With Switch 2 finally revealed, I find my thoughts once again drifting towards one of the biggest games of the current Switch: Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Nintendo did a great many things right with that one, so many that the game was the perfect thing to get many gaming fans through the lockdown periods of 2020-2021 (strange to think we’re already 4-5 years out from that, isn’t it?). Good as it was, though, there are always ways to improve, so I’ve thought up something of a wishlist for the next one. Have a look and let’s discuss!

One thing I really fouund myself wanting during my time with Animal Crossing: New Horizons was an area akin to the City in Animal Crossing: City Folk. I don’t necessarily want the exact same thing back, but having some sort of place off of the island to visit and do things like shopping or daily events would be a lot of fun.

And, now that online play has been practically uqbiquitous for going on 15 years at this point, why not make that space into a proper social hub? Somewhere where players can show off patterns they’ve made or trade rare items? It was a real pain to go through the whole code-sharing and island visiting process just to make a trade last time, so why not cut out all the extra steps and make a dedicated space for it?

Heck, while we’re at it, why not make a proper exchange building or something for the Turnip Market at long last? Prices could still be set depending on your personal island, but you wouldn’t have to go outside of the game in order to set up trades and take advantage of the different rates. I dunno, I just feel like the social features of Animal Crossing could and should reall be built out more, you know?

Something else I’d like to see is the return of item codes. It was fun gathering codes for items in the original Animal Crossing, and I’d like to see that come back in some form. Perhaps players could all get fragments and the community could try to piece together codes like a puzzle or something? More minigames with items rewards would be a lot of fun as well. I suppose what I’m saying here is that I’d more reasons to come back and spend time in the game each day.

I suppose the last thing I’d like to see is the villagers actually interacting with and enjoying the items I’ve decorated the town with. As much as I enjoyed being able to shape and decorate my island as I liked, it eventually felt a bit pointless. It kind of just felt like I was making dioramas after a while. These islands/towns are supposed to be spaces that your residents live in, right? So, why not show more evidence of that?

Anyway, I know the next Animal Crossing game will be a fun time even without these sorts of additions, since Nintendo has always managed to make each one an enjoyable time. It might take me a good minute to actually pick up a Switch 2 after it releases, but once I do, I’m sure that playing the new Animal Crossing will be at the top of my to-do list.

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What about you? Are you psyched for a new Animal Crossing? What are some new features you’d like to see?

Image from Nintendo official website