When the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update was announced back in 2025, I did the unthinkable. I took a virtual sledgehammer to my island and deleted it, resetting the home I had put over 1000 hours into. It was the same island I had had from day one of the game's release, and had spent an embarrassing number of Nook Miles tickets to get all my favourite villagers in a perfectly organised neighbourhood.
While deciding to simulate armageddon for all my villagers (sorry, Stitches) wasn't easy, the hardest part of starting over was actually how overwhelming the prospect of planning a new island was. It was so stressful that I decided to revert to my childhood self, which led me down a surprising path that has completely changed how I play New Horizons.
Becoming a 'Bell-ionaire'
If you are part of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons community, you've probably seen island tours that make you look sideways at your own messy kingdom. The introduction of terraforming and moving villager houses was a game-changer for the series, and as a result, players have been able to take decorating to new heights. Even before New Horizons was released back in 2020, I joined a group of Animal Crossing fans in "pre-planning" my island, meticulously planning home placements, creating a villager wishlist, and designing layouts with the perfect cottage-core vibe in mind. When I got my hands on the Switch game, I went straight to work making my dream island a reality, prioritising Bell-making activities, and littering my beaches with villager houses as I planned their perfect placements.
Playing the game the same way I do with the best farming games, like Stardew Valley (aka focusing on money-making exploits), was fun but also tedious. This time around, I didn't want to get burned out with my new island straight away, and I also didn't have a set plan for it as I did for my first one back in 2020. So, instead of creating a new villager spreadsheet, I decided to play the game the same way I did with the first ever Animal Crossing game I got 20 years ago – Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS. Wild World was released in 2005, and I had no idea what was going on when I first loaded it up (being a kid who refused to read the back of game boxes was a wild ride).
Going back to the start
Wild World opens with Kapp'n taking you to a new town, where you are introduced to Tom Nook as well as a 19,800 home loan that you need to pay off. When I was a kid, I had no idea how to make a decent amount of Bells. Wild World is already harder to make cash in than New Horizons, and paired with my past self – who was perfectly content with my empty, unfurnished house and default clothes – it was unlikely that Nintendo's landlord Tanuki would ever see his money back. I didn't care about money farming in 2005; instead, I was content to sell shells and fruit and do the odd bit of fishing when I felt like it. I even avoided turnips and the Stalk Market because I always forgot to sell them in time, and paid off my debt slowly, prioritizing talking to villagers above all else.
My Wild World town back in the day was the definition of easy living, and I couldn't have been happier. There was no stress involved since there was no time limit on my loan repayment, and I could actually enjoy being present on my island, getting to know villagers before they moved out, and seeing my progress being spaced out enough to keep me coming back for at least an hour each day. Animal Crossing: Wild World introduced the series to me as a stress reliever, something I could pick up and put down quickly. So, I decided to recenter that philosophy with my new New Horizons island.
As in Wild World, I didn't try to make money straight away, and I didn't pre-plan any villager house placements either. In Wild World, you can't pick or choose your villagers or their houses. Amiibo cards don't work in the DS game either, so you're basically stuck with who the game decides is your neighbour. Keeping this chaotic RNG spirit going for my fresh start, I let the game pick my villagers for me as well, letting plots autopopulate, and when those took too long, grabbed the first face that popped up on a Nook Miles island. As a result, my island feels more alive, as I have a bunch of new favorites that I've never met before now, as well as new adorable enemies that have proven massively fun to hate as they offer me gifts and refuse to leave…Finally, I know how Homer Simpson felt about Ned Flanders.
Giving up control to Tom Nook and chaos
Giving up control of my island has kept me hooked, as I'm always curious to see who I may meet next. All my villager houses in New Horizons have also been scattered around the map, similar to Wild World's unorganized house placements, giving me a reason to run around my entire island every day to chat to the residents.
For the first time in years, it feels like I'm playing a new Animal Crossing game again. And, after playing the game for over a month now and finally getting a three-star island in time for the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update, I can confidently say that I haven't felt any burnout whatsoever.
Choosing to play New Horizons with the carefree attitude of my younger self has done wonders for my stress levels and made me appreciate why I fell in love with the series in the first place. If you are considering restarting your Island like I was, I highly recommend going in blind and without any expectations. You'll be amazed at how taking things as they come and adopting Pascal's chill demeanour will transform your island and experience. In fact, I know this is how I'll be playing every new Animal Crossing game from now on. Sometimes, kids really do know best.
For more Nintendo goodness, check out our guide on all the upcoming Switch 2 games on the way. Or for Tom Nook alternatives, we also have a selection of the best games like Animal Crossing for you to go through next.
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