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Animal Crossing: New Horizons islands have been taken over by spring cheer in the form of Bunny Day, an event where fans collect Easter eggs that can be crafted into DIY items. It’s a good idea in theory, but the eggs are impacting some of what makes the base game enjoyable — and the rewards aren’t great.
When Zipper the questionable bunny joins your village, he notes that he’s hidden eggs all over the map. Rocks, fish, balloons, trees, and even buried treasure might actually contain a new type of egg. As you collect eggs and talk to your villagers, you get recipes that can be crafted into seasonal items such as outfits and furniture.
The most visible problem — which I’ll admit comes down to taste — is that all the Easter-related rewards are gaudy and ugly. I say this as someone who typically loves pastels, too. The design palette is the only aesthetically pleasing thing about the egg stuff you can make. If it weren’t for the fact that Zipper requires you to make every egg item to receive a goodie on April 12, I would never waste my time with any of these things.
The issues go beyond the visuals, though. Having eggs spawning in all these places takes the joy out of things like fishing, hearing a balloon in the distance, or seeing an X on the ground. Pals have told me that you can tell which water shapes and balloons are eggs, and that you can also fish on islands belonging to friends to avoid Bunny Day catches. But I resent having to put in any effort at all to enjoy the game as I normally would, especially when it’s going to be more than a week of this experience.
My hope is that future New Horizons events won’t work this way. Nintendo has been fairly responsive to how fans are playing the game, issuing consistent updates since release — and plus, the whole scavenger hunt thing is thematic for Easter. Chances seem good that other holidays will be more enjoyable, or at least different.
I also do want to give props here: While I hate the eggs right now, I’m loving all the gorgeous cherry blossom trees and items. And while the floating blossoms can be tricky to catch with a net, and while I haven’t found any related recipes yet, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing that I’ll eventually end up with some extremely cute decorations for my island.
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