Animal Crossing: New Horizons/Airport terminal

The game starts with Timmy and Tommy welcoming the player at an Airport terminal for Nook Inc's "Deserted Island Getaway Package". The twins will ask the player if this is their first time, or if they're moving.

• New players should select "Yes, it is!" This guide assumes you pick this option.
• Moving allows an existing player to move from a different game save, particularly when they have transferred data from a different Nintendo Switch video game console.

The twins will then ask the player for their name and birthday (Month and date only). This information can be visible to others online and can't be changed afterwards, so you may wish to consider picking a name and birthday other than your actual name and birthday.

Next the player will be asked to get ready for a photo, in reality this means choosing your player appearance. You can choose between two avatar styles, as well as appearance options regarding skin tine, hair style, eyes, mouth, nose, and cheeks. This is more malleable later, so don't worry about it too much, but pick something to your liking.

Next the game will ask the player to pick a hemisphere to live in, either northern or southern, as this will affect the timing of the in game seasons.

Next the twins will offer four island layouts to choose from. This is slightly more consequential, but less important compared to previous Animal Crossing games so pick what you like. The main factors to consider are:

• Location of the airport (Grey block on the south side)
• Location of the town square (Leaf logo)
• Location of the dock (Either on the east or west)
• Location of river outlets to ocean
• Location of rocky beaches
• Location of the grass ocean cliffside
• Location of the northern beach

Less important factors to consider include:

• Accessibility of ponds
• Number of waterfalls
• Number of hills
• General terrain elevation

Finally the twins will ask the player a hypothetical question of what item they would choose to bring if they could only bring one thing to a deserted island.

After the selection is made the charter flight will begin boarding for the deserted island. During the flight an in flight movie will play to introduce the player to island life. This video focuses on recreational activities, fishing, item collection, crafting, and insects, to name just a few features presented.

Game Design

This introduction is used as a way for the player to create a character without asking them to do so in a straightforward menu. Doing so allows the game to meld the world and character introduction with the character creation process.

How does the introductory video prepare the player for the upcoming gameplay?