I have so much free time. I’m about to have even more free time because I’m almost done with school entirely. So, the question must be asked: what do I do with all of this free time? I can easily answer that question: play video games. All-day. And listen to music and YouTube videos as well, but mostly play video games. What video games have I played the most? Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Now, some of you may be wondering: what on earth are those things? Well, settle down, cuz I’m about to teach you a lesson about two of my favorite video games.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game that came out on March 20. Yes, I did drive out to the GameStop in McComb to get my copy of the game. Quarantine wouldn’t stop me from getting my game about talking animals and growing flowers. I was determined to get my hands on it; and once I got it, I drove back to my house, went inside, and loaded my new game onto my Switch.
Right away, I could tell that I would love this game. The music was relaxing, and the first characters I encountered were Timmy and Tommy Nook, two young raccoons that are related to the titular character Tom Nook.
Look how cute they are. How could you not instantly fall in love with them?
Right away, I got busy working on making my town the best it could possibly be. I spent a lot of time picking weeds, replanting trees, and visiting mystery islands to find new flowers and fruits to grow on my island (all I’m missing is oranges… which I got at the beginning of the game, but ate them without knowing that I could plant them. oops). My two starting villagers were Canberra, the koala, and Hamlet, the hamster. Hamlet is a jock. I hate jocks. They won’t shut up about sports. I hate them in Animal Crossing almost as much as I do in real life.
I’ve been working with this game since it came out on that very day. I’ve been doing my best to make my island the best that it can be. I’ve been planting flowers, getting new villagers, and messing with the layout in a way that makes visual and coherent sense. My sister has been helping me as well, though she helps a little less so than I would like. Currently, I’m working on paying off the next to last upgrade for my house, while also working on getting to a five-star rating so that my island has the best image that it can be.
When I’m not working on my tropical paradise, I’m beating people up in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This fighting game is a lot different from most fighting games for one main reason: it’s a crossover of a multitude of different companies and franchises. From the Mario brothers to Final Fantasy VII, everyone from nearly every major gaming name in history has a place on the fighting roster. Also, this game is rather easy to understand; it doesn’t require very complex inputs like the arcade fighting games of old (Street Fighter, we’re looking at you). It usually requires the push of one button and a movement on the control stick, and your path to kicking butt is complete.
One of my favorite characters in the game is Hero, one of the downloadable content characters that’s from Dragon Quest. This character is unique in that, when you input the combination of down+B, you’re given four random moves that you can use against your opponent. Some of them are virtually useless (kacklang) and some are incredibly useful (heal and magic burst). I also love seeing a character in the game that isn’t just another normal sword fighter (see: every Fire Emblem rep except for Robin).
These two games have helped me keep my sanity during these crazy times, and I’m so happy that I have these games to occupy my time. I’m also grateful that I even have a Switch to begin with; it allows me to have an escape to a world where I don’t have to even care about what’s going on outside my home.
