Can I Face My Animal Crossing Villagers After Years Away?

With the release of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 I’m having an existential crisis about facing my Animal Crossing friends. Yes, like most people who needed an escape during lockdown, I found comfort and community through playing New Horizons. I was able to hang out with my best friend who lives in Japan and so many others through late night hours of anxiety as we all went through it. The squabbles with my fellow villagers and doing capitalism lite thanks to one island czar by way of Tom Nook, who with his Jimmy Buffett tropical vacation vibes made it easier to want to earn and spend bells. Did I need an brick pizza oven and a flatscreen in my Venetian maximalist cottage? Yes, obviously. I developed surprisingly endearing friendships with my villagers. Pashmina was my first neighbor; initially, we hated each other but over time warmed up after months of sabotaging each others’ homes. We recruited some rare friends on our orange grove little plot of land in the sea, and made so many ... Read full article.