With the success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the original Nintendo Switch, there’s no question a sequel is coming at some point in the near future for the Switch 2. While Nintendo hasn’t yet announced another entry in the series, it’s already become one of the most anticipated games of the next-generation console. Excitement for another Animal Crossing will always be high, and the capabilities of the Switch 2 means that the next sequel can be better than ever.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is not only more powerful than the original Switch, but the addition of GameChat and other social features could also give the next entry in the Animal Crossing series a serious edge over all previous games. Rather than continuing to follow past series traditions, like adding more villagers every game, the next Animal Crossing should focus on developing existing elements and utilizing multiplayer elements provided by the console.
Animal Crossing On Nintendo Switch 2 Needs To Be Deeper, Not Bigger
Improving Current Mechanics Should Come First
As a series, Animal Crossing is in a solid state. New Horizons was a massive success, and any sequel, while still unannounced, is inherently one of the most anticipated games of the Switch 2. It would make sense for the next game to go bigger than ever before, with larger spaces and more additions to the NPC cast. However, at this point, Animal Crossing should pull back and refine what’s made the series great, rather than expanding further.
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The Nintendo Switch 2 is far more powerful than the original Switch. While Animal Crossing games have never been hardware-intensive, better performance from a console does open up some new possibilities, like larger towns, more indoor spaces, and more detail. Rather than focusing on graphics and style, the next game should focus on improving existing gameplay and perhaps even bringing back past elements, like mini-games such as Quiz Show, Fruit Path, and Desert Island Escape, but with better multiplayer.
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The most common criticism of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, for good reason, is that villagers lack substance. In past titles, villagers were always full of personality. Whether that be friendly, weird, cranky, or outright rude to the player, it made for a varied experience that became rewarding when a villager finally warmed up and turned into a full-fledged friend. New Horizons lacked this aspect, as every villager repeats similar lines, with some alterations based on their personality subgroup, and each and every one is overwhelmingly friendly from the very first conversation.
Some Franchise Staples Should Be Left Behind
Animal Crossing Doesn’t Need More Characters
With Villagers sorely lacking the personality of past Animal Crossing games, the next title on the Nintendo Switch 2 should focus on enhancing and deepening its characters rather than adding even more. Every Animal Crossing game has added a few new Villagers to the roster. New Horizons added fan-favorites Sherb, Dom, Audie, and, most of all, Raymond. With these additions, the overall Villager pool is at 413, which is more than enough. Rather than adding even more characters to a large cast, Animal Crossing should enrich each personality type and fix the issues New Horizons brought to the series.
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On top of limiting the number of Villagers in the game, the next sequel should drop the long-running limitation in the series: one island per game, or, in the case of the Switch, one island per console. While the original idea behind only allowing players to have one town or island to spend time in may have been to encourage players to deeply engage with one community, now the limit just serves to limit families that only own a single console. Allowing the Switch 2 Animal Crossing game to have multiple saves per console
Switch 2 Is Built For More Shared Experiences
Utilizing GameChat Would Upgrade Animal Crossing
The Nintendo Switch 2 is naturally better equipped than the original Switch for multiplayer with friends. First revealed in a trailer shortly before the console’s release, the Switch 2 has GameChat, a new feature that uses a microphone and camera and allows players to join a chat while in-game. Up to twelve players at a time can join a voice call, but only four can stream their gameplay at once. This function might seem to have limited uses at first, but GameChat is practically tailor-made for Animal Crossing, if used in the right way.
If the next Animal Crossing entry wants to live up to its maximum potential, then it should keep GameChat and the Switch 2’s emphasis on shared experiences in mind. Mini-games are the easiest way to make good use of GameChat, especially ones that require cooperation. While mini-games have fallen to the wayside in the modern era of Animal Crossing, the next entry in the series could easily bring them back better than ever while leaning into the Switch 2’s strengths.
On top of games, the next AC should be creative with how friends interact with each other in the game. Sending letters and gifts through the mail is fine, but with the Switch 2’s capabilities, the next Animal Crossing can surely find a way to elevate this social aspect of the series.
