"I'm so glad I could start off 2023 being with you, Heather." This time last year, I was sitting alone in my flat, bringing in the new year in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Kiki the black cat said those words to me after the fireworks display, and I couldn't help but smile despite myself. Just like the years before, I didn't have anyone to celebrate it with in reality, so I decided to reunite with the fuzzy villagers who call the little island I'd created home for New Year's Eve. Since 2020, this has become a bit of a tradition, and it's one I'll be keeping up as we head into 2024. I may not play the game at all anymore through the year, or rely on it quite as much as I used to during the height of the pandemic, but I'm always so grateful I can turn to it at this time of year.
Watching the countdown with Isabelle and the gang makes the whole affair feel a little less lonely, and every heartwarming interaction offers some comfort. When it comes to seasonal celebrations, New Year's Eve is one occasion I've never really wanted to make a big deal of - especially for the past few years. But in times like these, when it can feel hard to celebrate the end of another year, much less look forward to the start of a new one, I'm glad to have a little virtual space where I can mark the milestone of making it through another year in my own small way.
Old acquaintance
No game has really been there for me in some of my darkest moments quite like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Much has been said in the past about its serendipitous release, which coincided with pandemic restrictions that started to take effect in the UK and other parts of the world around the same time. It suddenly gave so many a platform to be with one another when they otherwise couldn't be in reality, and quickly became one of the most talked about games of 2020 as a result. For me, I'd only been working at GamesRadar+ for the better part of six months when everything changed. Suddenly, I found myself isolated and alone in a place that didn't yet feel like home, and New Horizons became an anchor for me.
I played it every day for two years before I finally felt ready to let go a little, and move on from the sandy shores that had given me so much support. Eventually, I went from playing it all the time, to not really playing it much at all as the updates for the game came to a close. But even so, I kept on finding myself coming back towards the end of December just to see out my year.
In many ways, it feels apt that a game that's done so much for me continues to help me mark the annual milestone of making it through another year. As silly as it may sound, returning to my island is a little like going back home, and seeing the villagers who I once spent so much time with is like seeing old friends again. And isn't that part of what New Year's is all about? Auld Lang Syne and all that? Seeing old acquaintances, remembering what's important to you, reflecting on how far you've come? Or in my case, just being proud I've gotten through another 12 months.
Truth be told, I can't remember the last time I celebrated New Year's Eve properly. I never was one to go to a big shindig or head out to watch the fireworks. The extent of my engagement with the event would usually be sitting at home, watching the countdown on TV. But away from family, and without loved ones nearby to share it with, it tended to feel like just another day. Animal Crossings: New Horizons made it feel like a bit of an occasion again. From watching the clock countdown in the square, to buying silly hats, and setting off party poppers, it's great to catch up with those adorably goofy villagers and feel just as comforted by their presence as I did when played New Horizons back in 2020, or when I originally first played Animal Crossing on the GameCube all those years ago.
Just as Kiki said, I'm so glad I can see in the New Year with these silly characters who have meant so much to me, and gotten me through some hard times. I may not play Animal Crossing: New Horizons the way I used to, but I'll never forget all it's done for me, and continues to do each time New Year's Eve rolls around again.
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