Animal Crossing Throughout the Years

By ABBY GROFF

Staff Writer

This year Nintendo released one of its most anticipated games, Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020). One of Nintendo’s most beloved franchises, Animal Crossing is a game not about winning or losing, but completing basic everyday tasks to lift the weight off your shoulders from the real world. The concept is simple, yet so popular among many. You befriend sweet little animals, decorate your home, and water your flowers. For years this concept has remained the same, but new features have been added to help the game progress and to keep new players coming. 

Animal Crossing (2001)

The first game in this series (simply titled Animal Crossing) was released in Japan in 2001 for the Nintendo 64. However, it was localized for North American fans in 2002 for the GameCube. Animal Crossing introduced many fan-favorite characters such as KK Slider, Blathers, and Tom Nook, a stickler raccoon urging you to pay off your debts. Because the game is a little older, it lacks in content compared to the newer ones. That doesn’t stop it from being enjoyable though. Players can participate in fishing, bug catching, and digging for fossils. 

Animal Crossing: Wild World (2005)

Wild World is very similar to the original Animal Crossing. It was released on the Nintendo DS and introduced the use of dual screen. One new feature included in the game was using the console’s stylus to draw constellations into the starry sky. Many fans say this game in particular was their first in the series, making it one of the most popular out of the five main games. 

Animal Crossing: City Folk (2008)

What stood out the most in Animal Crossing: City Folk was you guessed it; a city. Like Wild World, this 2008 game for the Nintendo Wii was also a popular starter for new players. Now in game, players could travel to the big city to go clothes shopping or get their avatar’s hair done. One new shop was exclusively for shoes and was run by Kicks, a friendly skunk. 

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2012)

New Leaf’s defining concept was now being the mayor of your town, rather than just a resident. This gave players a wider variety of customization options, and made playing the game itself made hours feel like minutes. As the mayor, you are able to put public ordinances into place. This includes keeping shops open later, opening earlier, increasing the price of items, or keeping the town’s environment cleaner. 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)

Arguably the best in the series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has a completely new approach to the game. Players move to a deserted island along with only two other villagers, and must work their way to creating a developed town. The concept of crafting items was introduced, and players can now place their furniture all over the island. In previous games items could only be placed inside your home. New Horizons quickly became one of the most popular games for the Nintendo Switch, with over 22 millions copies being sold in just 3 months. Fans favored this game in particular due to the crazy amount of new features.

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