Talking Point: Are You Suffering From Animal Crossing: New Horizons Fatigue? - Nintendo Life

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is something of a phenomenon, in case you hadn't noticed.

However, any video game is likely to grow stale over time, even the best ones in the world – and now we're a few weeks past the game's release, it seems a fine time to ask that most vital of questions: are you fed up of Animal Crossing yet.

Before I answer that question, it's probably worth me outlining my own personal history with the Animal Crossing series, because I think it has some bearing on where I am right now.

I didn't have the time to dedicate to such a massive undertaking, and therefore my first 'real' experience of Animal Crossing was Wild World on the DS – a platform which I could take with me anywhere and was, therefore, a better fit for my hectic lifestyle.

It's not that I've been hit with fatigue as much as fear; because I've had other games that have needed my attention (Lonely Mountains: Downhill, I'm looking at you), my limited game time in each day has been taken up elsewhere, and that means New Horizons has been pushed to the bottom of the pile.

As I did with New Leaf, I'm sure I'll pluck up the courage to load up New Horizons again soon, but my overriding fear is that I won't have the stomach to fully commit myself to the cause every single day – and that's really what's needed for a game of this nature.

Between running a network of sites, producing content, reviewing games and juggling the commitments of a house and family, my own 'real-life' game of Animal Crossing has robbed me of the time needed to truly enjoy Animal Crossing: The Video Game.

For me, Wild World was my first Animal Crossing and will likely always be my 'favourite'.

From my point of view, Animal Crossing was something you squeezed into your daily routine whenever and wherever you could, no matter what.

So, this is the first Animal Crossing I've played on big TV screen and every time I fire it up I'm still amazed at just how pretty it looks.

Perhaps that's a factor in why I've played it every day since launch - even at the expense of other games I'm itching to spend some real time with (hello Streets of Rage 4).

I can't say whether I'll still be playing when life returns to 'normal' again, but I've got more than my money's worth from New Horizons in these past two months and I'm happy to potter about watering plants and making Star Trek uniforms.

Just like Gav upstairs my first dive into the wild world of Animal Crossing was on Animal Crossing: Wild World, although unlike his Gavvishness it’s not my favourite.

Even though not all of the 150 hours I put in were entirely voluntary - having to play video games for a career is hard – I can honestly say that through the frustrations of trying to find certain fish and having to wait days for things to happen, I’ve enjoyed every one of those hours spent?

My island’s in largely good shape, I have some of the residents I want, but the drive to go back and get into the game isn’t as strong as it once was.

Hell, last night after what was rather a frantic and exhausting day of more video games for money, I had so little energy for anything I just booted up the game and wandered around for a bit with no real purpose.

New Horizons may not have the vice-like grip it had on me before, and I may not be playing it as much as I once had, but I think it’s a game I’ll always be dipping in and out of, especially if these updates keep coming.

I check in everyday but i don't spend hours on it, half hour bursts each day is enough for me and stops me getting tired of it.

I kinda stopped playing too, I love the game, just not in the mood right now.

I stopped playing around after the easter event was over but recently I've been kinda wanting to revisit it, I probably will at some point once I'm done with the current few games I'm playing.

I find that I still have a lot that I want to do, but the prospect of clearing out areas and terraforming is so daunting, that I don't want to do it unless I have a lot of time on my hands.

All of sudden, playing Animal Crossing is not playing a game any more; it is doing your daily grind to keep on top of things.

In all fairness, I have enjoyed my time with the game, but eh; I am ready to move on.

I've been trying to cut down on my Animal Crossing time just to make time for other games but I still end up finding myself stuck playing most of the day.

I'd be long finished with it by now if I was just playing all by myself.

I wouldn't say I'm fatigued just not devoting all my gaming time to it anymore.

This is a game I'll continue to play the switch's lifespan!

They are withholding content because they don't want some time traveler to spill it.

Let people play how they want.

I still play from time to time though.

But that's after playing it every day for 2 months straight...that's pretty darn impressive and I've more than got my money's worth for this game already.

Just not enough hours in the day now that I'm back to working and playing other games in my free time too.

I am not playing it for hours like before, but still playing a good chunk of it, especially after being frustrated at my lack of being good at other games (Mario maker, streets of rage, smash, etc).

It’s the greatest game ever made, but it’s not a game you play for hours a day.

I have sooooooo many other Switch games that I want to play so I've been trying to spend more time on them instead but then I see posts from everyone in the forum and messages from friends on Facebook and stuff and it's like well guess I gotta jump on for a bit and next thing I know it's been a few hours, haha.

I don't have that much time to game so this clearly isn't for me.

Its fun, but I think the way the time factor works always ends up getting me out of the game.

I've always felt like Animal Crossing is like a zen garden.

I have spent a little more time this week reworking some of the layout, but it's mostly just checking in on my animal friends, seeing what visitors my island has, checking turnip prices, and getting my daily allotment of fossils to check at the museum.

