Animal Crossing Direct News Rundown

It has finally happened! After months of speculation and a while of Nintendo telling us that something was in the works, we finally have an Animal Crossing themed Direct! Friday the Direct landed, offering us over 20 minutes of announcements and new content. So, let’s get into it, shall we?

The Direct began with a reveal that the free update we’ve all been waiting for will be releasing on November 5^th. The update contains the Roost, which is Brewster’s café. Island residents can also stop by the Roost, so you’ll have new interactions with people like Isabelle, along with your villagers. Using amiibo cards (or amiibo), you can invite characters to have coffee with you at the café, and some may even bring guests. Multiple players can join you in the Roost, and you can share a cup of coffee with your friends.

Kapp’n is also making a return! Kapp’n’s boat tours will allow you to join Kapp’n on a trip, hear his sea shanties, and visit mysterious islands. These islands may have unique plants, or they may be from a different time of day or season. Kapp’n will also hang out at your pier so you can visit these islands anytime.

Harv’s Island is also getting a makeover! Harriet (the hairdresser from previous games) is helping Harv by expanding his island so there will be more shops for you to visit. You’ll have to put some money upfront of course, but Saharah, Kicks, Reese and Cyrus, along with Redd will set up shop there. There will also be new additions such as Katrina from previous games, along with Tortimer and Harriet! I am so excited about this!

The update is also bringing some new exercise-oriented content to the game. You can go to the plaza and engage in group stretching, using button or motion controls. Isabelle will also be able to enact Island Ordinances, which allow you to set things like when your animals will be active, or other as yet unnamed features.

Resident Services has also added new customization options for your home, specifically different visual styles to match your personal island aesthetic. They are also adding new storage expansion options, to go from 2400 to 3200, 4000, and even 5000 storage slots! This was a much-needed thing, considering I have a full storage, and an alt that also has an almost full storage. I like clothes ok?

Uses for Nook Miles are being expanded, and we are getting Cooking! There will be new cooking-focused DIY recipes, where we will need to grow tomatoes, wheat, potatoes, sugarcane, pumpkins, and carrots in order to cook. That’s not even counting things like the mushroom types and other seasonal ingredients.

A Pro Decorating License allows lighting and ceiling décor to be added to rooms, along with things like accent walls. Getting a Pro Construction License also allows you to increase the number of bridges and inclines to 10 each. We’ll also be getting new fence recipes, along with fence customization for certain types of fencing.

The Pro Camera function, allows you to enhance the camera of your Nook Phone. Now there is a first-person handheld camera mode and a tripod camera mode so you can be in more close-up photos too. They’ve also added Custom Design Patterns+ which allows you to wear custom patterns or even use them for wallpaper or flooring.

11 new hairstyles are being added to the game as well, including new styles you will need to learn from Harriet. We’re also getting 11 new reactions, which will add even more variety to your expression and communication. Nintendo has also added a friendly new app for new players of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The Island Life 101 app will provide tips on how to do various things on your island and will allow you to refer back to the tips as reminders as well. There will also be new furniture to buy with Nook Miles, such as a storage shed that connects to your home storage so you can store things from outside of your home. They also have an outdoor ABD (ATM) to allow you to pull out (or deposit) money without needing to go to Resident Services.

Other additions coming to the game in this update include 12 new K.K. Slider songs, music boxes compatible with KK songs, and Gyroids! When you find Gyroid fragments, you can plant and water them to make them grow into a Gyroid overnight. There is also a possibility of finding more Gyroids after it rains. Different Gyroids make different sounds, and you can couple them with music in order to make new beats and harmonies. You can also customize Gyroids.

Nook’s Cranny is getting new furniture types, such as ceiling décor and brand new furniture. Also, you’ll be able to craft permanent ladders that you can place as an alternative to inclines. You can also now move through tight spaces inside your house, so those 1 block square gaps can now be easily navigated. Now animals can invite you to their house, or surprise you in your home by stopping by!

This version 2.0 update of Animal Crossing: New Horizons launches November 5^th, and will be the last major free content update for the game. However, that’s not all Nintendo had to show us during the Direct. There will be a paid Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC! You will find yourself on an archipelago that is home to several islands where animals are looking for ideal vacation homes.

The DLC called Animal Crossing New Horizons: Happy Home Paradise will allow you to join Paradise Planning, a resort development company. You’ll fly from your island to the DLC via the airport, and will be able to design vacation homes for Island residents. This DLC will put you in charge of crafting dream lifestyles for all sorts of characters.

On the island that Paradise Planning works from, you’ll have a variety of animals visiting, each with their own unique idea of what they want. You’ll then pick the island that their home should go on, based on their temperament and the climate they’d like. Then you’ll get to decorate the house using specific items they ask for, along with other items to fit the aesthetic.

You even get the opportunity to customize the animal’s yard with fencing, furniture, trees, paths, and more! This DLC will also allow you to expand the walls of rooms, add partition walls, counters, and even load-bearing pillars. There are even loads of lighting and sound customization options, to make the décor of an animal’s home exactly what it should be.

Polishing furniture can also add new effects to it and enhance the beauty of your decoration. This may cause flowers to have butterflies around them, or a sparkle effect to appear on other furniture types. Working for Paradise Planning earns you a special currency, which you can use at the shop to purchase rare furniture you can take with you back to your island.

As you get new decorating abilities, you’ll even be able to remodel homes of clients you’ve already helped. You can also play matchmaker and allow 2 clients to share a vacation home. The island that Paradise Planning is on also has a variety of vacant facilities! This will allow you to decorate the buildings and make them into things like schools and hospitals. Animals will work and experience these facilities, so you can see the fruits of your hard work!

Through the Happy Home Network app, you can visit previous clients and see how they’re doing. You will be able to share your unique designs online with other players. You can also follow designers you like, and visit their creations to spark inspiration in your own work. Amiibo cards and figures also allow you to invite villagers of your choosing, in order to create their own unique vacation home.

Techniques you learn in your work at Paradise Planning can be used in your own home on your home island! You’ll be able to polish the furniture, utilize different lighting types and soundscapes, and even use partition walls in your rooms. I hope this means we can expand some of our smaller rooms as well.

If you’d like, you can also give your villagers souvenir chocolates from the archipelago in order to get them interested in visiting. They may even ask you to design their vacation home, which adds an even more personal touch! Eventually, you may even be able to suggest home remodels to your island residents.

Animal Crossing New Horizons: Happy Home Paradise will release on November 5^th for $24.99. Pre-Orders will begin on October 29^th, on the eShop. However, if you purchase the membership for the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, then you will get the DLC for free as long as you are a member. They also announced that 48 new amiibo cards will be coming from the Series 5 collection which will be released on November 5^th.

With that, the Direct came to a close. Personally, I am very happy with how this turned out. There are a lot of things that I think the developers could add, and I’m hoping that even though we aren’t getting major free updates after this one, that they may add more paid DLC down the line. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the perfect model for a live service game, so I hope that Nintendo doesn’t give up on the franchise.

I am also a little disappointed that we aren’t going to get any anniversary items for Zelda’s 35^th anniversary. However, maybe 2022 will bring some surprises for fans who are still devoted to Animal Crossing. Otherwise, we’ll have to wait and see what Nintendo brings to us when they eventually announce the next game. I think we’ll have a lot more content to enjoy until then though.