Animal Crossing: New Horizonswas an unparalleled success for theAnimal Crossingfranchise, but that doesn’t mean players haven’t thought of ways to improve on it.New Horizonslanded at the perfect time for players to fall in love with it initially. TheCOVID-19 lockdowns were the perfect timefor a cozy game to take off. Although there is still a lot to love about the game, after four years players have started towant a bit more from the next installment in the franchise.
Some of these ideas are things players have already started including in their games through their own creations or by imposing specific rules on themselves. Still, it would be nice to have more official options for players in future games to more easily engage with this content. Other ideas players have had will need to be implemented by Nintendo because they involve quality-of-life adjustments toAnimal Crossingthat can’t be fan-made.
10Animal Crossing Players Want A Harder Option For How To Play
Players Have Created Their Own “Hard Mode” Rules
It may seem counter-intuitive for a cozy game to have a hard mode option. After all, many players enjoyAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsas a way to relax or express their creativity, not as a challenge. However, some players have found themselves growing tired of the game and wanteda way to add an extra level of difficulty to help spice it up.
Player-created hard mode rules include things like limits on trading, and restricting farm sizes to make it more difficult to make money. These restrictions can make milestones in the game feel more earned. Nintendo could add an option to the nextAnimal Crossinggame to make these restrictions official.
While it might be difficult to program a game mode that restricts players from doing certain things,Animal Crossing’s “hard mode”could be something players can opt into at the start of the game. The game could give a notice when a player is about to do something not allowed in hard mode, giving them the option to proceed and go back to playing as normal, or decide not to do it. Formal rewards for reaching milestones while sticking to these restrictions could also be a fun incentive for players.
9Animal Crossing Should Include More Mini Games
Future Animal Crossings Should Include More To Do With Friends
There comes a time in anyAnimal Crossingplaythrough where there isn’t much more to do. Players already have the biggest house, more bells than they could ever spend, and a perfectly customized island. Upon reaching this point, many players have turned to making up their own mini-games to pass the time.
Players have come up with multiple mini-games to play with friends, like Hide and Seek or creating a Minesweeper board by burying objects in a grid. Some players have even recreatedSquid Gameas seen in this tour from YouTuberMayor Mori. Nintendo should take a cue from these players and include some mini-games of their own.
SomeolderAnimal Crossinggames actually had some mini-games. Players could find old NES games to play in the GameCube version ofAnimal Crossing,andAnimal Crossing: New Leafhad a multiplayer escape room game called “Desert Island Escape” as well as the solo “Puzzle League” mini-game. Games like this should make a return in futureAnimal Crossingtitles.
8The Next Animal Crossing Should Take Cues From These Myths About The Last Game
Players Were Excited About These Rumors, So Why Not Make Them True?
Myths have always run rampant in the gaming community,fromPokémon’s infamous Pikablu- who turned out to be Marill - to rumors about secret characters in theMortal Kombatarcade cabinets.Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis no exception, spawning myths like the campfire method of selecting villagers on a hunt, or making Orville blush to go to a rare island. While these rumors aren’t true inNew Horizons,Nintendo could take cues from them while designing a newAnimal Crossinggame.
Animal Crossing Player Gets The Shock Of A Lifetime When One Of Their Villagers Appears To Be Impaled
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is supposed to be a peaceful and relaxing space for players and villagers alike, but one island had a dark surprise.
Players love hidden mechanics, especially ones that spread through word of mouth on social media. These can generate a lot of excitement around a game, especially if they turn out to be true. Whether it’s as on-the-nose as simply including an existing rumor in the nextAnimal Crossinggame, or using them as inspiration for a unique hidden mechanic, it would be fun to see these types of rumors influencing the next game.
7Animal Crossing Should Embrace More Lo-Fi Music
Lo-Fi Animal Crossing Playlists Are Popular Online
It only takes a quick YouTube search to see just how popularAnimal Crossingmusic is. There are plenty of long videos meant for studying, relaxing, or falling asleep. WhileAnimal Crossing New Horizonsseems to fit in with the rest of the series in this regard, it does seem to be lacking some of the lo-fi charm that older entries in the series had. That isn’t to say the music is bad, but it could cater to this crowd a bit more than it does.
Nintendo’s nextAnimal Crossinggame shouldembrace its lo-fi musical origins. This would likely be a huge hit with members of the community, and would also help boost the game by giving it free publicity on YouTube. Some players have also said they would like an item like an MP3 player in anAnimal Crossinggame that would allow them to choose what in-game music to listen to.
6Animal Crossing Should Bring Back Nintendo Collaborations
Prior toNew Horizons, theAnimal Crossingfranchise frequently included references to other Nintendo games. While there was a limited time event where players could get Mario-themed gear, this doesn’t come close to whatpreviousACgames included. For example,Animal Crossing: New Leafhad fourLegend of Zeldavillagers - Wolf Link, Medli, Ganon, and Epona - which could be summoned using Amiibos. Clothing inspired by other Nintendo games wasn’t just promotional items in olderAnimal Crossinggames either, but a mainstay.
