Hard Mode in New Horizons
Source: Nintendo
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a social simulation game for Nintendo Switch, is the fifth entry in the series. Players can live a cozy getaway life on an island where they can perform daily activities and meet new villagers. This and other niche qualities make New Horizons a huge hit with Switch users, drawing them in further with its quirky cast of anthropomorphic characters.
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Overall, the franchise is completely focused on a relaxed, casual play experience, and New Horizons is no exception. To spice things up, one fan has put together a “Hard Mode” into the game that makes everything more grounded and realistic.
Source: Nintendo
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How to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons on Hard Mode
YouTuber NintenTalk created this mode as a challenge to the New Horizons community. This is a new way to play the game from the start, rather than an option to turn it on during gameplay or mods that you have to download.
Like Pokemon Nuzlockes, the creators propose different rules across five categories, and players must follow restrictions regarding reboots, villagers, dailies, design, and economy.
In hard mode, if a villager chooses to leave, the player must allow it and invite any campsite villagers they find. Stretches must be done daily to do so, and the rules require players to donate art, bugs, and fossils before they can be sold. In addition, the player has to design all the clothes and he has to change his outfit once a week.
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Starting today, we will start “Hard Mode” in Animal Crossing. I’m not doing all the rules but I’m trying to stick to a bunch of them! Win Canberra as a starter?? (No) 4pm CST pic.twitter.com/TJdDMucnMN
— Quillpe 🐀 (@quillpetv) January 11, 2023
Perhaps the biggest challenge is the strict economic rules. A player can only grow 4 he can grow 3×3 crops. These crops must be watered daily, and in the Nook Deposit Box he is sold in bundles of 3, thus reducing profits. Trading with other players even has limits that limit how many items a player can sell and how many other players can trade and buy.
According to NintenTalk, these rules should encourage players to spend time in New Horizons instead of blowing the experience away.
Hard mode has a lot of rules to follow, but it builds a strong sense of community among its player base. In its own and interesting way, the mode brings New Horizons to life and tries to start the player all over again.
