SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is back with another round of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons experience. Thanks to Nintendo Australia, I had the opportunity to hit up the aquarium to check out the underwater exhibits and show off my almost encyclopedic knowledge of marine life, thanks to my time fishing and diving in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, whilst learning some new tidbits along the way.

​Upon entering SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, I was instantly hit with a wave of nostalgia as the New Horizon theme song played. Grabbing my excursion guide, I eagerly went on my way. That’s right, the Stamp Rally returns with embossed images of some of our favourite villagers to fill out the booklet. Showing the completed excursion guide at the end of the experience will earn you an exclusive postcard to show off to your friends.

​I was enthusiastically whispering to myself, “I have that in Animal Crossing,” within the first moments of stepping into the South Coast Shipwreck area.

Exhibits feature Animal Crossing-inspired information boards that present a few fun facts about them, presented by museum curator extraordinaire Blathers the owl from the game. There’s a little test in the booklet, so pay attention as you explore! Gulliver will be snoozing throughout the exhibits as well, so it’s worth keeping an eye out.

As I made my way through the aquarium, I saw a few favourites, including rays and, of course, the ever-present sea bass. I would definitely recommend hitting up the touch pool, Rocky Ranger, to learn about smaller sea critters like starfish and sea cucumbers.

One of my favourite areas is the tunnel where sharks swim overhead. I spent a decent chunk of time watching them swim by with a solid piece of acrylic between us so they didn’t take an actual chunk out of me.

Continuing my adventure, I saw plenty of other marine life in various biomes before completing my aquatic trip, viewing some gorgeous Moon Jellyfish glowing under RGB lights, much to my gamer-brained delight. ​After a photo op with the diva herself, Isabelle, I headed through the gift shop, indulging in a bit of Animal Crossing merch like plushies of Celeste and Gulliver before collecting my stamp rally reward.

Alas, my expedition ended, but I left with some great memories and a little more knowledge of the water world surrounding us. This is most certainly a perfect time to hit up SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium to learn about our natural world amongst some familiar faces.  

SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons experience runs from the 1st of July to the 31st of August.