Tom Nook has his own plan for players’ islands, and that plan is to get enough guests and residents so that K.K. Slider will come play on the island. Doing so would put the island on the map and get player’s communities known. One of the steps to this goal is to have a good town rating through Island Evaluations.

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Unlocking Island Evaluations

As this feature is not available off the bat, there are some requirements to unlock the ability to receive an evaluation from Isabelle. There are:

-Paying off the initial debt with 5,000 Nook Miles

-Constructing Nook’s Cranny

-Building the first bridge

-Building and placing the furniture for 3 arriving villagers

-Constructing the building for Residential Services

-Constructing a campground

After all of these are complete, talking to Isabelle will open up the option for an Island Evaluation. The following are the multiple ways of increasing the island’s overall rating.

Weeding the Island

Just like in other mainline titles in Animal Crossing, weeding is important in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. After all, having a presentable island is important when it comes to rating.

Weeds should be pulled, but especially near areas where items fall, such as trees, as too many weeds in an area can completely despawn items that fall into them. Picking weeds near flowers is also important, as flowers require space to grow. Not every weed needs to be pulled up to reach the desired star rating for the island, but the more the better.

Gardening

The growing and upkeep of flowers is another important factor in the island’s rating. While the flowers won’t wilt in Animal Crossing: New Horizons as they would in past Animal Crossing titles, watering them will encourage them to spread out and even crossbreed into new colors.

More flowers can be bought from Timmy and Tommy at Nook’s Cranny in different types and colors, but even more can be dug up and brought to the island via Nook Miles tickets. By going to other islands, players can use a shovel to dig up the flowers and hold the plant itself in their inventory so that it may be replanted later.

Decorate the Outside

After the upgrading of Residential Services, there will be a large number of new outdoor-oriented DIY recipes and items that can be purchased with Nook Miles from the Nook Stop including fountains, hot springs, pools, and vending machines. By placing at least 25 furniture items outside, the rating will be affecting positively.

Build Fences

By crafting fencing at a DIY workbench, players will be given 10 pieces of fence per fencing crafted. By placing this fencing around, the island will look more aesthetically orderly. Players can use fencing to create paths, fence off their yard, or even create a private garden. More styles of fencing can be purchased from the Nook Stop in Residential Services.

Build Bridges and Inclines

To make sure the new island town has good footpaths, adding inclines and bridges will increase the island’s rating. This is the most expensive step to raising stars, so for players who just want to unlock K.K. Slider quickly, choosing the cheapest options would be the best.

K.K. Slider

After confirming with Isabelle that the island has at least a 3-star rating, K.K. Slider will arrive at the island the very next day. Players will be able to hear his performance as the credits of Animal Crossing: New Horizons roll. From this point onward, K.K. Slider will come to the island and perform every Saturday.

Players will also finally gain access to the Island Designer app on their Nookphone, allowing them to terraform their island, as well as make pathways.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now, exclusively for Nintendo Switch.

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Source: IGN