If you are one of the many people stressed about recent events, you should take a vacation. Not just any vacation, a virtual one on a deserted island with a bunch of animals who wander around. 

On Friday, March 20th, Nintendo released the newest version of their hit game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In this game, players move to a deserted island and earn Bells (currency) to upgrade stores, homes and items all in a peaceful world. The game is only available on the Nintendo Switch, which caused the console to be sold out and has increased in price from third-party sellers.

The Animal Crossing saga has been around since 2001. Since then, Nintendo has released many versions of the game, such as Wild World, City Folk,  New Leaf and Pocket Camp. Many people love the franchise because of the characters that come with each version including the famous raccoon Tom Nook who constantly keeps players in debt. 

New Horizons offers more experiences to players than past games. The new crafting concept is the biggest addition to the game which adds more freedom to express yourself into the design of your island.

“I am really enjoying Animal Crossing. I’ve played every version they’ve put out and this one might be my favorite. I really like that you’re on your own island and have to work for everything, as well as the DIY part of the game. I would definitely recommend it to others because it’s a fun way to pass the excessive amount of time we have now,” said senior Meredith Martin.

New fish, insects and fossils have also been added and are so much fun to catch. Overall, this game has really improved since Pocket Camp.

Many players of New Horizons have basically dedicated their lives to the game and are ignoring the world pandemic around them. Who wouldn’t want to hide inside an island with beautiful beaches and palm trees? But good luck finding a Nintendo Switch now.