Animal Crossing's Kind Community Has Shown Me How Well Fans Understand The True Meaning Of The Game

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Anyone who has played knows the sheer number of hours that can go into an island. When the game was at its peak during the confusing first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, it offered a cozy reprieve and a way to connect with friends when face-to-face hangouts weren’t possible. The newest title in the well-loved Nintendo franchise boomed to a level of popularity that helped the Nintendo Switch soar in sales, making it near-impossible to find on the shelves three years after its launch.

Those who have been playing it in the years since have hundreds of hours in their save files. As someone with more than 300 hours into their original island on her console, I would be devastated to lose the progress I’ve so painstakingly made over the last few years (without time traveling, might I add). No matter how many times I’ve considered restarting, there’s something so special about this relic from the pandemic that stops me from wiping the island every time — even if I have a villager from my ex-boyfriend’s island still holding residence.

Thankfully, when Reddit user Shikkakku found a Switch abandoned at Union Station in Toronto, they turned to the community to try and reunite it with its owner. "the OP wrote in the post, followed by a query for suggestions to find the original owner. What followed was a beautiful display of community to find the owner of the well-loved island.

OP wrote in the post on Reddit. The comments that followed were filled with suggestions as to how to find the console's rightful owner, and thankfully, this is a story with a happy ending that restores a little faith in humanity (or at least in players). Commenters suggested searching the island's dream address to potentially locate the player's online username or cross-posting about the find in various subreddits centered around Toronto.

Despite being out for over four years, there are still many things that players may not know within the cozy game Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

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