"Are You Suffering From Animal Crossing: New Horizons Fatigue?".

Yes, and I don't even have the game.

Since I’m all about museum completion and playing without time travel I’m genuinely excited at the beginning of each month to find new fish and bugs.

I was starting to get a little bored with it, but we're in lockdown and was just playing it nonstop.

Once I realized it was just a glorified mobile game, I stopped playing.

Getting the same dialogue, the same interactions, the same events (and some with a very minor change in your objective) and just in general seeing the same things every day just grew too full too fast.

This game doesn't even have the benefit of being a creative paradise like Minecraft, since there are just enough limitations and tedium to the creative aspect that simply wind up making any such endeavors feel more a chore than fulfilling.

Yes, I'm sick and tired of seeing all these Animal Crossing articles.

I started late to the game, but having played the original and Wild World a lot I approach New Horizons a little differently.

First, I am playing with my daughter, and part of the enjoyment is seeing her play Animal Crossing for the first time.

I still make time to play other games, and have since the beginning.

Is there some competition, like "I have to put this and that many hours in the game, in a given amount of time!".

Ok, I just got done playing, Article made me want to play for a bit.

Will probably be playing this game till next Animal Crossing comes out.

I stopped playing for about a month, then I bought some amiibo cards so I could have the villagers I actually wanted rather than the crap RNG forced on me (Buck) and now I'm actually really motivated to terraform my island to be how I want it to be.

As for the game itself: I still have to get it, and hope to acquire a copy at the end of this month, or the beginning of June, and I hope that this overkill of articles hasn't ruined the pleasure of actually playing it for me yet...

I am surprisingly still playing a decent amount of this game.

I'm down to just a few hours a day, but I'm still having fun with it.

The one thing I find very discouraging (albiet very minor) is that even if you have a recipe, the villager will force an extra copy on you, but if you don't have it and don't want it (for some reason), you can say no and walk away.

thank god Xenoblade is next week because I've been playing basiclly nothing but Animal Crossing for the last two months.

I check in every day, but I only play as much as I want to.

If I don't feel like playing, I check my mail and the shops and that's it.

No point in forcing myself to play, games are supposed to be fun.

The villagers are kind of dumbed down here and don't really want or expect anything from the player, so it's purely down to money accumulation at this point.

When bugs/fish recycle, I'll set about catching those, but my time of playing the game for hours is pretty much over until an event or holiday comes along.

i just wish the villagers had more to say in this game.

How about fatigue for seeing all the Animal Crossing related articles on NL.

I understand it’s a huge release...guess I’m just not into this type of game to appreciate all the news for it.

Speaking as someone who has played the series for about a decade, I usually play a lot for the first few weeks and then settle into a routine where I play Animal Crossing for 15-20 minutes to relax, then play something else.

Previous games have been something I play for 15-20 minutes to keep working towards long term goals.

New Leaf had a lot of long term goals and late game unlocks, while in New Horizons, I feel like I've stumbled by accident into a 5 star town, an almost finished house, an S+ rank HHA score, etc.

I have such a huge backlog of games that it's hard to dedicate so much time to just one!

Like every AC, I started playing hours a day.

This is a game to play a few minutes a day.

During my Persona 5 Royal playthrough, Animal Crossing was the game that was keeping me from booting up my PS4 and spending time how I wanted to, and I don't get a lot of free time during the weekdays, mind you.

In addition to this, New Horizons would be the first Animal Crossing game my older brother got into since the original on GameCube, so I couldn't just ignore Animal Crossing and risk making him lose interest.

At that point, though, it felt like I was chained to Animal Crossing, and it did detract from my enjoyment of the game a little.

Now, I finished P5R, and until Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition is released, Animal Crossing has my undivided attention, but now it feels more like I'm choosing to play it, rather than it being a daily chore I have to go back to on a daily basis

I haven’t been playing New Horizons that much for some reason

Actually, I don't mind either of them, but there are so many visitors now there's too much chance of it being one you don't particularly want to see

I'm definitely an Animal Crossing Superfan

I love all the new things New Horizons brings to the series and will no doubt be playing years from now

I'm still playing a little everyday, chipping away at the little I have left to do to get my island how I want it and getting the villagers I want (thank you Amiibo Cards)

Of course for me fatigue means playing 3 hours a day rather than 6

I will still play but perhaps only once or twice a week and special events

I don't want it to be a pressure to play

Crazy how many people still playing this game

It’s definitely become part of my daily chores..chore being the keyword.I never time travel so I just collect my fossil,shake my tree,hit my rocks,sign in on the nook terminal and call it a day

I got sick of doing that, so I just don't any more

Some days I play more, but I don't let it keep me from playing other things if I want to

I play around an hour a day and tbh it is starting to become a boring and tedious grind, I wish they added some kind of online minigames or a farming mechanic to keep me invested, rune factory 4 though is the game for me at the moment

I'm definitely feeling it a bit now, only play a couple hours a day now that I have a lot of my island the way that I want it

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