Tips for enjoying life to the full

Looking for advice on how to make the most of your new life in Animal Crossing: New Leaf? Then you’ve come to the right place! Read on for some great lifestyle tips. Or don’t – it’s your choice after all!

Do as you please!

The most important part of living in Animal Crossing: New Leaf is knowing that you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. You might be mayor of the town, but how much you put your authority to use is entirely up to you – whether you’re a busy bee trying to create the perfect place to live or a mellow type watching the world pass by, there’s no pressure to do anything. Really, there isn’t!

To truly enjoy the Animal Crossing: New Leaf experience, you need to find your own way at your own pace. Don’t rush, take in life as it happens and do as much or as little as you like. That’s the Animal Crossing way!

Being mayor pt. 1 – First things first…

If you decide to move your career as mayor forward (and remember, it’s your decision!), the first step is to earn a development permit . Without this, you won’t be able to create public works projects or enact ordinances – a fancy word for laws – and getting one requires you to earn the approval of your town’s citizens.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to increase your approval rating. Why not make sure your town is clear of weeds, pick up a fishing rod from Nookling Junction and catch some fish before trading them in at the Re-Tail recycle store, or clear the beach of seashells? Create a new town flag, make up a catchy tune for the town hall clock to chime, run errands for anyone in town who needs help… whatever you do, it’s sure to pay off. And once you hit that 100% rating, you’ll have your permit a day or two later !

Being mayor pt. 2 – Build a better town

If the idea of building public works projects takes your fancy, you’ll find there are many different ways to improve your town. Of course, which project you build is entirely up to you, but each thing can have a positive effect. For instance, building a campsite allows other animals from out of town to visit for a holiday, street lamps can attract nocturnal insects you might not normally see and extra bridges can help you get around town quicker.

More public works projects can also be added to the list in the town hall depending on what you do. Animals living in your town might ask you to build something specific and add it to the list, while others may appear after performing certain actions around town or passing achievement milestones. Discovering new public works to create is all part of the fun of being mayor! Remember, however, that there’s no rush to complete a public works project. The more expensive ones in particular can take a while to save up for, even with other citizens pitching in for the costs – whether you take your time chipping away at the final bill or go crazy finding ways to amass enough Bells is up to you!

Making a quick buck

Need some Bells quickly? Then try hitting rocks around your town with a shovel! Not only will one rock a day contain a stack of Bells, but finding the ‘rogue’ rock – that is, a rock that’s not normally in your town – will net you a shiny gem that can be sold at Re-Tail. Alternatively, a trip to Tortimer Island can be extremely lucrative if you’ve been invited to visit, since the fish and insects you can catch there will net you some quick cash back home. And if you’re really desperate, sell some of your things! Unless they’re rare items gained from trading in fortune cookie fortunes, you can always buy them back from the catalogue later…

Striving for perfection

Isabelle’s always happy to give you advice on how to improve the town if you’ll let her – just ask her what the locals have been saying and you’ll get an idea of what people are hoping for from their town. By using this advice, you can work towards creating the ‘perfect’ town, if you want to. It’s not mandatory by any means, but doing so has its own benefits!

Tips for improving your town’s standing include planting a good number of trees and flowers across the town (enacting the Make Your Town Beautiful ordinance at the town hall will mean you don’t have to water them to stop them dying!), creating public works projects, recycling anything you don’t need at Re-Tail instead of leaving it lying around, and pulling up any weeds that appear. Finding the sweet spot will take a while, but don’t give up if you’re determined to create a perfect town!

The Happy Home Academy

Once you have your own house, you’ll be introduced to the Happy Home Academy; this organisation rates your house according to how you’ve decorated it, then dishes out rewards depending on the score. Since you can decorate your house however you like, getting a good score shouldn’t be more important than being happy with how it looks. But there are ways of getting the best of both worlds!

If you find a furniture set that you like, then you can really boost your score by putting all items from the same set in one room, and you’ll get even more if you add matching wallpaper and carpet. You could try matching coloured items together, make use of the ancient real-world art of feng shui or even put items from the same category (say, musical instruments) on show. Which approach you take, if any, is up to you… remember, it’s your life so live it how you please!

For more info on the game and loads of fun facts, including a calendar of events, check out the official Animal Crossing: New Leaf website!