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It really needs a remaster…
Throughout its existence of almost 24 years, Animal Crossing has become a beloved franchise for many Nintendo players. The whimsical atmosphere and adorable animal characters are only half of what makes these games so addictive, for its immersion, daily achievements, and creative freedom lure players into a tranquil world of their own.
Animal crossing isn't just a game, it’s a simulation of your ideal life stylised with a coating of cuteness and amusing repetition. From buying a house, living in a peaceful community, sharing deep bonds with neighbours, caring for the environment, it becomes routine, except it’s one you enjoy. In between, you’ll become curator of the local museum, build a coffee store, and contribute to the town’s economy!
The unique experience given by playing these titles is nothing short of relaxing and cozy! However, out of all five releases, Animal Crossing: New Leaf is best, with New Horizons coming as a close second.
Here's why.
Public Works Projects
Public Works Projects, or ‘PWPs,’ are large and expensive projects that can be built around your world. Only one project may be active at a time, and if cancelled during construction, there won't be a refund of any bells you've previously invested!
Although New Horizons also features PWPs, it doesn't compare to the variety and number of those seen in New Leaf. Anything from installing a drilling rig, windmills, to park benches and a bus stop, the range of structures available is vast!
Above that are the actual shops and facilities included in New Leaf's PWP selection. Many places integral to its community such as Brewster's Cafe, Club LOL, Katrina's Fortune Teller Shop, and Police Station can only be built by purchasing them as PWPs.
Whilst New Horizons also offers PWPs, they are quite limited due to its crafting mechanics. Thanks to the NookPhone and Island Designer app, it has restricted PWPs to just bridges and inclines, for everything else is craftable using DIY recipes.
This change significantly impacted the gameplay of New Horizons. In contrast to New Leaf, it doesn't appear to immerse the player, but hands them special privileges to use almost immediately. Essentially creating a disconnect between gamers and the in-game world.
T&T Emporium and Gracie
Nook's Cranny, one of two retailers in New Leaf, undergoes a total of four upgrades as gamers meet further requirements. Starting as nothing but a shed called ‘Nookling Junction,’ it eventually transforms into a giant, Harrods-like department store named ‘T&T Emporium.’
Before T&T Emporium opens, players must meet three different criteria:
- Spent 100,000 bells at the store's previous renovation ‘T.I.Y.’
- Have T.I.Y. open for at least 30 days
- Impressed Gracie, the fashion designer giraffe, four times
Once completed, T&T Emporium opens with a luxurious third floor, which is home to Gracie's boutique, ‘GracieGrace.’ Eccentric clothing, accessories, and furniture exclusive to her store are sold in matching themes, with the Cards, Sweets, and Gorgeous series being most popular. They're not only expensive, but collectable too!
However, in New Horizons, the legacies of the Emporium and Gracie herself are non-existent. Even previous upgrades such as T.I.Y. also didn't make an appearance, with Nook's Cranny getting only one renovation added instead.
Town Ordinances
Being the town's mayor comes with many responsibilities. It's not just PWPs players need to remember, but town ordinances too!
Presented with a total of four varied choices, it encourages gamers to prioritise their goals ahead of time, especially when they cost 20,000 bells each to enact!
The ordinances include:
- Beautiful Town: Reduces the likelihood of weeds appearing and cockroach infestations whilst encouraging villagers to plant and water more flowers, keeping the environment pristine for a perfect town rating.
- Early Bird: Modifies the town's schedule, making villagers and stores more active and open earlier.
- Night Owl: Changes the town's schedule so villagers and shops are more active in the later hours.
- Bell Boom: Increases the selling and buying prices of goods found inside all available stores, which is great for maximising profits.
Although only one may be active at a time, their unique features impact the economy significantly differently, leaving players to choose which path is most favourable.
Shops and Services
New Leaf contains an array of facilities that unfortunately aren't present in New Horizons. The absence of these much loved in-game businesses and some of the cute characters that occupy them has greatly impacted the overall feel of New Horizons.
A multitude of features no longer exist within the franchise, but the most notable are:
- Nook's Homes: Run by Tom Nook, Nook's Homes essentially serves as the town's estate agency. Offering services such as home expansions, exterior customisations, house aesthetics, and loan management, Tom stands as a significant figure in the community.
- Happy Home Academy (HHA): Located inside Nook's Homes on Main Street, is a small office area where HHA can be found. Managed by Lyle, HHA's purpose is to evaluate and score the player's home interior based on specific criteria, which includes theme consistency and furniture placement. Various special items, from plaques, furniture, and trophies are awarded to players upon achieving higher scores.
- Re-Tail: Owned and operated by alpaca couple Reese and Cyrus, Re-Tail stands as a recycling and item customisation store. Many benefits come from visiting, for higher profits can be made here rather than selling to the Nooklings by putting items up for sale in the flea market! Also, by bringing compatible furniture to Cyrus, players can customise its colour and appearance — for a fee of course!
- Fortune Teller's Tent: By spending just 500 bells, players can visit Katrina's tent and get their fortunes told for the day! Covering four categories, Katrina's predictions tell players how lucky they are in their health, relationships, wealth, and item collecting, providing insights into the day ahead. After 20 visits in total, Katrina will propose a store to be opened on Main Street.
- Police Station: Depending on the player's choice, the Police Station can be either operated by Booker or Copper. Constructed using the PWP service, the Police Station's purpose is to house miscellaneous lost and found items from the community.
Although few of these recognisable locations and unique characters still exist in New Horizons, their influence has been largely reduced to being just a stall on Harv's Island. However, many characters such as Copper, Booker, and Lyle, aren't anywhere to be seen, sadly leaving them forgotten to time.
Museum's Second Floor
Situated on Main Street, New Leaf's museum can be expanded, allowing a second floor to be built using the PWP service after meeting certain requirements.
Once completed, players can explore the top level. This area, supervised by Celeste, features four extra exhibit rooms with a mini shop selling exclusive tools sitting centrally, separating both rooms either side.
Each exhibit room is purposefully empty, granting players access to extra space to decorate and showcase collections of their choice, such as rare items, gyroids, or themed displays. Customisation also plays a major part, for wallpaper and flooring can be used to suit any aesthetic too!
However, none of this was integrated into New Horizons. The closest expansion to that of New Leaf is the Roost Cafe upgrade, which was updated to include Brewster and his cafe inside the museum rather than an individual building.
Endnotes
Ultimately, both games offer delightful content that continues to inspire creativity within the franchise's fanbase. From New Leaf's variety of stores and PWPs, to the terraforming and DIY recipes found in New Horizons, these titles provide players with a relaxing experience.
Overall, the Animal Crossing series has cemented its place in the gaming world, being widely recognised for its distinctive, whimsical design and therapeutic gameplay. No matter which title players choose, countless hours of enjoyment and entertainment await, for having the ability to build an idyllic virtual world is as exciting as it is addicting!
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