What Happens When You Abandon Your Island Paradise? A Year Away From Animal Crossing: New Horizons

So, you’ve been busy. Life happened, and your meticulously crafted island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been left to its own devices for a whole year. What awaits your return? The short answer is: it’s not a complete disaster, but expect some significant changes. A year-long hiatus from your digital island paradise will result in a mix of overgrown nature, some potential heartache with your villagers, and a few creepy crawlies in your home. Let’s delve into the specifics of what occurs after a year of absence in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The State of Your Island After a Year

Upon booting up the game after a year-long break, you will be greeted with an island that is likely a far cry from how you left it. Here’s what to expect:

• Weeds Galore: Prepare to be inundated with weeds. Your once pristine landscape will be overrun by these unwanted plants, which will take some time and effort to remove. Think of it as a massive gardening project awaiting your return.

• Wildflower Overgrowth: Your carefully cultivated flowers may have also gotten out of hand. While they won’t die, they will have spread rapidly, potentially taking over areas you didn’t intend. Expect to spend some time re-landscaping and getting your flowers back under control.

• Potential Villager Departures: This is where the real heartache can happen. Villagers who were considering a move prior to your absence might have already packed their bags and left. The longer you’re gone, the higher the chance of a villager moving away. The specific villagers who leave will vary based on your relationship with them and how long they were considering a move.

• Rusty Items: If you left any dropped tools or DIY recipes on the ground, they may have rusted. It’s a minor detail but another visual cue that time has passed on your island.

• Cockroach Infestation: One of the most unpleasant surprises that awaits long-absent players is the presence of cockroaches in your home. These creepy critters will have infested your residence during your extended break, requiring you to stomp them out to restore your home to its former bug-free state.

• Grass Growth: Conversely, if you had worn down the grass in high-traffic areas, you may find that, after a year, the grass has grown back to its lush state.

• Missed Events: You’ll miss out on all the seasonal events, bug and fish availability, and other time-sensitive activities that occurred during your year-long absence. This means missed DIY recipes, seasonal critters, and perhaps a few unique interactions.

How to Get Your Island Back on Track

While it might feel overwhelming to return to such a neglected island, don’t fret! Getting your island back into shape is absolutely doable. Here are some steps to take:

1. Weed Removal: Begin by systematically pulling out all those pesky weeds. This is a great way to get back into the rhythm of the game and reclaim your island.

2. Flower Management: Reorganize and relocate your flowers to your desired locations. You may need to do some digging, re-planting, or just plain weeding.

3. Engage with Villagers: Talk to your remaining villagers regularly to gauge how they’re doing and try to reconnect with them. They may be relieved to see you back, or a little miffed at your absence.

4. Clean Your Home: Make sure to eliminate all the cockroaches in your home by stomping them out. They will disappear on their own if you just ignore them for a while, but they are considered an indicator that the island is not being cared for.

5. Check Your NookPhone: Make sure that you aren’t missing out on special offers.

6. Catch Up: You may want to look up what seasonal items and events you have missed in order to make sure you get them before they go away again.

7. Re-establish your routines: By this point, you may have forgotten the daily routine that you were enjoying. You may need to remind yourself about the benefits of doing things like fossil digging and talking to the special vendors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Will my villagers completely forget about me?

While your villagers might mention your absence, they won’t completely forget you. They might seem a little miffed, relieved, or sad, depending on their personality type and how much time has passed. Building back those relationships should be a priority when you return to your island.

2. Can I prevent villagers from moving out while I’m gone?

Unfortunately, there’s no guaranteed method to prevent villagers from moving out if you’re absent for an extended period. The best you can do is to have high friendship levels with your villagers and hope for the best. Some players have luck if they get a villager to the point where they ask to move out, then, if they do not move them out using the time skip method, then the villager is “on deck” and will not leave.

3. Does the Beautiful Island Ordinance prevent all negative effects?

The Beautiful Island Ordinance does help reduce weeds and prevent flower wilting, but it will not prevent them entirely. It also does not stop villagers from moving away. It reduces the frequency and rate at which these things happen, but they’ll still accumulate with a year-long break.

4. How long can I leave the game before it becomes unplayable?

According to player experiments, the game appears to stop functioning after the year 2060. This means that you have a few more decades of playing time! However, this is not something to worry about unless you play long into the future.

5. Is it bad to time travel to make up for lost time?

Time traveling is a valid way to play the game, and it carries no penalties. You won’t get banned for using it. While some people feel it “cheats” the game, you will not get any kind of penalty for using the time skip function built into the Nintendo Switch.

6. What happens if I start the game on my birthday?

If you start the game on your birthday, you will receive special treatment from your villagers, along with a birthday cake from your mom! You may also get some very special gifts from some of the villagers.

7. Can I 100% complete Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Yes, it is possible to 100% complete Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but it’s a significant time commitment. This involves collecting all the fish, bugs, art, fossils, and furniture, as well as completing all the achievements. Most players who try to achieve this spend around 600 hours or more doing so.

8. What age group plays Animal Crossing the most?

Despite the game’s cute and lighthearted nature, the majority of Animal Crossing players are actually in their 20s and 30s. However, the game has a wide audience of all age groups.

9. Is it worth it to restart my island if I’m not happy with it?

Restarting your island is a viable option if you’re not happy with your current layout, villagers, or overall progress. Many players have restarted multiple times to get their island perfect.

10. What are some things I will miss out on if I don’t play often?

If you don’t play daily, you will miss out on seasonal events, visiting vendors, and certain unique interactions with the villagers and other special NPCs. You might also have a difficult time obtaining some of the DIY recipes, or may miss out on the daily “bonus” that villagers give for getting to know them better.

11. How often should I be playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

The great part about Animal Crossing is that it’s meant to be played at your own pace. There is no right or wrong amount of time to play the game. If you want to maximize your villagers’ public works projects or make sure that your weeds are at a minimum, then you may want to try to play for at least a little while each day or every other day. Otherwise, you can really play as much or as little as you like.

12. What happens if I don’t return Wisp’s spirit pieces?

If you do not return the spirit pieces to Wisp, the pieces will simply disappear from your inventory the next day. It does not give any kind of penalty, but you also lose out on a potential reward from the character.

13. Do villagers age or change in the game?

Villagers do not age in the same way that real humans do. The game developers have stated that as the villager ages, it’s temperament will appear to change. Lazy villagers are about 22 in terms of temperament, and this will change as their “age” changes to 23 and 24.

14. Can I get banned for time skipping?

No, you cannot get banned for time skipping. It’s a completely legitimate way to play the game, and there are no penalties for doing so.

15. Is Animal Crossing: New Horizons still popular in 2024?

Yes, despite the game having been released in 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons continues to be quite popular in 2024. Many players still log in every day, while others only come back every once in a while to check in on their villagers.