This was truly a fun time when it came out. I took full advantage of the online features, the plentiful decoration, the terraforming, and the eventual debt relief. I visited different friends' islands and do trades and bicker about the mundanity of our lives. Looking retrospectively, it heavily had the benefit of the pandemic for its success for sure. I don't think it would have been as fun otherwise, which is evident when you point out the bizarre lack of features from previous titles and frustrating mechanics that make the game a complete slog to explore. It's a game that clearly has its finishing touches coming in the form of a DLCs and updates, which is disappointing because I know I won't be playing this game as intensely when those updates roll out. I've had my fill of what AC:NH has to offer and may return to it from time to time, just because I like my villagers.