After being out for over two years, and without any major update in nine months, many Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have grown bored with their islands and the game, which is why it is time to go full scorched earth and restart. Nintendo announced that the Version 2.0 update would be the last major update for the game. It was also announced that the Happy Home Paradise DLC would be the first and only paid DLC for the latest game in the Animal Crossing franchise.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the fifth main Animal Crossing game in the franchise, which also had a few spinoff games and even a mobile title. New Horizons was released in March 2020 and became immensely popular in part due to the pandemic requiring many people to quarantine. The game created an escape for many during an especially difficult time and is still played by many fans to this day.
While many players of Animal Crossing: New Horizons are attached to their current island, a lack of updates has led to both boredom and burnout with the game, which is the best reason to restart completely. While Animal Crossing games cannot be “won,” many players may feel that their island, Critterpedia, and achievements are complete, and they are left with nothing else to do. Flattening an Animal Crossing island in order to redesign is also a tedious and time-consuming task.
Restarting Your ACNH Island Is Worth The Risk
Completely deleting a save file in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be stressful, as the player will likely lose all of their hard work, but it has its rewards too. After having created an island once, there are mistakes ACNH players can avoid the second time around, whether it’s their island layout, their villagers, or even how quickly they progress. While players will lose everything they have done, as Nintendo does not allow multiple save files, they will get to start fresh and experience the game with a new perspective.
There are some warnings players need to heed when restarting though. The very beginning of the game is extremely verbose and a bit tedious. Players may find themselves spamming the “B” button to get through some dialog quicker. Players who are looking forward to designing their island more with terraforming will also need to remember that they have to hit three stars first, which can take some time; however, some Animal Crossing players may time-travel to speed things up. Players may also find it helpful to store some of their more important items with a friend before restarting or using other resources available via Discord servers or other social media.
Restarting Animal Crossing: New Horizons can help players rediscover their love of the game by starting fresh and trying something different. While it may seem overwhelming at first, restarting gives players a reason to play the game again and experience new things. Until Nintendo gives any news about the next Animal Crossing game in the series, restarting is the closest players can come to something new.
