Admittedly, as a new Animal Crossing player (New Horizons is my first game), I wasn’t sure what else could be added to my island paradise. Even if Redd’s lovably shady ass refuses to bring the rest of the art I need, it’s been a while since I’ve felt the urge to play the game as much as I did last year.
Today’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons Direct has changed that, so much so that I’m ready to suck it up, face my villagers after months of neglect, and pick all the overgrown weeds that I know are waiting for me.
In the Direct, Nintendo announced two major updates for November 5th—one free (the last free one we’re getting) and one paid (potentially the first of, hopefully, many?)
I’ll lay out everything that was announced and give a customary fangirl pterodactyl screech along the way.
Free Updates
Brewster’s CafĂ©
Description: Something new is coming to a corner of the museum. The quiet proprietor Brewster will open the Roost after you fulfill a certain favor for museum director Blathers. The Roost is a new location to take a relaxing break in and enjoy some hand-selected coffee. You may run into some island residents here, too. If you use the amiibo phone inside the café, you can invite other characters to join you by using compatible amiibo cards. If you’d like, you can even invite friends to your island and bring them to the Roost to enjoy relaxing cups of joe together.
Fangirl reaction: I wish to have coffee with Isabelle, please and thank you. I just want my girl to be able to take a break for once! The video also shows that you can invite others like the Able Sisters and characters you have amiibo for. Wait, I have a Celeste amiibo, does that mean… OMG!!!!!
Take a Boat Tour With Kapp’n
Description: Kapp’n hangs out at the pier and will take you to one of the remote islands on his boat. The sea shanty serenading you along the way is also part of the fun! You may arrive at islands with mysterious flora that’s never been seen before, or islands with different seasons and times of day. What kind of mysteries await?
Fangirl reaction: As long as there are no tarantula or scorpions, we’re good to go!
Unearth Gyroids
Description: So far, fossils could be dug up from the ground, and now you can also find gyroids. Each gyroid plays unique sounds. You can even customize them to match their surroundings when you place them!
Fangirl reaction: Well damn now I actually have to care about digging things up again.
Shop at the Open Market on Harv’s Island
Description: Harv’s Island is undergoing a renewal. With a little help from his friend Harriet, Harvey is inviting some shops to the island for an open market. Contribute Bells to the cause to help make it happen! Familiar visitors on your island like Redd, Saharah, and Kicks will have shops here now, and Reese & Cyrus’s shop will offer furniture customization that can’t be done through DIY workbenches. At Katrina’s shop, she’ll look at your fortune of the day. Harriet can even teach you some different hairstyles!
Fangirl reaction: Saharah? In a stationary spot? So I can FINALLY get the last rugs, floors, and wallpaper I need? Bless. Also, since I’m new, I don’t know who Tortimer is, but I immediately love him.
Get Cooking
Description: Cooking will be added to DIY recipes. After growing vegetables in your garden like tomatoes, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, and carrots, you can combine your harvest or other ingredients and fill up your dining table with delicious-looking dishes. Enjoy while it’s hot!
Fangirl reaction: FINALLY I CAN EAT!
Further Support to Your Island Life
Description: Nook, Inc. will offer further support for your island life. From group stretching at the plaza and bigger home storage (up to 5000 items) to the Resident Representative being able to establish ordinances like reducing the rate at which weeds grow or making all the residents get up early in the morning, there are more options to help you enjoy and adjust the island to fit your lifestyle.
Fangirl reaction: I dunno I feel kinda bad about making everyone wake up early… but I do be up early in the morning. Also? Your villagers? Can VISIT YOUR HOUSE?! Good thing we’re getting more home decorating options so I can really show out! We’re also getting new K.K. Slider music, new hairstyles, new items you can get with Nook Points, just… it’s enough to make it feel like I’m starting the game all over again (and not just because I’m probably gonna redo my whole island because of all the new updates).
Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Happy Home Paradise (Paid DLC for $24.99 OR part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack)
Work With Lottie as a Member of the Paradise Planning Team
Description: Clients with different dream vacation requests will visit a new resort area located in an archipelago, made up of several different islands, where the Paradise Planning team is located. You can talk to a client and find out the details of their requests for a vacation home, and then make their dreams happen!
