On March 20, 2020, a game known as Animal Crossing New Horizons was released. This game broke records as it sold over 32 million copies in a month, is the best-selling game in the Animal Crossing franchise, the second best-selling game of all time in Japan, and the 15th best-selling game in history. People were excited to live in a perfect world of their creation, especially with the start of the pandemic.
People enjoyed developing their island with the help (or hurt) of Tom Nook. This bell-hungry raccoon helps you set up your island, and lets you do the rest. Finding cute villagers to live on your island via island hopping was a new addition to this game, and people loved it. Catching bugs, breeding flowers, and decorating your island kept people busy for months during quarantine.
With frequent updates, like the Mayday update and various seasonal additions, people couldn’t get enough of Animal Crossing. In fact, this game was the reason many people actually got a Nintendo Switch! I know I’m guilty of this. However, Nintendo stopped adding major updates, and visiting this game began to feel like a chore. Soon, people stopped picking weeds, talking to their villagers, and buying seasonal items. We were all diagnosed with Animal Crossing burnout.
I personally haven’t touched my switch for a few months, and many people have not either.
On September 23, 2021, Nintendo released a direct, a video announcing major updates for games and presenting many new ones. Fans were eager to hear news for their precious animal crossing game so maybe, just maybe, they would start playing again. Then, we saw it. A face of a beloved character people begged Nintendo for. That face gave us hope. Also, we got word that there would be an Animal crossing direct in the next month.
October 15, 2021, Nintendo released an animal crossing direct. This was the moment we all waited for. The Animal Crossing New Horizons 2.0 update. Let’s dive deep into the main portions of the update.
1. The Roost
The most awaited addition to the Animal Crossing game. Fans have been begging for Brewster and his cafe, The Roost. The Roost will be added to the museum and will be available for players to grab a cup of joe. You might even run into some island residents who would like a drink. Something else you can do is invite some island friends by using their amiibo cards! But wait, there’s more! You can also enjoy some of Brewster’s fine coffee with friends!
2. Kapp’n’s Mystery Island Tours
Kapp’n, a beloved character in the animal crossing franchise is here! For the low price of 1,000 nook miles, he will take you to a mysterious island only he knows about. However, my personal favorite part of his tours is his sea shanties. He can take you to an island with mysterious flora, a different season, or even a different time of day! You can look forward to seeing him waiting by your dock to take you on a sea voyage.
3. Harv’s Island Plaza
Harv is a loving, hipster dog with a passion for the arts. His island was just a chance to make mini videos and hold anniversary weddings for Reese and Cyrus. Now, he’s expanding his island with the help of Harriet, the hairdresser. With gyroids scattered throughout the island, you will have a chance to donate bells to contribute to the shops of many vendors that visit your island. The plaza can have shops run by: the lovely llamas - Reese and Cyrus, Katrina the fortune teller, Kicks the shoe seller, Leif the plant lover, and much more! This unlocks new opportunities for items and more fun stuff. The expansion of Harv’s island brings back so many old beloved characters, and it’s truly something to look forward to.
4. More Support From Nook Inc.
1. A new interactive activity is coming to your island. You will have the opportunity to stretch with your island friends. You can follow along using your joy-cons, and your switch will automatically sense your movement. You can stretch with your friends on your island and on your friends’ islands!
2. Ordinances are coming to animal crossing! If you speak to Isabelle, you will have a chance to enact ordinances such as the early bird ordinance, which allows your villagers to wake up earlier.
3. New home upgrades are coming to animal crossing. You can now change the exterior of your home to better match the theme of your island! Not only that, you can expand your storage further to up to 5,000 items!
4. There will be more items available that can be bought with nook miles.
5. Cooking
WE CAN COOK NOW!!! Previously, we were only able to cook during the Turkey Day event. Now, you will have the chance to grow your own vegetables! These include tomatoes, wheat, sugarcane, carrots, potatoes, and so much more!! After learning DIY recipes for your food, you will be able to cook on a stove or other appliance. After that, you can enjoy the lovely meal you created, and it will have the same effect and eating fruit. I’m extremely excited for this addition, and so are fans across the world.
6. New Ways to Decorate
After receiving a pro decorating license, you will be able to decorate your home in many new ways. You will be able to add ceiling decorations like ceiling lamps. Also, you can have accent walls! You can also use custom designs on the walls. Decorating your island is also coming. New fences, placeable ladders, storage sheds, and so much more are going to be added.
7. Gyroids
You can now find gyroids buried in the ground. These lovely little statues make curious noises and you can keep them in your home. They can bop to music and are super cute! If you find a gyroid fragment, you can water it and it will grow into a gyroid. They like coming after the rain so be on the lookout for buried items!
8. Happy Home Paradise
A new paid update is also coming to the game. This is called Animal Crossing Happy Home Paradise. You can find little islands where villagers are living. Designing vacation homes is your job! On this island resort, you get to make villagers’ dream houses come true. Many new decorating features will be available and there will be fun new items exclusive to this resort.
You can watch the video here.
So much more is coming to animal crossing! New reactions, new villagers, new interactions, there is so much new. You can look forward to all these updates coming on November 5th. Prepare your islands, and have fun playing animal crossing.