May Day has arrived in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and to celebrate International Workers' Day, Tom Nook is sending players on a mystery island trip like no other. Between May 1 and May 7, players can talk to Tom Nook in Resident Services to receive praise for all the hard work they've put into their islands, as well as information about the May Day Tour. Tom will leave the player's May Day Ticket at the airline counter and players can choose to use it at any time.
This trip is different for a few reasons, so here's what players need to know.
Empty Pockets
Upon arriving at the airport, Orville will tell players they have a May Day Ticket available and remind them how to use it. When players choose to go on the May Day Tour, he informs them that they can't take anything with them. He promises to store their belongings at the counter and return them when a player comes back.
This "empty pockets" requirement goes both ways. Players can't bring anything with them to the May Day Tour and they also can't bring anything back. However, certain items picked up during the trip will be waiting in their mailbox when they return home.
No Tools
Upon arriving at the May Day Tour island, players will be informed that they cannot purchase tools from Wilbur, like they can on a normal mystery island. They have to make their way through the island using what they pick up -- which means navigating a maze using just a shovel and an axe. Players pick up the former immediately, but the latter they have to craft after figuring out how to access the needed resources and workbench.
Navigating the Maze
The May Day Tour in New Horizons is a maze built out of hedges. Players have to remove trees, rocks and shrubs to get to every section of the maze in order to pick up needed resources, like fruit, tree branches, wood and iron nuggets.
Once the resources are acquired to craft a regular axe, players should utilize this to chop down trees, then use the shovel to dig up the stumps. While it is possible to eat fruit and dig up trees as usual, doing so after the axe is crafted will mean players miss out on a Bells bonus after they complete the maze. Players will need at least three fruit to access the last square of the maze, which has five Bell Vouchers worth $15,000 Bells at Nook's Cranny.
A Special Guest
The goal of the May Day Tour is to reach the end of the maze, where Rover the vagabond cat will greet them. He informs the player he was invited here by Tom Nook, introduces himself, asks questions about the player's name and island, then presents them with a gift: Rover's briefcase.
Back Home
Once players return to their islands, the belongings they left behind will be returned to their pockets. However, any shrubs or flowers they dug up on the May Day Tour maze island will be gone. Orville reminds them to check their mail for the Bell Vouchers and gift they picked up on the island, then sends them on their way.
If the player returns to Resident Services to chat with Tom Nook, he asks them how the tour went and once again thanks them for their hard work on the island. He doesn't say anything about Rover, nor does he offer the player any additional gifts or information.
Given that Rover was responsible for getting players set up in previous Animal Crossing games, it seems likely he'll return at some point in New Horizons -- especially now that players have his briefcase. Further updates from Nintendo may reveal more.