Animal Crossing: New Horizons players share their everyday struggles with island living

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have been taking to Twitter to share their everyday struggles on their own little deserted islands. 

Ever since Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched a few months ago, island dwellers have been posting their mutual frustrations with some of the mechanics and features. Often resulting in some rather humorous antics, these common island struggles have even led to a dedicated Twitter account that posts players' moments of misfortune. 

Wasps continue to be island enemy number one when it comes to a spot of tree shaking. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who hasn't been stung by a wasp yet. But when you're so close to getting away from those pesky insects, it stings all the more when something goes terribly wrong. If you're aren't lucky enough to catch the flying fiends in your net, your next best bet is to race to safety and retreat inside of a building. But as many players prove, it doesn't always go your way. 

Take, for example, this poor unfortunate soul who made a mad dash for the Nook's Cranny after being pursued by wasps, only for it to close just as they made it to the door. What a cruel fate! 

When it comes to unlucky wasp encounters, not even Wilbur can save you. 

Wasps aren't the only danger of course. As someone with a terrible fear of spiders, just seeing a tarantula scurrying around on my island is bad enough, let alone being chased by one. These hairy eight-legged critters will dart at you and even knock you out if you aren't careful. But they're also very lucrative catches, so many take their chances anyway.

Who doesn't love getting a present from the sky? Whenever I see a gift floating on by, I can hardly wait to see what's inside. That's why it's so disappointing when you do a poorly timed shot and the present lands in the river, or you see it disappear in a bed of flowers... or, in this case, watch as it vanishes on the top of a rock. So upsetting. 

Fishing can be a fun, relaxing past time... but it can also be a little frustrating. Those fish shadows turn this way and that, and just when you think you've lined up your fishing rod perfectly to hook your catch, the fish turns in the opposite direction. Or, when you think you've missed the mark, the fish decides to take the bait and you immediately reel it back in. Sometimes it just doesn't make sense. 

And then, of course, there are construction struggles. Whether it's incline placements, your villagers getting in your way, or NPCs appearing in awkward places, plenty of things can go awry. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been the source of so much joy for players everywhere since it first released. But, as these players prove, it can sometimes be a bit of a struggle. 

Check out this fake Nintendo direct that nails all the Animal Crossing: New Horizons fixes we'd love to see

Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good. 

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