Summary
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsincludes a lot ofAnimal Crossing’s best elements, but it’s definitely not without its limitations. A lot of different concepts and features have shown up in previous games in the franchise, and a select number of great ideas ended up being cut fromNew Horizons. It does add plenty of its own features, but some of those could still use a few tweaks to access their full potential.
All the same,New Horizonshas been enormously successful, and the surge of interest in theAnimal Crossingfranchise should ensure that another game isn’t too far off in the future. With the upcoming successor to the Nintendo Switch, a follow-up toNew Horizonsin the next few years seems like a sure bet. This could be the perfect opportunity tobring backAnimal Crossingfeaturesthat made previous games great or introduce new ideas that build off the strengths ofNew Horizons,and there are a lot of interesting concepts to toss around as possibilities.
10 Most Inspirational Animal Crossing Islands In 2024
Animal Crossing: New Horizons gives players a lot of tools for customizing their island. Some players have used this to create real masterpieces.
10Expanded Bridge Options Open Up The Environment
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis full of uneven terrain and winding creeks, and although it’s possible to even out the playing field a good bit through theNew Horizonsterraforming feature, embracing the irregularity of an island can make it look a lot more interesting. Actually navigating it, however, isn’t always as easy. There’s a limit to how many bridges and stairs can be placed on an island, making practical considerations potentially stop short of the creativity.
Unlocking this limit would be a nice way to open up the art of customizing islands or towns even further in the nextAnimal Crossing,even if some locales might end up embracing more features than reasonable.Another good addition would be enabling bridges to cross over land, connecting two high points that don’t have a river underneath. Most players might never butt up against the current limit as is, but more freedom is almost always a good thing.
9Item Interactions Make Animal Crossing More Alive
With the increased focus on outdoor decoration inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, the ways in which setting up objects and scenes around the island can still be lacking have become more evident. One obvious shortcoming is the overall lack of interactions between villagers and items. They’re perfectly willing to do some basic things like sit down on benches, butrecreational gear and other objects tend to go unused.
The mobile gameAnimal Crossing: Pocket Campis already beatingNew Horizonsin this regard, so adding more interactions of this nature certainly seems feasible, and it would help incentivize the art of arranging a town for those who haven’t yet embraced that aspect. Another nice boost to outdoor decoration would be the ability to use a toolset similar to the interior decoration system, making island customization less of a hassle overall.
8Online Banking Would Be Seriously Convenient
Animal Crossing: New Horizonscenters a lot of features around the NookPhone, a smartphone that provides access to a number of island services and basic gameplay functions. It’s already a pretty robust feature, but not every possibility that it opens up is fully explored.
Seasoned Animal Crossing Players Are Just Now Finding Out Their Wealth Is A Problem
Finding exploits for Bells has always been the game in Animal Crossing New Horizons, but there is a cap to how many Bells players can have.
One great option for expanded NookPhone features would be an online banking app, something that’s already been proven to be incredibly useful in real life. Considering how large of a role finance plays inAnimal Crossing, being able to handle key transactions on the go could save a lot of pointless trips. It’s not a big deal as a missing feature, but it’s one that simply makes a lot of sense for a future inclusion. An Automatic Bell Dispenser already serves as something of a halfway point, so there’s little reason not to take things all the way.
7Bulk Crafting Would Save A Lot Of Time
Crafting is a majorAnimal Crossingaddition inNew Horizons, but it doesn’t feel like a fully thought-out feature. In its current state, it feels like a lot of extra menu navigation for minimal reward, adding fluff to basic tasks like acquiring tools or throwing together decorations. Although crafting something every once in a while isn’t too much of a hassle, it can seriously bog things down whenever a major operation is in order.
Having an option to craft things in bulk could significantly reduce the amount of time wasted in the crafting system, especially when it comes to repetitive tasks like making bait for fishing. The only option to expedite things inNew Horizonsis to speed things up by mashing the A button, which does help a bit but leaves much to be desired.
Crafting In Animal Crossing Was The Wrong Call
Crafting In Animal Crossing is considered by many to be slow and boring. A poorly executed system forces too many annoyances to players.
6Building Expansions Make Progression More Meaningful
A lot of progression inAnimal Crossingis traditionally built around an onward and upward approach, slowly expanding both the Villager’s own house and facilities like Nook’s Cranny. InNew Horizons, however, the previous heights of some of these expansions end up being downgraded. None of it is devastating, but it does feel like a minor step backward.
