(Author’s note – I found the Tuna while taking the screenshots for this article…)
O Tuna, Tuna, wherefore art thou Tuna?
That slippery sucker has been avoiding me for nearly two weeks and, while I adore Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the distinct lack of Tuna on the end of my rod has me considering what may be my only gripe with the game.
Horizons introduces a new fishing mechanic, allowing you to scour the beach for Manilla Clams to dig up and use as bait. Searching for the clams is enjoyable; the little hiss that bubbles up through the sand marking their location as you stroll by never ceases to put a smile on my face.
But to use the clams to attract fish, you must first craft them into bait at one of the game’s new crafting tables. You can only craft one portion of bait at a time and must click through the crafting menu and endure the (albeit charming) crafting animation each and every time. This is okay in principle, and even exciting the first time you do it, but it gets tedious very quickly and yet more wearisome when fifty portions of bait do not secure you the Tuna of your desires.
It’s encouraging, then, that Nintendo seems intent on iterating on the game with regular updates. This time around, themed holiday events are not in the game and will be patched in closer to the time, in what I think is a great move, disincentivising time travel and giving even more reason to revisit the game throughout the year. I can only hope that one of these patches includes an option to craft more than one portion of bait at a time.
Not only would this expedite my hunt for Tuna, but it would also advance my journey to become a ‘bellionare’. Allowing me to make more than one ‘hot item’ at a time and sell them to Timmy and Tommy for double the regular asking price.
I appreciate a substantial part of the joy of Animal Crossing is found in its leisurely pace, and speeding up the crafting process does not gel with that aim, but please, for the love of god, Nintendo, patch in a ‘craft multiple’ option and let me catch that Tuna.
Oh, and patch in Brewster’s coffee shop at the top one of the suspiciously destinationless staircases in the museum. I want to have coffee with Pete the Pelican Postman again. Thanks.
gamefeeling 