Summer is in full swing forAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsfans, who are currently enjoying the game’s first seasonal update. WhileNew Horizonsplayers enjoy the ability to swimand interact with a new character, they are also discovering that Nintendo’s latest addition to the game has added a few comedic references for observant fans.
As she explored the first summer update, Twitter user Xenemo discovered thatAnimal Crossing: New Horizons’newest encounters pokes fun at time traveling.With this controversial exploit, players can move their Nintendo Switch’s internal clocks forward to force time forward in-game.
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During an encounter with Pascal, the island’s newest visitor, Xenemo discovered that the red sea otter will mention a full day passing within an hour and “skip[ping] forward a whole day,” calling in-game time “chaos.” In an addition to her thread, Xenemo jokingly pled with Pascal to understand that she needed to time travel due toAnimal Crossing: New Horizons’in-game weather. Specifically, she noted that it was “depressing” to swim while it was raining.
In the tweet’s comment section, a debate broke out between fans about whether or not time traveling was a legitimate way to play the game. Defenders of time travel pointed to statements byNew Horizons’director Aya Kyogoku,who advocated for playing without the exploit, but did not shun players who used it. However, others maintained that time traveling should be treated likeGTAcheat codes, “a valid way to play but still cheating.” In her final tweet on the subject, Xenimo called for the fighting in her replies to stop, and clarified that she personally did not believe time traveling was bad, and that it did not matter whether or not the move counts as cheating.
This is not the first reference to time travel inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.Several Twitter replies noted that if players time travel during the day, it will triggerdialogue responses withAnimal Crossingvillagers,who will even say “they’ve been up for weeks.” One Twitter user pointed to the villager Sherb as a big example of Nintendo’s self-referential dialogue, including exchanges where he calls villagers' lives “fake” and acts amazed at the idea that “the island is just a game” for players' entertainment.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' winking references through the fourth wall clearly demonstrate the passion and care the developers put into the game. Hopefully,New Horizon’s future updateswill continue to include quirky encounters for eager players.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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