Animal Crossing Veterans - what is new horizons missing?

[kappnfangirl]

I love new horizons, but I’ll be the first to say that it very much lacks a lot of the life sim elements of previous games.

Where New Horizons greatly expands on island designing and quality of life, it lacks in having genuinely interesting villagers, scheduled events and just the satisfaction of seeing your town grow. For instance, the fact that nooks cranny only updates twice, and the final version is super lacklustre and boring takes a lot of enjoyment away from me.

I loved the last nook upgrade in new leaf, and seeing all the npc’s come together in what felt like an extremely satisfying shopping experience. I miss going into Gracie’s store and feeling like utter trash in their glamorous presence, where they almost treated you as if you were a lost cause. I miss going to see DJ KK and partying with my villager friends, or seeing Shrunk and his corny but also great jokes.

They did bring back many npc’s but it still feels super disconnected as it’s off shore and they aren’t in anyway as integral to your daily routine :/

I also miss the mini games (like many) I think it would improve the online experience much more.

Just a couple of thoughts, what about you guys? I’d love to hear your opinions.

 

[Croconaw]

You definitely aren’t the first to say this game lacks a lot of elements from it’s predecessors. In my opinion, this game focuses way too much on design and customization. Everything else has taken a backseat. This game lacks the community feel and isn’t at all what Animal Crossing is supposed to be.

My biggest issue with this game, though, is that you’re pretty much screwed if you don’t have online capabilities. It’s impossible to do anything without WiFi. You can’t download updates or trade. New Leaf had things to do offline. Not everyone has the money or means to have WiFi, and those people can’t enjoy New Horizons for what it has to offer.

I was someone who didn’t have WiFi for the longest time, and I couldn’t get any updates. I didn’t even have the dream suite. I had WiFi for a week, and used that week to acquire all of my dream villagers. After that, things got pretty stale. At least the older games were enjoyable without WiFi.

Edit: Fixing a typo.

 

[Halloqueen]

As someone who enjoys interior decorating, that aspect kind of sucks in New Horizons. I hate the awkward room sizes of the fully completed player character homes and feel like we got the short end of the stick considering you can give the animals 10x10 rooms in the Happy Home Paradise DLC. I've said before in past threads that I've had numerous room design concepts sabotaged by the player houses' room sizes.

Also since you mentioned online, it feels nearly pointless without minigames. My best friend and I used to play New Leaf together and visit Tortimer Island to catch beetles and sharks and go on the tours. She quit New Horizons in the first year since there was nothing to really do together this time around. We'd visit each other's islands to check the Nook's Cranny and Able Sisters and, in the early days, water the flowers to help grow hybrids. That's good for like five-ten minutes and then there's nothing. I still play and get items from trades with people here on the forums, but unless someone goes out of their way to make their island an obstacle course or something (like one of the Moderators here did for a forum event a while back), there's nothing to do with friends that's engaging.

Those are the two main things for me.

There are other things I miss, like classic furniture sets that didn't make their return, the various types of ore (Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Amethyst, Silver) you could get from rocks to use for customization, and the gyroid families that existed in past games before they minimized them in New Horizon and made them more appealing to the masses, but I can live without that stuff.

A really minor thing I would have liked would be for Cyrus to still be able to make a full set of fossils into a miniature.

 

[WaileaNoRei]

I would like more villagers on my island! I really hoped that would somehow be snuck into the last update, like maybe you could replace some player character slots with villlagers or something.

But personally a lot of the features taken out of new horizons don’t appeal to me anyway, so I am actually pretty happy!

For example, I don’t particularly feel interested in NPCs, don’t get attached to them to the same degree as villagers (except maybe Wardell), and so less is more for me - Cyrus and Reese in particular I find almost unbearable even the small amount I have to interact with them.

I don’t like having to play a certain way or at a certain time, so I like the minimal structured components.

I like the villagers as they are - caveated lightly to say they are the most important part of the game to me and I don’t trust Nintendo not to mess them up. I know I have talked about it a lot elsewhere so I won’t belabor it, but basically, I am not willing to gamble on having more set/ developed/ unique villager ‘personalities’ and end up having my favorites ruined.

