It’s been quite a while since the previous full release of an Animal Crossing game. The last one to date was Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which was produced on the Nintendo 3DS in 2012, and the last console release was Animal Crossing: City Folk on the Nintendo Wii in 2008. Just before the upcoming Nintendo Switch game was a spin-off for mobile devices called Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp in 2017. Countless die-hard fans were pining for more information on this lovely game that was originally supposed to release Holiday 2019 … before it got delayed. Fortunately, the release of New Horizon is upon us – coming March 20, 2020 – and Nintendo has delighted fans with a ton of information about the game with a Nintendo Direct. Check-out below for the full details!
Players will arrive on a remote deserted island thanks to Nook Inc. Once players arrive at the local airport, they can apply for a getaway package to choose which type of island they would like to live on. They even have a choice to live in the Northern or Southern Hemisphere. Whichever option is selected, players can still experience all four seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter) and the activities will change when the season does. As players choose their island, they will be greeted with a helpful orientation from the Nook Inc. staff. They will provide players with a tent (which is included with the getaway package). Be sure to talk with other island residents on where to set-up your home location and note that you can help choose their home location as well.
There will be various services located on the island – from residential services to services provided by Nook Inc. The Resident Services facility will sell everyday goods, purchase any unwanted items as well as provide useful advice for living on a deserted island. There’s also a Do It Yourself (DIY) workshop for the players crafting needs. The Resident Services facility will be available to provide daily needs at any time. The Airport that players arrive at will also provide services that allow online playing. Using internet connection can travel a player to other islands, and up to eight players can visit one island. Players can also send messages through the airport services. The Nook Inc. Services will provide necessities and even the NookPhone (which will have the camera and apps). There will be island-wide broadcasts with a greeting and provide the latest info on island events. The last thing that was mentioned for Nook Inc. Services was the Nook Mileage Program. This program will provide players with goals. Completing these goals will build up miles that can be exchanged for rewards or pay off the cost of the getaway package. The rewards earned from the program will vary from helpful items that will assist a player on the island to tickets that can be used to travel to other islands.
Players can become a Homeowner if they start to run out of space in the Nook Inc. provided tent. Luckily there are no deadlines, interest, or assessment, and players can pay the loan back at their own pace. The house will offer more space and include storage for extra furniture. After owning a home, players can customize the look and design of the house. Extension and remodeling services can be used to expand the house even more. Players can show-off their custom house with Party Play. Party Play can host up to four players who can play together using the Joy-Con controllers. Those four players can be of the eight users who inhabit that island created by the main user. As players grow their house, they may want to grow their island. Additional facilities can be built to fill said island. A museum can be made to show-off the rich ecosystem of the island, a shop with furniture and goods that can’t be crafted, a tailor that will offer clothing, and a campsite where players can invite guests. The island will not only be occupied with residents but tourists too. There will be visitors that arrive who can offer-up items and participate in events like fishing tournaments.
There are numerous exciting new features in the highly anticipated Animal Crossing: New Horizons game. This Nintendo Direct did answer some frequently asked questions, such as a total of eight people in one family can share one island on a single Nintendo Switch console, and there will be both amiibo and amiibo card support. Unfortunately, there will be no cloud saving feature. There will also be a special themed system version of Animal Crossing available before the game on March 13th. Most importantly, there will be free updates to the latest entry of Animal Crossing as well as free seasonal events.
We are less than a month away before we can all build and customize our islands! Until then, stay tuned to GamingLyfe for more news and updates.