FutureAnimal Crossinggames shouldgo back to referencing Nintendo games more often. It’s a great way for players to show off their other video-game-related interests through how they dress and decorate. The inclusion of themed villagers was also a lot of fun, since they allowedAnimal Crossingto redesign the look of famous characters and fit their personalities into a new setting.
5The Next Animal Crossing Should Have Something Similar To Treasure Islands
Players Want Guaranteed Ways To Get The Items They Want
Treasure islands inAnimal Crossing New Horizonsare a bit controversial. While they are great for players who just want specific items or don’t want to wait to be able to fully customize their island, having everything one needs handed to them does kind of spoil the game. Then there’s the aspect that these islands are the results of hacks or mods that Nintendo probably doesn’t want to reward by acknowledging in any way.
That said,the popularity of treasure islands is something Nintendo should pay attention to. They likely wouldn’t exist if there was a slightly better way to guarantee finding certain items in the game. While Nintendo shouldn’t adopt treasure islands wholesale, they should try and find a healthy middle ground between giving players everything they want at once and leaving it all up to chance.
One option could be allowing players to manifest items in some way. This could be done by adding a list of items or a text prompt to shooting star wishes that allow players to ask for a specific item or villager. Alternatively, there could be a fee players could pay to Katrina Fortune that would increase the likelihood of a specific item dropping. It would likely discourage players from resorting to hacking when there is an official method to get what they want.
4Animal Crossing’s Shopping Could Use Some Updates
The Game’s Shopping UI Is A Little Clunky And Dated
Despite its many innovations, there are some ways that theAnimal Crossingfranchise hasn’t really changed over the years. One way the game has somewhat stagnated is through the way players shop. Players buy items one at a time, whichcan be somewhat tedious while on a shopping spree. Some quality-of-life improvements in the nextAnimal Crossinggame could go a long way.
Disney Dreamlight Valley Desperately Needs This Animal Crossing Feature
Disney Dreamlight Valley should take a look at the freedom Animal Crossing offers its players when it comes to custom design sharing and implement it.
Aside from being able to buy multiple items at once, some players have also expressed frustration about accidentally buying duplicates of items. This happens because the game doesn’t have a clear indication of what items in the store players already own. Having a way to track this would be another good quality of life improvement. While streamlining shopping may take away some of the nostalgia from the series, players would ultimately appreciate the convenience.
3A Rotating Camera Could Make Animal Crossing Easier To Navigate And Decorate
Players Can’t See Behind Certain Obstacles In Current Animal Crossing Games
When outside inAnimal Crossinggames, the camera is locked on a fixed angle. This can sometimes lead to frustration when searching for specific things that may be hidden behind objects, like fossils or bugs.Allowing players to freely rotate the camera wouldn’t just eliminate these frustrations, but it could also add a whole new level of immersion to creating custom islands when they are fully realized from every angle.
Of course, a rotating camera would also mean a bit more work for Nintendo. Modders who have made a rotating camera have shown that the backsides of buildings are pretty much blank, and trees are weirdly flat from the other side. A rotating camera would mean having to recreate all these assets to work from every angle. However, this would also help the nextAnimal Crossinggame feel like a real upgrade from the previous entries.
2Crafting Could Use Some Quality Of Life Updates
Crafting In Animal Crossing Can Be Tedious
Similar to shopping, crafting items inAnimal Crossingis something that could use some quailty of life adustments. One of the clearest way this could be improved is when trying to upgrade items. Even if a player has all the requirements to upgrade an item multiple tiers, they still have to do so one at a time. This makes crafting a somewhat tedious experience.
Similarly,there isn’t a good way for players to craft in bulk inAnimal Crossing. This means any time players are setting out to craft a large number of items, they will be stuck navigating menus for a good chunk of time. FutureAnimal Crossinggames should try to streamline this process so players can spend their time on the parts of the game they actually enjoy. It would also encourage players to craft more, since it wouldn’t be such a hassle.
1Players Want More Interactions With Animal Crossing’s Villagers
Current Villager Interactions Leave Something To Be Desired
Animal Crossing’s villagers have great designs and some have memorable personalities to go along with it. However, it’s no secret that theAnimal Crossingseries doesn’t come close to the same level of interaction between players and villagers as other cozy games likeStardew Valley. WhileAnimal Crossingdoesn’t necessarily need to include everything other games do - romance for instance would feel out of place - it could certainly improve the quailty of interactions with villagers.
A futureAnimal Crossinggame could make its village feel much more like a living place if there was more to do with its villagers. As is, it’s very apparent that players are the only real people in town, which can make the game feel somewhat empty at times, even when villagers are wandering around. Giving future villagers more depth and creating more interactions with them could help them feel more like characters than the collectibles they basically are inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