Fangirl reaction: I will admit, when I saw the Direct video say, “Go to work,” my first reaction was, “LOL WHY?!” But being able to design multiple homes sounds great as the “design” aspect was one of my favorite parts of the game.
Design Dream Vacation Homes
Description: After choosing a location for your client’s dream vacation home, you can design the interior where you’ll place designated furniture that was delivered ahead of time. As you continue designing vacation homes, you’ll acquire various design techniques, from changing how the home is structured by adding partition walls and pillars to divide the space, to adding counters, ambient lighting, and soundscapes to add depth to the room design, and more. The vacation home themes vary depending on the client, and many requests await your expertise. You can also decorate the exterior yard.
Fangirl reaction: I’m ridiculously excited about being able to change the structure of these houses so I can partition off different spaces to create different rooms. I thought designing would just mean adding furniture, so it’s great that it also means reenacting my House Hunters Renovation dreams.
Make Remodeling and Roommate RecommendationsÂ
Description: As you gain experience as a designer, more furniture will become available, and you’ll also be able to make more suggestions. These include recommendations like remodeling the vacation homes of clients you’ve helped previously with different furniture or even recommending that two clients share a room together as roommates.
Fangirl reaction: But. They. Were. ROOMMATES!!!
Design Facilities
Description: There are several vacant buildings on the island where Lottie’s Paradise Planning team is located. Lottie wants to make this island more robust and developed, so you’ll be able to help design facilities such as a school, restaurant, and café.
Fangirl reaction: So I’ve already designed different facilities on my island via furniture and imagination, so it’ll be cool to have them actually designated as those things.
Get Inspiration From the Happy Home Network
Description: Capture photos of the vacation homes you design and save them to your catalog, which you can check out through the in-game Happy Home Network app in your NookPhone. From this app, you can also access the Showroom to view the building examples of designers from all over the world who have posted their creations online. You can follow the designers you like and view their samples for inspiration.
Fangirl reaction: Listen. Some of y’all are out here doing the absolute most for Animal Crossing. I can’t wait to see what designs you, hopefully, make available for download so I can recreate Dope Sketch from SK8 the Infinity or something like that.
Use amiibo To Invite More Clients
Description: Usually, your job is to look for clients on the resort who may be considering having their own vacation home, but … if you use the current Animal Crossing series amiibo accessories, you can invite a specific client to discuss their vacation home. With amiibo, you can even design the vacation homes of busy individuals like Isabelle and Timmy & Tommy!
Fangirl reaction: Please let me make your dream house, Isabelle, I won’t let you down!
Bring Your Techniques Back to the Main Island
Description: Techniques you’ve obtained through your work on the Paradise Planning team can also be used on your home island. Perhaps this will be a great opportunity for you to overhaul the design of your own home. And if you give island residents souvenir chocolate from Paradise Planning as a gift, they may become interested in what the archipelagos and vacation homes have to offer. Then, one day when you become a veteran designer with lots of experience, you will eventually be able to remodel residents’ homes on your island by making suggestions to them, too!
Fangirl reaction: As I watched the video about this DLC all I wanted was the ability to do this level of design on my own house. I’m glad that’s going to be a part of this update. I’m gonna completely remodel my house(s) – yes, I have multiple accounts with different houses. Also? I’m beyond ready to help remodel Marshal’s house.
Animal Crossing Series 5 amiibo cards ($5.99 a pack)
Description: To help further extend your island getaway, on November 5th, new Animal Crossing Series 5 amiibo cards will launch in select stores, bringing an additional variety of characters to the amiibo cards lineup. Each individual amiibo card pack will be available for purchase separately at a suggested retail price of $5.99 and will include six cards in each pack. You’ll be able to use these vibrantly designed amiibo cards in compatible games, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Series 5 will encompass a selection of 48 characters total, including new characters and characters never seen before in amiibo card form.
Fangirl reaction: I saw Flick. I saw C.J. I saw Raymond. I saw Cyd. I need them all.
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PHEW! I think that’s everything! Which updates are you most excited about? More importantly, how severely are your villagers about to judge you if you’re like me and haven’t turned on the game for months?
(Image: Nintendo)
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