my animal crossing update for july 2025 - Quick take #17
Back in 2020, when the pandemic kept us locked inside with all of our games, I decided to jump into Animal Crossing: New Horizons. As it was for many, ACNH quickly became the perfectly-timed escape from reality that I needed from a world that felt like anything but an island getaway. I played it for a month or two, putting in about 90 hours, and then I dropped off of it to play other games. Five years later, the launch of the Switch 2, paired with its relatively thin launch lineup, introduced a valid enough reason to jump back in. So, I started up a new island, which I named Beverly after the neighborhood I grew up in, and am now even more obsessed with crafting my perfect island getaway than ever before. Here's my first island update detailing what I've achieved in July and what I hope to achieve in August!
Buildings and Structures - Off To A Fast Start
Starting up a brand new island after putting in 90 hours of work was a tough decision to make, but I feel like I gained back plent of ground pretty in July. As for buildings, I got the Museum and Resident Services building up and running. However, because I've opted to sell any and all fossils, bugs, and fish to fund my goals for island infrastructure, I haven't donated much to Blathers. Once the majority of those goals have been reached, I'll strike a balance between selling my findings and donating them, because I definitely want to have a museum to brag about!
As far as my house goes, I've upgraded the main living room space, built a bedroom, and am currently working on building a kitchen. While the living room is coming together nicely, it won't truly feel like a proper living room until I can get some sort of sofa or couch in there. The same can be said with the kitchen -- once I get a proper counter space and kitchen table in there, it'll feel like a proper kitchen. Beyond that, everything is coming together nicely! Next month, I'm hoping to expand to a fourth room that I'll aim to turn into a music studio. I've got the recipe for an acoustic guitar, and I was able to snag a pedal board from Nook's Cranny pretty early on, so we're off to a good start!
Island Infrastructure
Island infrastructure is by far and away my biggest interest for Beverly. My goal is to create an island that strikes a balance between the lived-in hustle and bustle of a city and the relaxed nature of a getaway island. If anyone reading this has ever been to Cape Cod/Martha’s Vineyard, then this is essentially the vibe I'm going for. With that said, my biggest goal from the start was to get as many bridges built as possible, and so far, I've managed to build four of them! My next step is to finish funding an incline that'll connect the first and second levels of the island near the Residential Services building. I'm also working on adding pathways -- perhaps the most important step to making Beverly feel lived-in as well as providing that "city" feel. I'm hoping to unlock something similar to your typical city street pathing from the ABD so I can begin to build roads.
Aside from bridges, inclines, and pathways, my other big goal has been to create a series of parks for my residents and I to enjoy. To start, I've created a flower garden that sits right behind Resident Services. The flowers consist of what I was able to buy in the early game, so lots of tulips for now. However, as I progress, I plan to update the garden with a wider variety of flowers to add some visual diversity. For now, though, the flower garden looks great, especially now that I've added some walkway pathing. Now that I've passed the K.K. Slider concert event, I've gained access to more elaborate structures such as a flower pergola and a gazebo that would fit perfectly in the garden.
Goals For August
My #1 goal for August is actually two goals that go hand-in-hand with each other. When initially forming the island, I placed the first batch of new residents in one space behind Resident Services to create a “neighborhood”. My new goal is to move all six houses to the second level of the island, spread them out, give them all fencing and roads, and build out a proper town within a town. From there, I plan to build a park where those six houses would have previously stood, complete with amusement park rides, a cotton candy machine, and whatever else I can buy that would fit that theme. Between the time and cost associated with moving each house and acquiring all the materials for the park, I assume that this will take me an entire month of work, so I won't stack any big goals on top of that.
That's it for now! If you've enjoyed this update, feel free to leave a comment below. Are you working on an island of your own? Are you 900 hours into your getaway masterpiece? Let me know!