Gengar's Myth

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is coming out soon, and reviews/previews are already starting to come in for the game. I just finished reading this article, followed by this little snippet, and I thought I’d tell my story of Animal Crossing and how it became a huge addiction for me; one of two games my ex got mad at me over (the other was Nintendogs, for a similar but slightly different reason).

Wild World (DS) was the first game I played in the series. It was a dark night, and my gender-neutral answers to the creature driving the taxi (bus? I don’t remember) had resulted in a tomboy that I wasn’t too pleased with: scrappy pigtails and a mildly surly expression. Upon arriving and wandering aimlessly for a few minutes, I told my boyfriend, “I don’t know what this is. I don’t know what to do. What’s the point?” and he said, “Just go talk to Tom. He lives in the super market. He’ll tell you what to do.”

And it was all over.

I met Tom, who offered to provide suitable living space if I would just run some errands for him. While doing this, I ran into Patty, a simple and kind cow. I also met a snobby duck named Mallory, who immediately grated on my nerves. It was winter, so I talked to a friend, who told me that I could get snowman furniture if I make a perfect snowman. There’s only one chance to do this every day, as the game runs in real time and only two or three snowballs generate. I made sure to visit Patty every day, because if I didn’t she would wonder where I went, and sometimes she’d imply that something was troubling her. I discovered the joy of fishing, of fossil collecting. I visited friends who had the same game, and eventually collected a full orchard from which I would harvest the fruit. I got that whole set of snowman furniture. I collected stationery to write letters to the townspeople who mattered, like Patty. I bought medicine for the snobby duck, even though I didn’t like her. I always enjoyed making Blathers, the owl in the museum, get excited because I brought a new contribution, and creating constellations with Celeste.

What really pulled me in, though, were the “project” characters.

The pigeon who ran the coffee shop was one of these. Brewster was rather gruff at first, as though he knew that you couldn’t tell what kind of coffee you were drinking; that you wouldn’t appreciate the “perfect temperature” that scalded your tongue. But, eventually, he warmed up. He remembered me when I’d come in. He’d season the coffee with pigeon milk-his treat!

Chief was a wolf, a Native American wolf, if the sound bite that accompanied his presence was any indicator. He was…grumpy. I greeted him and he answered with the most condescending tone a text bubble under a cartoon wolf could muster. I had been told that the “unfriendly” characters could become friendly, if you talked to them enough. So, I talked to him every day. I visited his home if I didn’t see him outside. I wrote him letters and sent him presents. I wanted him to be happy. It bothered me that someone in my town was just…down. Eventually, he did cheer up.

You can get pictures of the townspeople if they grow “close enough” to you. This was my goal, to get pictures of everyone who mattered to me. Once I achieved this, I stopped playing, for the most part. Occasionally, I’ll still boot it up and collect some fruit to sell, or go fishing, or even just pull weeds, as the townspeople are happier when there are no weeds. I always make sure to go visit the characters I like, because if you don’t, they’ll move away.

Much like real life, I’m ready for the next adventure. I wonder if I’ll still develop an emotional attachment to the new townspeople like I did in the last game, or if I’ll compare them and decide they’re not worth my time. Maybe I’ll actually get every fossil and fish and bug, a feat I did not accomplish in the last game. Perhaps I’ll unlock the largest house, or actually care about judging the contests about whose house has the best lights.

I don’t know what will happen, but I can’t wait.