Nintendo LifeAfter a long and tiring year of age, Animal Crossing: New Horizons needs a shot. No, not the injection in the arm that is being launched across the globe with varying degrees of enthusiasm – we’re talking about an injection of caffeine from the supplier of the best roasted bean juice in the series, Brewster.
Everyone’s favorite barista’s excellent coffee is perhaps the most obvious and “meaningful” element of previous games that fans are desperate to see back. After 365 days of updates big and small, we honestly thought everything would be in the game now, but the game’s huge success seems to have caught Nintendo off guard and there are indications that the company may be looking to keep the ball rolling with more updates and refinements. to return annual events (Bunny Day, for example, already has new items this year) and potentially add more facilities and mechanics to the game throughout its second year.
We saw things we would like to see in an update close to launch and brainstormed some more in-depth features that we wouldn’t mind seeing added in May as well. A full year since launch, some requested additions have really arrived – Crazy Redd bought its products on its desert islands in April, for example, and extra photos of Custom Design are now available in the first anniversary update – although others are still missing.
So, brew a beer and let’s take a look at the things we’re most looking forward to seeing on the horizon as the game enters its second year of Switch. There is a poll at the bottom, so tell us what you would like to see …
Brewster’s Roost
One of the most requested elements that New Horizons still lacks, the ability to get to The Roost and grab a cup of Joe from Brewster was sorely missed by AC worshipers. Maybe we just need a bartender’s willing ear to dump our blockage problems, or maybe we just want to relax with some relaxing ‘coos’ while drinking our Arabica from the foothills of Colombia.
Anyway, we desperately hope that Nintendo has a pigeon up its sleeve for the 2.0 update. We would gladly deliver coffee around the island, if we had the chance – and some appropriate rewards, of course.
Resetti, Gracie, Dr. Shrunk, Wendell and other special characters
© Nintendo LifeThe list of special characters who have not yet appeared on our deserted islands is long. Mr. Resetti is taking time, of course (as a Nook Inc. Rescue Service employee, no less), but someone really visa he in the form of a statue?
Wendell, the wandering walrus, is one of our favorites, but we would be delighted to meet fashionista Gracie in our square; likewise, insurance salesman Lyle, Katrina the Fortune Teller or psychiatrist / comedian Dr. Shrunk. After last year, we could all laugh, if not some time on your couch, wouldn’t we?
Gyroids
© NintendoThe NL team is divided as to whether Gyroids are deliciously eccentric little collectibles or unnerving, dead-eyed figures that we are happy to see from behind. Still, a while ago we asked Nintendo Life readers if they would like to see Gyroids return, and the answer was a resounding yes!
So yes! Why not? Let’s fill our islands with more filth fabulous items!
Tortimer Island and more multiplayer activities
Improvements to the online component of the game – specifically in relation to the obstacles you must go through to leave your island and the painfully lengthy process of having more than one person visiting your island – it may be asking for a little too much. Nintendo made it clear that a fast and smooth online experience is at the bottom of the list of priorities; what It is it may be clumsy compared to other online experiences, but it’s just functions. It looks like it’s good enough. It’s not as if the clumsy online functionality has hurt sales too much.
In the absence of a more complete online review, we would love to see Tortimer’s return – potentially in his role as Animal Crossing: New Leaf leader of the island tour, which could introduce a series of mini-games, focused on multiplayer or not, in New Horizons. The May Day maze event with the return of the Rover was one of our favorite events so far (although you preferred Halloween and Toy Day), so any expansion on that topic would be most welcome.
Batch production
Fishing lure. That’s right, we just want to create bait for fish faster! When trying to hunt for Golden Trout or Stringfish, creating fish baits in batches, instead of getting an RSI by pressing the ‘A’ button, would be a lifesaver. Or a hand guard, at least.
The ability to create in batches. That’s it, Nintendo. Come on, throw us a bone here! Even multiples of ten would save our precious digits from a horrible beating. You want us to keep buying game stuff in our old age, right? We players have to take care of ourselves and you are not helping.
More creatures to catch
Having spent an entire year catching fish insects and eventually sea creatures, many players will now have completed their Critterpedia and captured absolutely all the animals in the game. For many, hunting everything signals an end – in a way – to the game, so adding a new batch of insects or marine life can be a way to lure players back.
Of course, you don’t want to overwhelm newbies. If we were in charge of expanding the captureable creatures in an update, we would probably have a special NPC arriving as soon as you have 100% of your Critterpedia to deliver news of new animals to capture. Perhaps a new type of tree or flower will attract new insects to your island. Perhaps a special sonar device will help identify previously “hidden” fish. Or how about getting a golden ticket to a new tropical island full of its own tailor-made wildlife, ready to catalog? How about a little bird watching?
We don’t like the idea of creatures of different sizes, nor do we want Animal Crossing to transform into Pokémon (we don’t want male and female fish to capture or shiny versions of standard creatures – you can imagine?!), but we’d love to have a reason to break the insect net and fishing rod again.
The ability to change the Resident Representative
Nintendo LifeIt may have taken a while, but Nintendo ended up updating the game to make it possible to transfer your island to a new Switch using the special island transfer tool. You can also move individual players to other islands if they are not the island’s representatives, but it is currently not yet possible to change the resident representative of an island.
Why do you want to do that? Well, let’s say you bought New Horizons for one of your kids and made it the ‘main’ player. Move forward a month and they’ve lost interest. It turns out that you or someone else plays a lot more nowadays. Unfortunately, the island’s ‘progress’ (the ability to build new structures, pay the mortgage, etc.) is tied to the Resident Representative, so you are forced to play like him if you want to do things.
For some people, this addition would not make much difference – for others, it would be transformative.
Old Nintendo consoles or an Arcade!
© Nintendo LifeOkay, listen to us about this one. Everyone wants the original NES games Cross between animals back – but whoever pays for a Nintendo Switch Online subscription already has access to them, right? So, why not combine the two in a way that makes sense for Nintendo in 2021 – if you buy the NES and SNES from the Nook store and plug them in at home, you will receive a special Animal Crossing ‘wrapper’ for play the NSO Games NES / SNES now available. Easy!
If Nintendo wanted to go to the city and install an arcade building on our islands, we would do that too. But since we can now buy the normal Switch, the Animal Crossing brand Switch and now the Switch Lites (exclusive for NSO subscribers, nothing less) in the game, why not the NES, SNES and any other retro consoles that may appear as part Nintendo Switch Online in the future? They would look great in our home with all of Mario’s 25th birthday items.
Are you still playing Animal Crossing on the Switch? Would any of the above additions bring you back to the fold? Unique, non-annual events, perhaps? What would keep New Horizons fresh for you as the game enters its second year on the verge of the 2.0 update? let us know with a comment below.
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