Being able to slowly transformNook’s Crannyfrom a hole in the wall to a thriving superstore would be a gratifying return to form in aNew Horizonssequel. Additional room sizes in the Villager’s home are also slightly smaller inNew Horizonsthan inNew Leaf, andregaining the option for larger rooms would be nice. A good balance could be found in the option to choose room sizes when paying off the mortgage, as the more spacious approach isn’t necessarily for everyone.
5Gold Tools Should Be Permanent In Animal Crossing
One re-addition toAnimal Crossingthat would be incredibly easy would be gold tools that never break, which used to be a standard reward for completing the requirements for each upgrade. Getting a gold tool has never had a standard level of difficulty, and could require anything from simply burying a shovel for a day inWild Worldto helping Gulliver 30 times for the same reward inNew Horizons.At the end of the line, however, the trophy should be something that can be kept and used forever, or the processfeels like a complete waste of time.
InNew Horizons,golden tools get a buff of double durability compared to iron versions, but they still end up invariably breaking. More can always be crafted with more gold, but it feels punishing for no reason.It’s another example of the crafting system feeling like a bit of a forced inconvenience, and considering how easy it would be to add permanent golden weapons back in, it’s one choice that the nextAnimal Crossingshould definitely make.
4Communal Storage Would Be A Huge Help
Despite its variety of missing elements,Animal Crossing: New Horizonsdoes still have a significant number of items, and dealing with storage can sometimes be a hassle. There are a lot of different ways to rework storage, but one useful option would be a communal storage box outside the home for anyone on the island to easily access. Tying certain features directly into storage could also be useful, like making crafting pull from storage to streamline the process.
Animal Crossing: What To Do If You’re Running Out Of Storage
Some Animal Crossing: New Horizons players are running out of storage even after fully upgrading their homes, but there’s a way to get extra space.
At the other end of the storage conundrum, it would also be nice to have the option to sort storage more appropriately. Being able to dedicate wardrobes to clothing and refrigerators to food, for example, could help make various pieces of furniture feel more meaningful in their intent.A toggle to switch between appropriate local storage and the full scope of stored items could balance these conceptsand potentially make for a better solution overall.
3Additional Furniture Sets Improve Interior Decoration
Whether going for one cohesive look or mixing and matching in creative ways, collecting items from various furniture sets is a huge part of interior decoration inAnimal Crossing.New Horizonshas a decent amount of variety to offer in this regard, but it doesn’t carry over every classic set from previous games. It isn’t necessary for the full library of furniture to appear in every game, buta lot of fan favorites are missing inNew Horizons, and adding some back in could make interior decoration a lot more fun.
The 2.0 update forAnimal Crossing: New Horizonshelped a lot in this regard, adding back some iconic options like the beloved Froggy Chair. Continuing down this road in the next game is definitely the way to go, and having a more complete array at launch than the initially anemic selection inNew Horizonsfeels like a must.
2More Multiplayer Features Would Go A Long Way
Multiplayer is one of the biggest selling points inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, especially considering that the game released at a time when a lot of people were desperate for social interaction. When it comes to the basic concept of relaxing with friends,New Horizonsknocks it out of the park, as hanging out on other islands can always be a great time. In terms of actual activities to enjoy, however,New Horizonscould have definitely done a lot more.
Animal Crossing: Unspoken Rules For Visiting Islands & Co-Op
Animal Crossing: New Horizons isn’t a competitive game, but there are still some unspoken rules to follow when playing online.
Animal Crossing: New Leafalready offered a better look at how good multiplayer could be, with more distinct gameplay possibilities and some co-op mini-games to enjoy on Tortimer’s island. Throwing a few minigames back into the mix could go a long way in aNew Horizonssuccessor, especially if it retains the increase to eight possible players in co-op.
1Complex Villager Dialogue Needs To Return
For a lot of people, interacting with villagers is the main draw ofAnimal Crossing, andNew Horizonsdefinitely doesn’t represent a series peak in that regard. Compared toNew Leaf, the villagers just don’t talk about all that much. Starting up a conversation just to hear the same off-hand remark about a visitor to the island for the fiftieth time is consistently disappointing, and it can seriously distract from the game’s stronger features.
Going back further thanNew Leaf, the earlier games also tended to have more distinct villager personalities.InNew Horizons, villagers spend most of their conversations being blandly nice, which can get old quickly.Adding better dialogue options and giving villagers more unique activities to do would inject a lot of lifeinto anAnimal Crossing:New Horizonssuccessor, bringing the series back to one of its past strengths.
