Should the next Animal Crossing game have a story?

[VanitasFan26]

I've realized after playing these Animal Crossing games there is not much of a "story" to the game. I mean in past AC games you're just a Resident who just moved into Town and then you have to work for Tom Nook to pay off your Debt since you're living in a home, then after when you're done paying off the debt thats when you are free and can do whatever you want. That is until New Leaf where you're the Mayor and everyone depends on you to make the town great. Once you acheieve the best score then its like you're done and the same thing goes for paying off your debt to Tom Nook with your home.

Then we have New Horizions which had a bit more story but kind of. Basically you landed on the island, you have to invite villagers to come to the island, then Tom Nook tells you that you need to invite K.K slider to the game and then once KK is Invited to your island thats pretty much it and the credits roll. I admit when I first played this game and saw this I was like "Is that really it?" I don't know it just made me feel like there was suppose to be more to this game but I guess its like "you've completed the game now you can do whatever you want with terraforming" I know there is argument that the game was designed for you to set your own goals and build whatever you want but the way it went about it was that you had to invite KK Slider otherwise you don't get the Island Designer tool which I felt was the whole entire purpose of the game when it was first shown.

To get to the point the question I have for everyone is that should the next Animal Crossing game have a story? This is something that has been bothering me for quite some time and I would like to everyones thoughts on it.

 

[Mr_Keroppi]

I would only want the next game to have a loose story of sorts. I never minded how the older games hadn't a story outside of dialogue but I appreciated New Leaf's mini story of how you are the mayor. I liked the mystery of it. I do not like how New Horizons handled it though by adding a small, story-like progression system. I feel if they add a story or something of the sorts of New Horizons it will make the game stale quicker. It felt like after the credits the game lost its shine, I still played TONS after that but I think it made the game shorter? If its a long story it will take away from the whole "do stuff at your own pace" that Animal Crossing has marketed for years. I would like a small little research and hypothesize story maybe but nothing large. I do however enjoy the occasional dialogue that Lyle had of gossip in New Leaf. I wished they had expanded upon that and added him back in New Horizons but alas, he was not included.

TL;DR: I hope that the next Animal Crossing game does not have a "story" but rather a small theory for fans to enjoy or Lyle's gossip to come back. ✰

Spoiler: Snippet Image from my 3DS of Lyle's Dialogue

 

[Croconaw]

I like how it’s vague and fans can come up with their own story. It seems like this is where most of the appeal comes from. I always thought New Leaf and beyond did have a story. Like, you are mayor or an island owner — couldn’t think of the term for this one.

 

[LadyDestani]

I like the idea of having backstories for the NPCs worked in throughout the game, like the stories I've heard about in Wild World, but I wouldn't want Animal Crossing to have any type of linear story to follow. That's part of its appeal for me is being so open-ended. If it had a true story, I'd be more inclined to put the game down after completing the story whereas the way it stands now I just keep going until I've completed all the goals I set for myself. That gives me years of game play versus months.

 

[VanitasFan26]

Okay after seeing the replies to this I realized now why AC doesn't really need a story. Its one of those games where you can just use your imagination to come up with stories behind the villagers since they say things that are so vague. I can understand that now. I guess maybe for me I've been playing so many liner games that had a good story that I was expected one when I first played Animal Crossing. Boy I sure do overthink things a lot these days.

 

[Xara]

i don’t mind either way, to be honest; i’ll be happy if it has a story, but i won’t be upset if it doesn’t. i enjoyed my character having the role of mayor in new leaf instead of being a regular resident, and some sort of lore or story is always cool, but i usually come up with some of my own anyways, so i’m cool if the next game doesn’t have an official story or anything. as long as it’s fun, i’m up for anything ^^

 

[pawpatrolbab]

No, in my opinion it would take away what Animal Crossing is

 

[oath2order]

The "story/plot" that we got in NH is the most I'd want out of an Animal Crossing game.

 

[Weiss Schnee]

No. I think it does well without one. To be honest I like that theres no pace. Its just enjoying an experience and I love it for that.

