Summary
There is a lot of room for innovation with established mechanics in theAnimal Crossingseries afterAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, and the follow-up title is likely to build upon the foundations laid by that game. WhileAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswas a huge leap forward for the series in terms of customization options given to the player when designing their perfect island, many fans felt the villagers themselves suffered as a result. To improve upon this aspect, the nextAnimal Crossingcould feature a twist on the standard villager personalities and add an element of randomness to villager hunting.
One of the main criticisms longtimeAnimal Crossingfans had withNew Horizonswas the lack of interesting villager personalities. Historically, theAnimal Crossingseries has featured villagers with a range of personalities including some grumpy and straight-up rude villagers in past entries, butAnimal Crossing: New Horizons' villagers had very bland personalitiesin comparison. The nextAnimal Crossingcan make villager personalities more exciting again by adding a layer of the unexpected and randomizing personalities for each villager the player encounters.
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Randomized Villager Personalities Could Refresh One of Animal Crossing’s Oldest Mechanics
A core feature of theAnimal Crossingseries is the unique villagers that can be inhabitants of players' town, andAnimal Crossing: New Horizonshas 413 possible residents. Typically, the villagers that inhabit a player’s town are random, butAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsallowed players to recruit new villagers to their islands by going onMystery Island Toursand having the chance to find a random villager camping on that island. The fun of hunting for the ideal villager through this method could be made even more exciting if villagers had randomized personalities as well so the player never knows what version of a character they would find.
How Randomized Villager Personalities Could Work in a Future Animal Crossing Game
There are currentlyeight villager personality types inAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsthat are split between male and female villagers with each gender having four personality types. Every villager has their own assigned personality type that influences the types of activities they like, topics they will talk to the player about, and how they interact with other villagers. A new randomized personality system in a futureAnimal Crossinggame could change up these personality types between individual villagers while retaining the male/female personality type split.
Male Personality Types
Female Personality Types
Instead of always getting the expected personality type with a given character, players would be able to find unexpected versions of classicAnimal Crossingvillagers to keep gameplay fresh. For example, rather than players encountering the usuallyCranky penguin Hopper, he could have the Lazy or Jock personality along with a variation on his home design as a result. The types of unique villager interactions this randomized system could create would go a long way towards refreshing a classic series' mechanic while also building upon the popularity of villager hunting and trading created byAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
Although manyAnimal Crossingplayers are fond of certain villagers specifically because of their unique personalities, this randomized personality system would still allow players to obtain the classic versions of their favorite villagers. There is also the possibility that the nextAnimal Crossinggame introduces new personality types as well, which could fit right in with a randomized system and further expand the personality type combinations for villagers. While giving villagers more complex personalities similar to older entries in the series would be nice, randomized personalities could be another solution if thenextAnimal Crossinggame wants to head in a new direction.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
WHERE TO PLAY
Escape to a deserted island and create your own paradise as you explore, create, and customize in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game. Your island getaway has a wealth of natural resources that can be used to craft everything from tools to creature comforts. you’re able to hunt down insects at the crack of dawn, decorate your paradise throughout the day, or enjoy sunset on the beach while fishing in the ocean. The time of day and season match real life, so each day on your island is a chance to check in and find new surprises all year round.Show off your island utopia to family and friends—or pack your bags and visit theirs. Whether playing online** or with others beside you***, island living is even better when you can share it. Even without hopping on a flight, you’ll meet a cast of charming animal residents bursting with personality. Friendly faces like Tom Nook and Isabelle will lend their services and happily help you grow your budding community. Escape to your island getaway—however, whenever, and wherever you want.
