The Nintendo Direct last week revealed a ton of new information about Animal Crossing: New Horizons. That included some cute details, some major overhauls, and some surprising new features.
Watch it – Watch it with my comments
You can watch it via the links above, but in this blog entry, I’m going to sum up the top five things I’m excited about. So without further ado, here’s my list:
#5. Best Friends & Tools
To protect your island from vandals, most visitors will be unable to use certain tools (namely axes and shovels) in your town. The only exceptions will be if you have added that player as a best friend. So this way, you can still have a close friend help you out with town projects (like if you’re removing lots of trees, for example), while still keeping your island safe from people you may not know as well.
This is a great addition to the series, although it will only work if you’re selective about who you add as a best friend. Only give best-friend status to people you really trust! And if someone doesn’t best-friend you, just accept it and don’t beg to be added. Nobody likes to be nagged like that. Respect the town owner’s wishes.
#4. Dodo Codes
In a video I made last July, I suggested that New Horizons should allow you to open your gate to specific groups (other than just best friends). You could have one group for family, one group for IRL friends, etc. Because there will be times that you don’t want everyone to come into your town.
Maybe you’re trying to show something to a specific person (or group of people), or maybe you’re trying to complete a trade with someone. In those instances, uninvited guests can complicate things and drastically slow down the process of getting the right person into your town.
While this feature didn’t exactly make it, Nintendo came up with something that achieved the same result: Dodo Codes. By using a Dodo Code, you can give a password to certain people and only they will be able to enter your town…even if they’re not on your friend list! This is a great solution and I’ll probably use it a lot.
#3. Reshaping the Terrain
For me, the most shocking part of the Nintendo Direct was when they showed the player making changes to the terrain itself. Especially when they dug into a cliff to unearth a waterfall! Wow! 😮
I never, ever, ever expected a feature like this in Animal Crossing! It’s shocking…but in a good way, of course! They’re taking customization to the limit, and it will truly make for some unique town creations!
If this game has the Dream Suite (and I’d be shocked if it didn’t), it’s going to be very fun to visit the various towns that people create. There were also some great, creative dream towns in New Leaf, and this will take that even further. It’s gonna be great!
#2. Outdoor Furniture
Unlike the other features on this list, outdoor furniture has been known about for quite a while…long before the recent New Horizons Direct. But it’s still one of the features I’m most excited about. In particular, I think the outdoor lamps at nighttime are just stunning.
#1. Museum Overhaul
The museum in New Horizons looks better than ever, and it’s not even close. It’s gorgeous. Breathtaking. The developers have really outdone themselves. I don’t just want to make donations and visit the museum, I want to live in it.
But even aside from looking beautiful, it appears to be huge. The rooms are very large, and there seem to be many of them. It’s so big that an eight-player game of museum tag should be no problem at all! And I’m dying to do just that…well, once I get my museum built (and likely expanded who knows how many times)… Okay, maybe that will take a while. But I can’t wait!
Final Thoughts
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a lot of features that I’m really looking forward to. I can’t wait to get my hands on the game next month! Are any of these features on your most-wanted list? Feel free to share your list in the comments below.
This blog will be updated near daily once I get my paws on the game. In the meantime, you can always find me on Youtube. Have a great day, and Never Stop Crossing!
Buy ACNH Guide at Amazon – Buy ACNH
I’m really looking forward to AC:NH content! I’ve been following your AC:NL content for literally 5 years (and I checked – you mentioned something I suggested in an article back in 2015), and am really looking forward to reading how you get on in the new game!
Thank you! 😊 But I’m curious what you suggested in 2015?
Nothing, really – I just remembered that I had suggested you post something to the noticeboard about Velma having fleas (and I also won a giveaway in 2015 too), so I just put my villager name into the search box. 😉 Doesn’t feel like that long ago…!
Haha, okay. Yeah it doesn’t seem that long ago, it’s crazy!
So I know you can play multiplayer with the leader and the followers thing and I know about the dodo codes and stuff, but do I need a Nintendo account thingy to use a dodo code or join someone else’s island? Because I can’t seem to find a definite answer anywhere, so I thought this would be my best bet. Sorry if this is a stupid thing to ask…
You will need a Nintendo Switch Online account to play online (and presumably, to use a Dodo Code). But you should be able to play locally (with another Switch in the same irl room) without an account.
Thank you so much!
I absolutely LOVE the museum. It shows how far Animal Crossing has come. When I first found out about Animal Crossing a long time ago, I thought the graphics were so incredible. However, seeing New Horizons now, the graphics are just so breathtaking I can hardly believe how much it has improved over the years. I can not wait to play this game.
I’m really looking forward to 8 player Museum tag! Looking super fun!
I’m going to follow your New Horizons blog from Day One. It took us a damn good while to get the details, but when we did… my goodness. This game is gorgeus, and I’m absolutely sure that it’s gonna blow every other AC game out of the water, with the amount of new, returning and requested features being included already.
Thanks! I’m sure it’ll be a lot of fun. And there’s still a lot about the game that we don’t know! We’ll be finding new details for a long time, probably. 🙂
I’ve been following your youtube and website for awhile and I’m very excited for you to cover this game ! I added you on switch so I hope we can play together 😀
Thank you! I’m sure I’ll be opening my gate sometimes, though it might be randomly at the beginning. But if you see my gate open, anyone is welcome to come in.
Will you say what your dodo code is?
Also I am super excited too. I can’t wait to play it. This is the first animal crossing game we will have started at the same time. So we can grow our towns at the same time! Animal Crossing is the best. I’m super hyped.
Well the Dodo Code is only if I’m opening for specific people. If I’m just opening my gate normally, you wouldn’t need a Dodo Code. But yeah, this is going to be so fun! 🙂
I’m really looking forward to the music! There were small previews in the trailer but not a lot. Also excited to see what KK Slider is up to.
Yeah, even though the trailer showed a lot, there are still SO many things we don’t know yet. I think we’ll be finding surprises along the way, probably for months after release!
I’m in love with the museum as well. The customization of the islands is also really cool =)
My 2 biggest OMG moments were seeing the museum and the terrain customization! (I want to live in that gorgeous butterfly sanctuary!) But the control freak in me is most excited about being able to control everything, where the houses and shops go, and the ability to move them later! It makes the play potential for this game seem endless!
Yeah, I’m so surprised Nintendo is giving us this much control over our towns! It should be a lot of fun. 🙂