What Animal Crossing: New Horizons can learn from Stardew Valley

Animal Crossing: New Horizons features a very colorful cast characters, but here’s something Nintendo can do to give them a bit more life.

Last week, Nintendo added the really solid update 1.1.2 to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This update fixed some really crappy issues, such as a property owned by a removed resident occasionally being stuck in limbo, along with another few solid quality of life features.

Now, in my head I made a mountain out of a molehill and wondered what features could be added next to Animal Crossing? Do I expect Animal Crossing to do this? Nah. But then again, I also didn’t expect the freedom I currently have and for them to somehow make Zipper T. Bunny creepier. But damn, they went and done it.

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"Don’t think that gift is going to stop me from uncovering the truth"

I then started thinking about the NPCs. Admittedly, I’m always thinking about the NPCs. The majority of them that don’t have zippers on their back are absolutely wonderful and overflowing with personality. It takes one visit to the clothing store to see the working dynamic between Mable and Sable. Blathers gives really subtle facial cues to let you know that he’s either very disappointed you’re not listening to his speech on a dinosaur or to let you know he is just not there for bugs. They’re wonderful.

Meanwhile they’ve worked really hard to flesh out the villagers of your town. Like, if you’re running through your town and you notice two of them looking like they’re talking to each other, talk to them. What you’ll usually end up with is an adorable scene between the two characters that really help let you know what those two personalities would be like if they interacted.

Why don’t the NPCs get this kind of love? Come into my mind’s eye for a second.

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"Come on in."

You’re on a faraway deserted island, right? So how in the Santa’s sleigh are Mable and Sable able to work every day, then fly home to wherever? I know I’m not giving them the amount of bells needed to afford this.

Imagine if an NPC moved in. We’ll use the concept of Mable and Sable again because I love them. So they build a shop and then, as you talk to them they talk about how they like commuting here and eventually, like a camper, they’ll eventually ask to move in.

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You can build a plot for them and then, when the store is closed, you’ll occasionally see them just walking around, starting conversations with other residents. Maybe you’ll find Sable in the aquarium. Maybe, if Booker ever decides to show up in this game, you’ll find Mable in the coffee shop and you can talk.

It doesn’t have to be a lot of stuff. This is Animal Crossing after all. But what if, like Stardew Valley, the villagers had a little story you could experience by getting in good with them. That would make even the absolutely terrible villagers interesting. Maybe you could find out why Limberg is just so, SO awful. Or why Snake NEEDS to keep lifting.

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"Does anyone want to tell him he literally can’t have visual results from this?"

Next. Animal Crossing: New Horizons: How to survive and bell farm Tarantula Island. dark

I think it would definitely help Nintendo bring this game a bit of much-needed life and make the people I’m buying from feel a bit less like registers on legs and really give them a new dimension. What do you think? Comment below on which NPC you’d like to have fleshed out more. And yeah, I get you’re probably going to say Isabelle and I accept the fandom.

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