I don’t have much interest in things like mini games (I’m a bit older than the target audience, that may be why, this one is purely personal bias)

For me, in general it turns out I preferred the less structured game play of new horizons. I even got scared off from playing new leaf in part from all the descriptions I read here of how much you had to do, and how much complex manipulation you had to do to arrange things the way you wanted (but should I still try it though?). I have always liked and played games like the sims, and don’t really play or engage with story based/ driven games or competitive games at all, so my perspective may be pretty different.

I will say, that since I am not a big fan of indoor decorating, the Happy Home Paradise is kind of a slog, in the main game there is a lot of other enjoyment to be had, but obviously the design game focuses exclusively on the house decorating and uninterrupted by anything else, which is…a bit too much.

Anyway, just my own experience, etc etc, standard disclaimers apply. I see good points being made here. But in many ways this game seems to have been well calibrated for me particularly (which, haha, in no way equates to it being perfect! Perhaps the opposite)

 

[-Blue-]

You definitely aren’t the first to say this game lacks a lot of elements from it’s predecessors. In my opinion, this game focuses way too much on design and customization. Everything else has taken a backseat. This game lacks the community feel and isn’t at all what Animal Crossing is supposed to be.

My biggest issue with this game, though, is that you’re pretty much screwed if you don’t have online capabilities. It’s impossible to do anything without WiFi. You can’t download updates or trade. New Leaf had things to do offline. Not everyone has the money or means to have WiFi, and those people can’t enjoy New Horizons for what it has to offer.

I was someone who didn’t have WiFi for the longest time, and I couldn’t get any updates. I didn’t even have the dream suite. I had WiFi for a week, and used that week to acquire all of my dream villagers. After that, things got pretty stale. At least the older games were enjoyable without WiFi.

Edit: Fixing a typo.

Yeah the way they locked a lot behind a paywall this time was rather scummy considering it was already $60. And that you can't have more than one island on a system. Like I am sure if they put their minds behind it, they could've found a way to link an island per profile. Even if said person had to pay $60 for each profile using the game.

To me what is really missing is a multiplayer scene. The game pushes for an online agenda and just skips out on real multiplayer? It just doesn't make sense. Part of me wonders would things been different if it weren't for the pandemic/lockdown or would all their decisions remained the same.

 

[azurill]

I think it’s the lack of progression. I loved the beginning when we got to build the museum and the shops and then it just stopped. I was hopping we would eventually be able to make shops for Leif, Kicks and Brewster. If seems weird having to go to Harv’s island to shop.

It’s nice for some that you can have more playable characters but I would have rather have the option to use then for villagers instead.

I was surprised they didn’t bring back mini games to play with friends. They wanted people to pay to visit people but really didn’t make it worth it. The fact that even fruit is locked behind a paywall puts many people at a disadvantage.

I miss the way they used to have the bug and fish tourney’s. I liked the feeling of competing against your villagers to see who could catch the biggest fish or bugs.

Minor things I would have loved to see would have been putting flowers in storage and placing rugs outside.

 

[Rosch]

Feature-wise, I find the lack of multiplayer hub disappointing. Something similar to Tortimer Island would've been a huge plus. It's a wasted opportunity considering Switch is much more powerful than the 3DS. I am also still optimistic that the Nook's Cranny will get an upgrade someday.

Item-wise, I am still displeased about the absence of the tropical fruits, Nintendo items and the large variety of plant furniture. I am still waiting for the missing furniture sets to this day.

Furthermore, I've said this already but I think NH lacked the sense of achievement that NL had. Seeing the town tree grow and the market street slowly expand and come to life really gave me that sense of progress. KK is awesome, but HHP had a much more interesting storyline than the main game.

 

[Kitsuragi]

sets i miss having matching sets from gracie grace in the game a lot. also villager dialogue is lacking...

 

[Romaki]

To add to what everybody else already said, I think missing the option to change the exterior of the town hall is a big oversight and should at the very least be a part of the DLC, considering you can change the exterior of all villager houses now and the DLC also has exterior preset changes for other buildings such as the restaurant and school.

I really think we need another update to simply change some colors. Like the airport. Not just to choose between the four we have, but add another four (or more). The train station in New Leaf also has these Fairytale, Modern and Zen options. How are they gone now that the game is much more focused on customization.

 

[tiffanistarr]

SO MUCH NH is customization based, yet the lack of customization for some buildings seem ridiculous. I also feel like there is a ridiculous amount of furniture sets they should have brought back. Sweets, gorgeous, indoor mush, princess, astro, alpine, balloon, and regal.

