When Animal Crossing New Horizons was first released in March of 2020, it came at a time when people were looking for an escape. One that New Horizons was more than happy to offer up. The game quickly became one of the most adored titles on the Switch, even helping to sell out Nintendo Switch devices worldwide. With over a year behind it, though, Nintendo is finally bidding adieu to developing content for the island builder. The new update probably isn’t enough to keep fans satiated for several years, but it does hit a lot of high notes that have the community excited about the current state of Animal Crossing, as well as what the future may hold for our beloved villagers and their homes.
A Happy Home
One of the most important things about Animal Crossing has always been forging that relationship between the villagers and the player. This has led to immense love for certain characters within the community, and the 2.0 update brings a lot of the community’s favorite characters back into the mix. The return of Brewster is a big addition to the content update, and once players have embarked on a short boat ride—and tied up some other loose ends—they’ll be able to meet up with the coffee-brewing owl and convince him to set up shop in the museum. This is a feature that players have been begging for since New Horizons released, and adding it into the final update is a perfect nod to how much Nintendo values the community’s wants and desires. Alongside Brewster, players can expect to see the return of Harriet and Kapp’n, two other fan-favorite characters who have appeared in past Animal Crossing games. And those aren’t all the new additions, either. I would have loved to see these characters appearing in the game sooner, but bringing them to the final update feels like a heartfelt goodbye to the time that Nintendo has spent making New Horizons bigger and better since its release. For those who want to dive even deeper, Nintendo also released Happy Home Paradise, a DLC for New Horizons that builds off the ideas behind Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer. It’s the first (and last) paid DLC that we’ve seen for the game, but it brings in a lot of cool mechanics that are worth having if you enjoy New Horizons’ customization.
A Sound Foundation
While Nintendo is saying goodbye to the development of new content on New Horizons, this isn’t the end of Animal Crossing. In fact, I’d argue that the future of the series is more promising now than it ever has been. The surge of popularity created during the 2020 lockdown has helped Animal Crossing reach entirely new heights. Kids, adults, and everyone in between has buckled down with their Switch in hand to experience this adorable life sim, and that gives Nintendo a solid foundation to build off for the next title. But it also comes down to more than just the game’s popularity. New Horizons also gives Nintendo a proper slate to look at when developing the next game in the series. The company can look at what worked, what fans loved, and even what they disliked to get ideas on tackling those problems in future iterations. Additionally, with New Horizons under its belt, Nintendo knows the limits it can push the series to on a console like the Switch. It also knows what it needs to do to stand out from New Horizons when it releases a follow-up sometime in the future. Animal Crossing New Horizons has been one of the best games of the past year. The ability to put it down and return to it at any point for new events and content updates has made its impact a lasting figure throughout 2021. Now, this final content update feels like a good ending to that chapter of the series, and that is something worth celebrating.
