Fans once again have merged two popular games that are nothing like one another, as an Animal Crossing: New Horizons player has gotten into the spooky spirit be creating a Silent Hill-inspired island in the otherwise cutesy Nintendo Switch game. As it's been half-a-year since the latest iteration of the mellow life simulator released, it was really it was only a matter of time before someone made their own version of the mist-laden town made up of visitors' worst nightmares.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons came bursting onto the scene in the spring of this year, and it's gone on to become one of the Nintendo's bestselling games of all-time. It has proven itself time and time again to be the perfect antidote to lockdown cabin fever, as its simple and gentle escapism provides all the comforts that many people crave in these bizarre times. Fans used its island-hopping mechanic to socialize with each other when they could not get together in person, hosting events like wedding and graduations through the gameplay. Xbox head Phil Spencer even appeared on Animal Talking, a talk show formerly hosted entirely within the virtual space, which breaks enough barriers at once that they speak for themselves.
This is all very wholesome and lovely, but it would not be October without a serious dose of spooky remakes and haunting imagery thrown into the mix. Even in the ever-tame Animal Crossings world, fan hanoodyACNH has made their own version of Silent Hill. Notoriously one of the most terrifying towns to grace video game consoles, it is a far cry from turnip prices and catching fish off the pier. From cults, to UFOs to Pyramid Head, Silent Hill is not a place to go to for some light relief. And yet surprisingly, the two games marry together incredibly well. With Jack O’ Lantern scarecrows, a Silent Hill welcome sign, and the game's newly added autumn mist, this amalgamation of worlds is both delightful and unnerving at the same time.
This is not the first, and it surely will not be the last, video game crossover to appear on Animal Crossings: New Horizons. Fans have been recreating scenes from all of their favorite games and films in the months since its release. From The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild ruins springing up on islands to tributes to Disney’s Mulan, there is no limit to where fans creativity can take them.
There are still a few weeks to go before Jack's Halloween is upon players, so it would not be surprising if even more haunting Animal Crossing and Silent Hill dedications start to crop up over the coming weeks. Thanks to the flexibility of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ gameplay, the options to embrace players creativity are endless. What the gaming community comes up with next is only limited by their imagination.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available on Nintendo Switch.
Source: hanoodyACNH