 

[Snek]

I voted yes but for a different reason. I don't want the player character to have a story because I want the series to keep its sandbox element. I want different stories for different villagers that come to your town, island or whatever. Each villager you take in has a different story and interaction with other villagers, not just Category:Jock is interacting with Category: peppy, for example. The focus on customisation has sort of gotten in the way of animal interaction and giving each villager an individual story can increase the interest in having certain villagers or fulfilling a collectathon of stories that the player can achieve.

 

[oath2order]

I voted yes but for a different reason. I don't want the player character to have a story because I want the series to keep its sandbox element. I want different stories for different villagers that come to your town, island or whatever. Each villager you take in has a different story and interaction with other villagers, not just Category:Jock is interacting with Category: peppy, for example. The focus on customisation has sort of gotten in the way of animal interaction and giving each villager an individual story can increase the interest in having certain villagers or fulfilling a collectathon of stories that the player can achieve.

So on one hand, I get what you're saying.

On the other hand, there's 413 villagers in New Horizons, and 75 that didn't appear in New Horizons, making a total of 488. I don't think it's reasonable to have Nintendo create 413 individual good stories. I think the most that would happen are "there are three different storylines per personality".

 

[Hypno KK]

No, I'd honestly hate this. AC appeals to me because there's no story other than what you decide to imagine.

 

[Lanstar]

I think a loose kind of story would be helpful in the next Animal Crossing. I'd like one where the town you enter is in a grim state, and you get to bring it back to shape with your own ideas.

It doesn't need to be overly complex, but a town with hints of a backstory would work wonders. It would clean the palette of New Horizons, where the your island had no backstory at all - It felt like just some raw piece of land to decorate on, and the 'town' element just never felt there to me. The idea of a town should have some sense of history involved, as well as some kind of baggage: Real life towns have all sorts of preexisting imperfections in them that made them what they are, as well as elements of longevity and traditions that make them interesting.

So yeah, I want at least some kind of story in the next game at the start so I can actually care about the place I'd be playing almost everyday for a while.

 

[Belle T]

I think a loose kind of story would be helpful in the next Animal Crossing. I'd like one where the town you enter is in a grim state, and you get to bring it back to shape with your own ideas.

It doesn't need to be overly complex, but a town with hints of a backstory would work wonders. It would clean the palette of New Horizons, where the your island had no backstory at all - It felt like just some raw piece of land to decorate on, and the 'town' element just never felt there to me. The idea of a town should have some sense of history involved, as well as some kind of baggage: Real life towns have all sorts of preexisting imperfections in them that made them what they are, as well as elements of longevity and traditions that make them interesting.

So yeah, I want at least some kind of story in the next game at the start so I can actually care about the place I'd be playing almost everyday for a while.

I was trying to think of how to word my thoughts, and I think this works rather well. In short, Animal Crossing doesn't necessarily need a full narrative, but it would still greatly benefit from context.

Though I've said in the past, I would be interested in seeing a more involved narrative in a future title, but as a spin-off game rather than a main series entry. Ideally, I think a spin off would take cues from games like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, where there is a rich story and background to each character that is explored largely through gameplay which is paced by the player's incentive to continue persuing relationships and completing key tasks, rather than thrust upon them.

 

[NauticalSquid]

Sure. It should keep the animal crossing formula, but it can have its own story mode.

 

[Mercedes]

Mmmh that’s really difficult and more than a yes or no .. it would be awesome if it did but what would the story be about? I also have the issue of a story after you beat the game the game feels kinda dull and empty .. but it would make me want to play more.. I’ve been thinking about picking up my switch and playing again but I play new leaf town once a week

 

[duckshuffler]

i'd prefer if it didn't, but maybe a few little pieces of a story here n there would be alright!

 

[Meadows]

Yes, but more similar to new leaf style story

 

[Ossiran]

No to an actual story, but having character stories like Wild World where characters will talk about themselves would be good. I also wouldn't mind it if you could actually see villagers become friends with you and/or each other by expanding the dialogue.

 

[nightglow]

I think it will, but should it? Maybe. I think it is kinda expected by a lot of gamers who come into ac for the first time, or second if ACNH was their first ac game. It doesn't have to be super long or anything, and it could give more background info about the world of ac or its main npcs, or the map your playing on. I doubt next time is an island.
ACNH did have little bit, and its dlc had a little more.