The latest Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Direct broke down an unheard of amount of detail about the game in one go, and fans have understandably had their heads spinning ever since. The game, which is due out in late March, has been hyped up for some time by fans without much in the way of solid information regarding the franchise's direction. Such is the power of Tom Nook and company, who almost always manage to create a hit regardless of how ground-breaking the design innovation is in a given Animal Crossing iteration.
Design changes - and adapting the series to the Nintendo Switch, which hybridizes both portability and console play in a way that is uniquely suited to Animal Crossing - have been the subject of an intense amount of speculation and debate among fans of the franchise. With so little information previously available and only a month until release, all eyes were on the Nintendo Direct, with many hoping that it would provide some direction for hopes and expectations in anticipation of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Those who tuned into the presentation were almost assuredly satisfied no matter what type of information was desired, too - it was one of the most information-dense presentations Nintendo has given in some time, and the sheer amount of content was a spectacle in itself.
According to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Direct, some of the major features fans can expect once the title releases include special seasonal events, in-game tournaments for hobbies like fishing and bug-catching, new construction options, and more. The company also revealed that the Animal Crossing: New Horizons special edition Nintendo Switch would be available on March 13, 2020, just a week before the game releases. That's notable in part because there were fears that the coronavirus outbreak would delay shipping on the devices past the game's release date.
Other notable takeaways from the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Direct included the ability to choose future home spots in different hemispheres, museum and aquarium features, anti-griefing measures that will prevent strangers from tampering with someone's island, and functionality shared between the mobile Animal Crossing Pocket Camp and New Horizons, which will give unique items to players of each should they choose to engage with both iterations of the series. Of course, one of the biggest reveals was also the ability to terraform in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, something that has been absent in past versions of the games. Here's a quick run-down of other features that will be coming:
- Nook Link App connectivity
- Single Switch consoles will allow up to 8 players on one island
- Limited Amiibo
- Limited cloud save functionality - some of which is subject to strange restrictions
- Resident Services will grow over time
- Houses are more customizable than past entries
- Extra buildings on the island can be moved around
- Traveling merchants like Kicks can provide players with uncraftable items
- Animals will throw players' surprise birthday parties
- Temporary friend codes exist in the form of Dodo Codes
- Outfit changing is available in a radial menu
- Some villagers will appear as tourists
Naturally, with only a month before release, there was a lot of information Nintendo had to share regarding Animal Crossing: New Horizons. What fans got in today's Nintendo Direct feels particularly historic, though, as one of the company's most beloved - and, according to fans, too often ignored - franchises stepped back into the spotlight with a any concerns that Animal Crossing might struggle to make the leap to the current generation of consoles, those have been undoubtedly assuaged in a packed presentation from Nitnendo that cut the fluff and got right into the gritty details of what makes Animal Crossing: New Horizons great.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be available exclusively on Nintendo Switch on March 20, 2020.
Source: Nintendo/YouTube
