Your Friend Who Likes Games

I’d like to shoot some praise here to a companion I’ve kept for a better part of the Summer: Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I know I keep trying to define what this blog is, and maybe I should stop doing that and let it be a lot of things… not just one format. But it’s young and growing. Maybe sometimes it’ll be a playlog of a bunch of games, maybe other times it’ll focus on one game like I’ve done before. Maybe I need to stop defining it and let it be what it’ll be. Anyway, this time, the focus is on Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

I’ve been kind of hot and cold with the game, at one point considering returning it but I’ve sort of made a new rule not to sell any games anymore for the sake of preservation. I’m glad I’ve held onto it. It’s proven to be a sense of comfort, a ‘I know exactly what this is’ place to visit with non-threatening gameplay. It’s been great for travel and for family and friend hangs with the 3DS being the size of flip phone.

When I purchased the game, I got to relive an experience I hadn’t in a long time – I got to peel off the plastic from the game’s case. I found an unopened copy at my local Exchange and I realized I haven’t gone through that opening ritual probably since 2019 with early Switch 1 games. It was nice 🙂

I realized quick, that in 2012, Animal Crossing was of the understanding that cute=girl and cool=boy. In New Leaf, when you type in your name, that cat character talking to you on the train comments on your name and then you’re given two dialogue choices. Something along the lines of ‘I know, it’s cool isn’t it?,’ and ‘I know, isn’t it cute?’ I simply liked the ‘isn’t it cute’ option better and my character was then assigned female. I didn’t mind at all, and it wasn’t a cause for a restart, but found it kind of funny how gender was quickly assigned in the game.

I’ve been loving aspects of games that are unique to the 3DS – things that wouldn’t translate in a port… now that I think of it, the two-screen nature of DS and 3DS games may be why they’re not on Nintendo Switch Online? Regardless, in New Leaf, I enjoy and find it very useful to have a consistent map on the bottom of the screen. I bought a stylus to aid the playing of this game too, and it feels great to tap on/select items to sell and exchange when the bottom of the screen changes to that menu. Writing letters feels more like writing letters with a pen-like device in my hand. If you know of any more games that put the bottom screen to use in unique ways, let me know. I’ve been curious about Kirby: Canvas Curse.

Earlier this year, I read the book titled Animal Crossing by Kelsey Lewin. Within, she describes the original intention of Animal Crossing games were to be communication games. And I was surprised to read that she didn’t enjoy Animal Crossing: New Horizons – but she explains why. She writes that New Horizons aims to completely serve the player in the way the villagers are there to respond to you and the island becomes completely yours to customize. Lewin strongly states that this approach is not Animal Crossing. She claims that Animal Crossing was more about living in an established town among villagers that live with or with out you – villagers and land that have their own life and intentions. Arguably, New Leaf begins to get away from that as you obtain the power of mayor and have more choice over the land. But after reading the book, I was more interested in having a simpler Animal Crossing experience, and this experience on the 3DS has been just that – at the very least in comparison to New Horizons.

I’ve valued slowing down, especially in the Summer when everything else feels busy and active. It’s been nice to login and know there’s nothing to combat, no timer to beat, just a land and space that I can walk around in, talk to villagers if I want to, and complete a simple loop of catching bugs, catching fish, collecting shells, and digging up fossils all to either sell or donate to the museum. You know exactly what it will be and that’s comforting. It has a level of boredom that’s actually comforting when you need the simplicity.

It’s also nice to have a living thing to check in on. Animal Crossing games can be just as much about your time away from the game than your time in the game. Time away creates change in the game and gives you a reason to revisit. Creates longevity in a game that doesn’t ask much of you, and doesn’t need you to spend time in long play sessions if you don’t want to. I’m excited to check back in when the season changes – it’ll feel like a brand new experience again.

For the sake of progressing or making the most of my play time, I’ve time traveled a little bit. But not in the maximalist way we saw folks doing in New Horizons to obtain all the holiday items first. For me, it’s simply to open up the shop so I can sell items and keep making money to build my bridge over the river. Which, without an active online turnip market for this title – I assume, or at least I’m not digging for one – the bell-making is a process that is mine alone. But what felt like a process that would take forever was still achievable with patience. The bridge over the horizontal river makes my vertical commuting much easier and next on the docket is a campsite.

I had a nice experience on vacation playing with my nephew. We were all hanging out in a vacation house and sat next to while I played. He’s a great young reader, so with the interactions with each villager, he read all the dialogue. He guided the experience with a continual, “who’s that!?,” or “Catch that bug!” He enjoyed meeting all of the villagers, he quickly remembered each of their names, and we became very determined to find a stag beetle for Marshal. I didn’t discover until later that I had been playing at the wrong time of day and needed to catch one at night. After our vacation, I was sure to text my sister-in-law to inform my nephew that I’d finally caught one! I don’t think Marshal cared by the time I did.

I enjoy the quirky nature of happenings in a human-nature communicate game like this. I had a moment where one villager asked me to deliver something to another villager, all while that particular villager was in the frame and looking directly at our conversation. A unique and memorable happening. I like too when a villager asks you a question, and instead of a yes or no, you get a sliding scale that leans one way or another to allow your answer to be a bit more grayer than black or white. We know too that villagers say the darndest things, so prompting an interaction when you’re not on a mission can at least feel worth it most times.

The pressure-free nature of the game has made it very travel-able and great for living room hangs. I won’t ’mess up’ or ‘die’ in game while in the passenger seat of a car or in a passive conversation while everyone else in the room is enjoying device time. It’s totally in my head, but for some reason the 3DS feels a bit better to get out around other people opposed to the Switch 2 or Steam Deck. Being that the 3DS mimics the size of a phone, it feels more ‘normal’ to have it out. I’ve challenged this thought as of late, and am trying to feel less bad about having my devices out when everyone else is enjoying phone or iPad time. Being that the 3DS fits in my pocket makes it feel like a more lowkey approach and experience. It all depends on the context, but I’m happy to have it as an option.

Slight changes in bugs and fish over time are exciting, and I loved discovering that new shops will open up over time too. Again, it’s a living game that’s there for me to check in on when I feel like it, but doesn’t demand that I’m always there. I’m excited for new seasons and happy to own it as a comfort companion. Whenever I need some comfort and ease, it’s there.