Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a life sim that can be customized to each player's whims. Whether they play the game one day at a time and reach goals at a leisurely pace or time travel to speed things along, there's one thing every player has in common: They all make mistakes. Wasp stings, spider bites, broken tools and fake art plague every player at one point or another, which can certainly be frustrating. However, the game also offers a balm for these wounds in the form of Nook Miles Stamps, which can be acquired by screwing up as easily as they can be acquired by succeeding and thriving.
In addition to learning from mistakes in-game, players also receive Nook Miles -- one of two currencies in New Horizons -- for experiencing certain blunders. Plus, each Nook Miles Stamp also comes with new words that can be used in players' passport titles, which create some really fun combinations.
Perhaps the most ubiquitous mistakes in Animal Crossing: New Horizons are getting stung by wasps, bitten by tarantulas or stung by scorpions. The first time a player shakes a wasp's nest from a tree and gets swarmed not once, but twice in a row, they unlock the "Taking the Sting Out" achievement, which rewards them with 300 Nook Miles and the words "Teary-eyed" and "Crybaby." The first time a player is attacked by a tarantula or scorpion, they unlock "Faint of Heart," which also rewards 300 Nook Miles and the significantly tougher words "Risen" and "Phoenix."
Other mistakes include: Successfully shooting a balloon with a slingshot, only for the present to fall in a body of water ("Lost Treasure," which awards 500 Miles and the words "Catchable" and "Klutz"); breaking tools ("Trashed Tools," which has five levels culminating in 6,800 Miles earned and several new words, including "Chaotic" and "Ruiner"); getting duped by Redd and giving fake art to Blathers for assessment ("Faked Out!" which awards 500 Miles and the words "Plausible" and "Fake"); and two achievements associated with both planting and falling over Pitfall Seeds.
Although making mistakes in real life can be incredibly disheartening and even dangerous, making them in New Horizons -- which for thousands of players is a wholesome escape from the world -- not only allows players to learn something new about gameplay, but receive a reward from Tom Nook.
Though the disappointment of losing a balloon present or buying a fake piece of art can't totally be fixed with a Nook Miles balm, these rewards allow players to feel like it's OK to mess up. They also remind players that nothing in Animal Crossing is a death sentence, which is just as important.