I do LOVE a lot of the furniture they have added, but just all the possibilities with those older ones ugh.

I also would have loved if at harvey’s island instead of little tents/carts/glamping stations they had actual buildings or at least something i can go inside of.

The extra storage in the museum that i never used to showcase anything just dump the seasonal stuff and go.

I too loved the nook upgrades, it’s kinda hard to get new furniture if you have to wait around for it to show up in Nooks. It would be nice to have a few more upgrades and spots available in the shop.

I also feel like the villager dialogue lacks hard. Like I loved the AC GC and WW dialogue. The villagers really do just seem like shells of their former selves. It seems a little weird to have a cranky villager who is not at all cranky.

 

[Sarah3]

AC:NH is definitely missing the dialogue from past games. I love the customization of this game, but I feel like too much time was directed towards that, where it affected other aspects of the game. I agree with others that the lack of shop upgrades was definitely a disappointment.

 

[azurill]

AC:NH is definitely missing the dialogue from past games. I love the customization of this game, but I feel like too much time was directed towards that, where it affected other aspects of the game. I agree with others that the lack of shop upgrades was definitely a disappointment.

My problem with the dialogue is it is too random. They just say something random and just walk away. Or they ask you a question but there’s no way to answer it. I want actual conversations with them instead of just one line and they walk away.

Customization is great but still so much you can’t do with it. Even some of the DIY sets you make but can’t change the color. I’m surprised they took away being about to customize buildings. One thing I would love is customize wallpaper and flooring. If I can change the furniture color why can’t I change the wallpaper and flooring to match.

 

[Moonlight.]

i really miss the post office tbh, i thought it was super cute in the old games. i was also hoping they'd keep going with new leaf and add the roost as its own building (and not being able to work at the roost is kinda lame).

my biggest complaint kinda goes against the entire point but i haaaaaaate the island aesthetic, my favorite part about the series was the small town vibe with the train station and it's just gone.

 

[Etown20]

The only past game I've played recently is New Leaf, and the only thing I really miss from it is having the NPCs on the mainland, as well as more buildings in general.

I think there are plenty of areas for the next game to improve on, but it's not necessarily things I miss from the old game, rather new things I think the series needs to add or expand on in order to reach its full potential.

 

[Louise_]

I really miss being able to do more with your villagers like catch a fish for them etc also I need really miss the island

 

[tiffanistarr]

I really miss being able to do more with your villagers like catch a fish for them etc also I need really miss the island

They still do ask for things just not as often thank goodness.

However i loved in the gamecube game that they would have tasks for you to do more than just a delivery of a wrapped box.

It would be like “Fang has my yellow game boy can you go get it?” then when you ask Fang he says “Oh I remember getting that, i gave it to Tangy.” and so on. ugh fun times

 

[Flicky]

For me, it's the villagers lacking in depth. If they cut back on the excessive text from a lot of the other NPCs - looking at you two in particular, Flick & Orville - then I think they could have added a lot more to them.

The other thing is furniture. We have some great sets here, but most of my favourites are either missing or were ruined by being remade. The Cute Bed is no substitute for the Rococo Bed, for instance. Don't get me started on clothing! It's all my villagers ever gift me. That, I suspect, has something to do with how it's possible to buy every regular clothing piece without needing to customize, but furniture items are locked behind one colour, so less of a pool for the villagers to choose from. But it's still another way the game is lacking - too much of items that can't be used very much for customizing an entire island, and not enough furniture items of different types.

Lastly, Resident Services is missing the option to move it or customize it to fit with the rest of the island. It's big (too big, really, even the NPCs have loads of room around them save for K.K., and there are ways around his chairs if that's the case), it's an eyesore when compared to everything else, and I'm tired of seeing 4-5 villagers being spawned in it (they can't reach it in my island) instead of exploring the rest of the island. They hang outside their homes or in RS, and I'm lucky if I see them anywhere else. Back in NL, my villagers would walk all over the place.

