Trying to create a five-star island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be an incredibly frustrating experience. Many players have put in hundreds of hours of work — terraforming the town, creating elaborate shopping centers, and covering the entire island with homemade items — only to be told by Isabelle they're still a four-star destination. Sure, you can ask for evaluations from your neighbors, but being told to "improve the natural beauty of the island" for the fifteenth time isn't really helpful.
However, a dataminer recently discovered the exact criteria that needs to be met in order to achieve the elusive five-star rating, shedding some light on how the strange evaluation system works.
The dataminer goes by the name of Ninji, and they have discovered a few interesting tidbits of information. Here's what we now know:
- The game uses two scoring systems for the island. One is called "Life" and the other is "Nature." There's no description as to what these categories entail, but it seems pretty obvious. "Life" probably relates to objects you've purchased or created such as tables, chairs, lighthouses, and other lifestyle furniture. The "Nature" category most likely deals with unique trees on the island, hybrid flowers available, or crafted objects such as log benches and leaf piles that are more rustic in nature.
- To achieve a five-star rating, you'll need to earn over 665 "Life Points" and over 450 "Nature Points." We interpret this as meaning you should favor placing manmade objects across the island as opposed to simply planting a gigantic field of flowers. However, chopping down every tree and building a bustling metropolis probably isn't the best technique either, as you'll still need enough space to accrue 450 "Nature Points."
- You cannot earn a five-star rating if you have more than 220 trees on your island.
- You cannot earn a five-star rating if you have more than 15 loose items on your island.
- You cannot earn a five-star rating if you have a "very messy map."
There you have it. Finding a delicate balance between "Life" and "Nature" seems to be the key for landing a five-star rating. Just make sure to keep the island clean and limit the number of trees you're planting — otherwise your beautiful island will forever be stuck as a four-star oasis.
Source: Nintendo Soup