A couple weeks ago, I decided to buy myself a Nintendo Switch Lite, something I had been wanting for quite a while. I got it as a way to treat myself after a tough school year, and I’m so glad I did so.

The one game I play on it is “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” a video game I’ve wanted to play for a long time now. I’ve only been playing it for a little while now and I’m obsessed with it.

When I’m tired of the stress-inducing battle royales and action-packed RPGs, it’s fun to play a game that elicits such a sense of calm and serenity with its charming art style and relaxing music.

The game starts off with you flying to a deserted island after purchasing a holiday package from a raccoon called Tom Nook. At first, all you will have available to you is a tent, but the more you play the more fun features are slowly unlocked to you.

Though I’m antsy to get to the more exciting parts of the game, like terraforming, which allows you to alter the landscape of your island, I actually enjoy the slow pace in which it moves.

If the game had introduced all the features quickly, it would be quite overwhelming for the player and would leave them with nothing to look forward to. I like navigating the game slowly because it means I can spend more time exploring everything I can do in my little island.

Among some of my favorite things to do in “Animal Crossing” so far are interact with all the villagers, dive for sea creatures at the beach, and plant flowers in the little garden I built by my house.

I also love selling fish, bugs, fruit and anything else I get my hands on for Bells, the main currency used in the game, to buy cute clothes and furniture.

I also use Bells to pay off my house loans. Paying them off allows me to unlock new features for my house, like making rooms bigger or adding new rooms.

My all-time favorite thing to do is customize my clothes and furniture, making fun designs that make little “Animal Crossing” character’s style and home unique.

I’ve only been playing for a couple of weeks, so there are still a lot of features left for me to unlock. I cannot wait to see what comes next in my “Animal Crossing” adventure.

Kyara Morales-Rodriguez is a junior English major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or knmoralesrodriguez@eiu.edu.