 

[McRibbie]

My opinion of NH is somewhere in between "AWFUL, WHY DID THEY DO THIS TO ANIMAL CROSSING?!!?!!!1" and "the greatest game ever!!!!!". Like the decorating aspect to an extent, if I'm being honest like the travelling NPCs more than permanent shops on account of the fact that them all occupying one village makes the whole world of AC much, much smaller and takes away the "rural village with basically nothing in it in the middle of nowhere" feel that AC should have, think that despite the fact the dialogue's still as lacking as it's been since after WW, (especially after they added two new personalities to it and made you God-Emperor Of Everything rather than Just Some Schmuck They Can Verbally Abuse, which are both important factors there) it's pretty good despite that, and the fact that the villagers actually visibly celebrate events again for the first time since the GC game is fantastic. As is the fact that villagers don't just wear one thing anymore, they can potentially have an entire wardrobe of DRIP. And that's not even mentioning a menagerie of lovingly crafted high-definition furniture items, from creaky rural windpumps to TV-VCR combos showing old VHS copies of what looks like "Revenge Of The Cybermen".

But on the other hand, it's a game that's a direct result of looking at Animal Crossing fandom and its demands (I'm including myself in this, a good portion of this is ultimately also my fault) and going "they keep time travelling, so let's continue to nerf the real-time aspect (to the point where events last about 15 minutes)", "they keep resetting for layout, so let's make the layout as malleable as possible" and "they're basically treating villagers like trading cards, so let's basically give them the ability to control practically everything about them"... and that makes it basically hit a wall.

I increasingly don't think Animal Crossing was specifically designed to be a life sim, more a game geared around interpersonal communication (there's a 2001 interview out there on shmupulations.com where the producers of the original say they were consciously trying to create something in a new genre that you couldn't easily reduce to a single label, but they broadly ended up describing it as communication), so creating a game that's orientated around going "hey, check out my island!" doesn't actually seem like a massive betrayal... but on the other hand, gutting a lot of the life sim elements so that you can cater to my and your worst impulses does end up ruining it a bit, and honestly? It's the thing NH is missing the most. I was not meant to be able to buy infinite amounts of saplings and shirts (poor Mabel, I basically never talk to her anymore because the changing room exists). Being able to evict villagers felt a little bit off when it was a result of supernatural forces like it was in e+ and WA, now if I make someone enough furniture they'll bring the boys round and have a word with somebody! Even something as simple as "hell yeah, they brought koi windsocks back!" is tempered by the fact that I'm the one placing them, and it feels less special to do so.

Other categories that aren't "nerfed life sim elements" or "it's a Deserted Island, of course it's not here" are, if I'm being honest, mainly furniture. While there's also a good chunk of things I'm very glad they've added, like "furniture to do with a certain holiday that actually looks like something you'd see to do with that rather than just an ugly reskin of a basic table and chairs" or "something kinda vintage-looking", I'm also mourning a lot of furniture, such as the smaller plants (like the morning glory or the sunflowers), certain furniture sets (was always more of an eclectic kind of decorator, so it's specific pieces, but the old exotic set and the modern wood set being gone is kinda painful), Nintendo items other than Mario ones (especially the Splatoon and Zelda ones, but the Pikmin planter and the pre-video game toys like the Ultra Hand and the Ten Billion Barrel also sadly missed), and the stuff that you'd get in the Amiibo figure RVs like the Able Sisters tapestry, model of Kapp'n's rowing boat, or Cyrus' tool rack.

 

[Hsn97]

Oooph a whole lot. Everyone’s already mention so many great things it’s missing so I’ll keep my message short and mention just one that I miss on a daily basis….

The megaphone. It was introduced in NL and allowed a player to speak or type the name of a villager and a speak bubble would appear from where the villager was in your town. It made finding and gifting villagers so much easier. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it definitely narrowed down the search.

 

[-Blue-]

Oooph a whole lot. Everyone’s already mention so many great things it’s missing so I’ll keep my message short and mention just one that I miss on a daily basis….

The megaphone. It was introduced in NL and allowed a player to speak or type the name of a villager and a speak bubble would appear from where the villager was in your town. It made finding and gifting villagers so much easier. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it definitely narrowed down the search.

Not only that, but it was really cute to find out what your friendship status was with them. They would look around confused, wave, or wave gleefully depending on your status when you were nearby. Also doing it too close resulted in them getting ear damage and screaming at you.

On that note, I loved sitting on a bench in NL with another villager. If their friendship was high enough they would get a big happy grin. It was really cute. In NH they just act like you don't exist if you sit with them. NH is amazing in the decorating part, but honestly too much was sacrificed for it.