislike the fact that irl companies and the like are injecting their stuff into AC. It just feels kinda wrong to me. Not to mention the political stuff. I'm politically neutral for religious reasons and I have nothing against him personally, but Joe Biden seriously didn't need an AC island for his campaign. But that's just me :/

I mean, it's not the game's fault or anything. To me it's just unfortunate that AC became the way it is.

Hold up. Joe Biden had an ANIMAL CROSSING ISLAND for his campaign? That's strange, weird, and ridiculous imo. AC does not belong in politics.

 

[your local goomy]

Hold up. Joe Biden had an ANIMAL CROSSING ISLAND for his campaign? That's strange, weird, and ridiculous imo. AC does not belong in politics.

Not sure if he made it himself or members of his campaign did, but nonetheless it is a bit over-the-top.

 

[Pig-Pen]

NO! lol...

 

[Disneyfangirl23]

It’s up to you but I wouldn’t take a break because I still have a lot to do

 

[Sweetley]

If you're feel burned out from the game, then it's always good to take a break, it's not worth spending time in something which doesn't give you any joy. I have a similar issue right now where I have zero motivation in playing it because I don't know what to do and the fun is also pretty much gone at the moment, therefore I took a break and it's works quite good for me. Don't put yourself in so much in stress because of a video game, take a break and maybe play a game which is less frustrating for you. You can always come back to NH when you think it's worth playing it again.

 

[floatingzoo]

I took a break from New Horizons and returned to New Leaf which was really nice! I returned to New Horizons after a bit, and enjoyed the decorating and all of its charms as well. I also get overwhelmed with terraforming. I recently saw a few islands online that are not terraformed at all! They are still absolutely beautiful and creative. They remind me of New Leaf towns -- just with more items outside. It shows that you can have fun and create a cute island without using the at times tedious terraforming tool! (Try saying that three times fast .)

 

[KittenNoir]

I found that even just taking a month off playing new horizons can relax you and give to time to think about what you want for your island and what you want to do to your island. It is especially good when your like me and your stressing out about terraforming and designing your island.