The folks over at Nintendo dropped a new Nintendo Direct today chock full of exciting details for the highly anticipated Animal Crossing: New Horizons. We learned loads of new information about player choice and the promise of free updates and events that will keep players engaged over a long period of time, though it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows on the island of your dreams, as one of the game’s friend mechanics could spell trouble for the player’s home.

So first off, Animal Crossing: New Horizons features a system that protects the player’s island from friendly invaders, which basically means that regular friends can’t, say, burn everything to the ground. “In order to protect the environment of your island, certain tools like axes and shovels are forbidden in visits from friends,” Nintendo revealed via today’s presentation. Of course, why have a friend system in the first place if you can’t get some of them to help out around the island? That’s where the Best Friend tier comes in.

https://youtu.be/KcsiD3nNzA4

Any friendly player listed as a Best Friend can equip and utilize tools while visiting your island, which, let’s face it, offers a one-way trip into the heart of darkness. There’s no reasonable way to stop these ‘Best Friends’ from tearing down your island should they choose to take the path of the betrayer outside of revoking said Best Friend status, so it’s imperative to keep your friends close, but your best friends even closer.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is slated to release on March 20, 2020 for Nintendo Switch.

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