You’re stuck. Again. You’ve used your last piece of fruit to smash a rock, but now there's a bush blocking the only path to the end, and you realize—with that sinking feeling in your chest—that you’ve completely soft-locked yourself. This is the Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Day maze experience in a nutshell. It’s a bizarre, high-stakes puzzle dropped into a game that is otherwise about picking weeds and decorating your living room with expensive virtual sofas.
Every year, usually from May 1st to May 7th, Tom Nook decides to be "generous" by giving you a one-time ticket to a mystery island. But this isn't your standard resource-gathering trip. You land with empty pockets. No shovel. No axe. No vaulting pole. Just your wits and a hedge maze that feels like it was designed by someone who secretly misses the difficulty spikes of 1990s adventure games.
Most players expect a relaxing stroll. They get a logistics nightmare.
The Brutal Simplicity of the May Day Maze
The whole point of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Day maze is resource management. You start with absolutely nothing. Wilbur, the dodo pilot, takes all your gear before you step off the plane. It’s a total gear reset. The maze itself is a grid of hedges, holes, rocks, and trees. To get through it, you have to find specific tools—usually a flimsy shovel or an axe—and use them in the exact right order.
Eat a piece of fruit. Smash a rock. Dig up a bush. It sounds simple until you realize that if you eat that cherry at the wrong time, you won't have the stamina to move the tree blocking the finish line.
Honestly, it’s the only time in New Horizons where you actually have to think three steps ahead. If you mess up, you have to open your NookPhone and call the Rescue Service. For 100 Nook Miles, they’ll reset the entire island, and you start from the beginning. It’s humbling. You’re a debt-paying island representative being rescued from a hedge because you ate a piece of fruit too early.
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Why Rover is the Real Prize
At the end of the maze sits a blue cat named Rover. For longtime fans of the series, seeing Rover is a massive hit of nostalgia. He was the one who met you on the train in the original GameCube version and helped you set up your save file. In New Horizons, he’s a bit of a nomad. He doesn’t live on your island. He just shows up for May Day, hangs out by a campfire, and gives you a prize.
Usually, that prize is Rover’s Briefcase. It’s a unique furniture item that looks great in a travel-themed room. If you’ve already done the maze in previous years, he might send you Rover’s Photo instead. These aren't just random items; they are some of the rarest collectibles in the game because you can only get them during this one-week window.
The Logic You Need to Survive
There are usually two different versions of the maze that Nintendo cycles through. One is heavy on the shovel work, and the other requires careful axe usage.
The biggest mistake people make is rushing. They see a piece of fruit and eat it immediately. Don't do that. Treat every piece of fruit like gold. You only have a limited amount of stamina available on the island. If you see three rocks but only have two peaches, you need to find where that third peach is hidden before you commit to a path.
- Watch your tool durability. The flimsy tools will break. If you use a flimsy axe to chop down a tree you didn't need to move, you’re stuck when you reach the tree you actually need to clear.
- Check the corners. Nintendo loves to hide a few extra Bell Vouchers behind the goal line. Once you talk to Rover, don't just leave. You can usually dig up some bushes near the end to circle back to the "out of bounds" areas where the extra loot is hidden.
- The "Secret" Bell Vouchers. To get all 9 Bell Vouchers, you typically need to have three pieces of fruit left over when you reach the end. You’ll use those to smash three rocks blocking a hidden path on the top-left or bottom-left of the island.
Does the Maze Change?
Not really. This is one of the main criticisms from the veteran community. If you’ve played New Horizons since launch in 2020, you’ve likely seen both variations of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Day maze. While the layout is clever, it doesn't have the procedural generation that would make it infinitely replayable.
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However, for a new player who just picked up a Switch or someone who missed the event last year, it’s a refreshing change of pace. It breaks the monotony of the daily grind. There is no "perfect" way to play Animal Crossing, but the May Day event is the closest the game gets to a traditional "level."
The Complexity of the Rewards
Let's talk about those Bell Vouchers. Each one is worth 3,000 Bells. If you grab all nine, that’s 27,000 Bells. In the grand scheme of a multi-million Bell house loan, it’s pocket change. But the real value is the briefcase. On trading sites like Nookazon, Rover’s Briefcase often goes for a high price because it’s a "non-orderable" item. You can’t just buy it from the Nook Shopping catalog. Once it’s gone, it’s gone until next May.
Interestingly, Rover’s dialogue changes slightly depending on whether he "remembers" you from previous years. It’s a small touch, but it adds to the feeling that your character has a history with these NPCs.
Technical Limitations and Glitches
Rarely, players have reported issues where the maze doesn't trigger. This is usually because their console time and date aren't synced with the internet. Nintendo "time-locks" these events. Even if you time travel to May 1st, the event won't activate unless the real-world date has passed and your game has verified it with the server. This was a move by Nintendo to prevent people from spoiling the holiday events months in advance.
Also, remember that you cannot bring anything back from the island except the prizes Wilbur sends to your mailbox. Don't waste time picking weeds or trying to keep the tools. They’re gone the moment you step back on the plane.
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What to do if you’re frustrated
If you find yourself stuck and you don't want to use a guide, try to work backward from the goal. Look at the obstacles between you and Rover. What do you need? A ladder? An axe? Now look at what stands between you and those tools. Usually, the maze is a series of "keys" and "locks." The fruit is a key. The rock is a lock.
If you absolutely cannot figure it out, just call the Rescue Service. There is no shame in it. The game actually encourages it. Wilbur will even give you a little pep talk.
Summary of Actionable Steps
To make the most of the event when May 1st rolls around, follow this specific sequence to ensure you don't miss the limited-time rewards:
- Check your Mailbox: Tom Nook will send you a letter announcing the event. You don't get the ticket in the mail; he just tells you it's waiting at the airport.
- Clear your Schedule: You only get one shot at this island per year (unless you use the Rescue Service to reset while you're still there). Once you leave the island, you can't go back.
- Talk to Orville: Select "I want to fly," then "Use May Day Ticket."
- Survey the Map: Before moving, rotate your camera. You can see over some of the hedges to spot where the fruit and tools are located.
- Prioritize the Briefcase: Make sure you talk to Rover first. The Bell Vouchers are secondary.
- The Mail Hack: Your rewards won't be in your pockets when you return. Check your mailbox at home the next day. If it's full, you might not receive them, so clear out those old letters from Mom and your villagers.
The Animal Crossing: New Horizons May Day maze is a quirky, slightly stressful, but ultimately rewarding break from the usual island life. It reminds us that even in a world of talking animals and debt-free living (mostly), a little bit of a challenge makes the rewards feel a whole lot sweeter.