Run a shop and rebuild the town
You have inherited your grandparents' farm while they travel the world. Your first job is to work with Frank at the local construction shop to finish your new home, then help Frank and Mayor Wilson build the town up to its full potential. Buildings cost coins, so you open a shop of your own. Collect things around the islands, from flowers to poop, and sell them to villagers between 12:00 and 18:00. Start with a single table stand and upgrade it into a large showstopper, with mannequins to display your hats and accessories. There are over 1000 items you can sell, from raw materials to crafted goods. If you would rather explore than stand behind the counter, hire an assistant to cover the shop for you.
Coins from the shop let you commission new buildings through Frank. Each new building brings unique upgrades, shops, quests and new areas to explore. The mining camp is a good example: once it is built, commission the miners to clear rubble and open new mining caves. There are no spirits to fight down there, only geodes and other treasures. When a natural disaster strikes, the townsfolk will need your help rebuilding.
Farm, fish, craft and explore
Once you have seeds, you can start farming. Dig up seeds with flowers and vegetables in the wild, or buy them from Sammy the Seed Seller. Till the soil with your hoe, water it every day, and harvest after a couple of days. Cook your crops or wrap them in a bouquet to sell. Rainy days water the crops for you, or you can craft sprinklers so your plants do not wither while you are busy elsewhere.
The islands are surrounded by water, so fishing is a big part of life here. There is a large variety of fish to catch at dawn and dusk, and you can set up fish or shellfish traps to collect them while you do something else. Talk to Frank about building a Chicken Coop and Barn to raise animals including Chicks, Ducks, Calves, Alpacas, Foxes, Ferrets, Goats, Sheep, Horses and Rabbits. Larger mature animals can be ridden as mounts to get around faster, and you can befriend animals with their favourite foods. Keep an eye out for legendary creatures.
Crafting turns sticks and stones into works of art. Upgrade your tools and equipment to unlock new recipes and blueprints, with over 600 crafting recipes covering chests, furniture and building pieces. Explore every chance you get: each area holds new items to find, collect, sell and wear, and hidden treasure can turn up around any corner. Take a boat ride to Halloween Island during Fall for epic loot, then dive into the dungeon and battle monsters across 10 levels. Take on the boss if you dare, or shoot the mushrooms in the entrance from smallest to largest to activate hardcore mode.
Playing together online
You do not have to do this alone. Invite up to three friends to join you online, and everything from shopkeeping to taming and exploring works better with friends. If you want to play with more people, create a Creative lobby with up to 32 people building and hanging out. As the server host you can open your home to friends who will fully interact with your world, and you can host a public or private server to play with old friends or make new ones.
There are over 700 quests with a minimum of 30 hours of content, and new ones arrive every season. Pick from 10 characters: Fox, Bunny, Bear, Dragon, Cat, Bird, Badger, Chipmunk, Horse and Dog. Each has a unique appearance, and there are over 400 skins plus 150+ dye-able clothing items to make your character your own. Clothing and unique skins can be found in chests, earned through questing, or bought from Splash in town. Streamers can enable Twitch Integration so viewers active in chat appear as customers, with options to let them type "hype" or "love" in the game and toggle emotes or chat on screen.