Bite the bullet
I found a lot of inspiration online but there was a common theme. Most islands had an orchard. I wanted my island to feel untamed and an orchard was far from that. The way I felt about a lot of things changed with the farming update. I set up a pumpkin farm and an orchard followed. The wonderful thing about AC:NH is that the entire island is modifiable (well most of it) at any time. I demolished a few paths, set up some fencing and voilà, I had a little farm. And now my island mirrors a bit of my real life. We have a lot of forests and a lot of farms here!

Cozy spaces
I wanted small spaces around the island to tell a specific story. I don’t keep my villagers for too long because I want them to spread their wings. But definitely are some who love the island too much to leave it! But for those who are new to the island… What would it have to offer them? I created cozy spaces to help tell a story. My favorite spot is right next to the stores. It’s a small area with vending machines and places to sit. No one has ever used it yet… But I love how it turned out. I’d love to replace the green machine with a white one but I don’t have someone to trade with!

Filled out empty areas
And it’s rare that I trade with other players. Reaching out to other players scared me. So every morning I visited the store to see if there was something new to buy. I used what I had in the space I had to work with. And each month there’s been an increase of new and magical items. The Halloween event just ended in October and now I have tons of pumpkin themed items now. Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming soon too!

Message preserved
In the beginning, I didn’t want to mess with too much because I loved how natural it was. As a result, I wanted it always feel organic. And it still is. In a way my island is an extension of me and who I am. I change everyday, as does my island. Sometimes the change is an improvement and other times it’s not. But it’s always there, right where I left it. And that’s important to me because the world is a scary place right now. For a few hours I can forget about what triggers my anxiety and I can listen to the waves on the beach.

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I’m still playing though! I love the laid back feel of it and the idea that you should play a bit daily. I don’t time travel and I don’t have any friends to play with so every day there’s something new to discover. And with the free updates that keep coming, it’s hard for me to play anything else on my Switch.

As August is right around the corner, I thought it would be nice to finally share my island. It’s a 4 star location littered too many trees and weeds. Most of it is still under construction but I didn’t want to change much of the original island. I’ve kept much of it as is and I’m working to preserve the original feel of it. It’s a digital space that I sometimes visit to walk around and be quiet for a time.

The villagers are sweet, never bound in place, and always fun to talk to. When one moves out I go out island hopping to find another. I never reject a villager because there are over 400 to meet. I’d like to read all their dialogue because they all have something fun and unique to say. It’s funny that I keep ending up with Peppy villagers though… I’ve only had one Cranky one too! Coco is the newest addition to the family and I’m so happy to have her!

So allow me to introduce you to Rapture.

Rapture was the name of my first New Leaf town. I named it after the underwater city featured in Bioshock. I flew the city flag above my town house and I was so happy to spend my time there. I’ve never been a social person or gamer so it was great to get into bed and play Animal Crossing New Leaf for hours. What made me sad was that I couldn’t have a natural looking town. The perfectionist in me wanted paved roads, strict structure and that left little room to be wild or free.

I wanted to keep my island as close to when I got it as I could in New Horizons. I’ve only made little changes here and there. The most structured area I have is my little neighborhood which has all 10 houses in 2 neat rows.

I wanted to keep the “town” as small as I could. The shopping district sits before the homes so that everything is tight. My favorite time to play is 7pm. The lighting is brilliant, the music is beautiful and it’s the only time I can hop on! I’ve been a bit busier than usual so after dinner is when I can play for a bit.

The Orchard Walk is another area I’ve worked. I have a long, winding path that goes up onto the cliffs for a view of the ocean. Fruit trees line the path so that if you get hungry you can stop and pick something! I’d like to fill in all the empty space with flowers but I’m too lazy to water them!

Right below this walk is the Japanese Garden. I know everyone has one, but with so many Japanese themed items, how could I not!? It’s my favorite place to hang out and is the most developed part of my island. It’s got two waterfalls and a ton of Tanabata Trees. Tanabata is a Japanese celebration where 2 lovers, separated by the Milky Way, reunite once a year. People write and tie wishes to bamboo trees in the hope that they come true. I like to think of this space as a magical place.

Many of the other locations are bare and still in progress but I love them all the same.

I made the last payment on my home last week too! It wasn’t too difficult and playing the Stock Market was a huge help in doing it. Now I can save money for big ticket items and any future stores that may come. I hope that Gracie will return! I loved her high end fashion and that Bow Hair Wig!

My house might be huge but it’s mostly empty. Right now I have the summer stuff up and a few uh… Visitors. I have a strange obsession with Sunfish! I can’t stop looking at them!

That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed the few pieces of my island that I enjoy the most. It will never be perfect and it will never be a 5 star island and I love that idea very much. For the first time in my life I’ve allowed myself to ignore the bite of perfectionism.

The post My Animal Crossing New Horizons Island Tour appeared first on A Daily Lee.

Easy to Pick Up
The game is easy to fall into. In all cases, you’re relocating to a new place and the story follows your travels. You buy a home, decorate it, talk with the cute animals and play as you want. There’s no pressure into paying for your house. You can water the flowers each day in your own garden. You might want to design custom clothing. What if you want to be best friends with all the animals in the game? And there is a beautiful museum that relies on you filling it up. The options are endless in this game. In New Horizons you move to a deserted island and build it up into whatever you want it to be.

Carefree Living
Oh man, I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to take a walk on the beach. Sure it’s not a real beach but when your feet hit that digital sand, the music dims and all you can hear are ocean waves. It’s been ages since we went to the beach and we might not even get the chance to this year. The newest way to decote the island, is by getting items and placing them on the outdoor ground. Before you’d have to limit these items to indoor use. Now you can put a bonfire on the beach or put a hammock by the river. The possibilities are endless!

Calming Music
If you’ve never heard the Animal Crossing soundtrack, stop right now and head to Youtube. Play a few songs. I love the 7pm song and it brings back such nostalgic feelings. The songs change hourly and bring such a flavor to the game. I would love to wander through the trees on summer evenings and listen to the in game music. I’m a terrible night owl and some of the nighttime music is gorgeous. Of course the day time songs are as charming!

Friendly Neighbors
I love the animals that you meet on your travels. I’ve got a handful of favorites that kept me company on late nights. I hope that someday I can meet them again in my game! All the neighbors are random but there are methods of getting your favorites. It’s worth it to log into the game each day and be greeted by a familiar face. In these times, it’s so good to see a familiar face when we’re on lock down. They all have unique and special dialogue too, so it’s not like talking to a brick wall.

Adorable Fashion
I used to spend hours staring at the tiny pixels on my screen to get a skirt design right. I haven’t gotten to make new clothing yet but I love that we get the option to do so. The series has a way to make your character much more personal than it already is. Have a favorite outfit you can’t live without? You can make it in game. I wore a school uniform in my last game. It was a super adorable one that looked like what I wore in high school. Sometimes I reminisce on fond memories and think about how far I’ve come in life. It’s not much but the create a style in Animal Crossing makes me smile from ear to ear.

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