Not many can disagree that Animal Crossing: New Horizons was basically the perfect pandemic video game, and the record-breaking sales the title was met with certainly supports that claim. The latest entry in the long-running life sim franchise charmed players with its endearing aesthetics, as well as its game-changing approach to town customization.
Now more than a year into the game's lifespan, however, it seems that the honeymoon phase has started to wane. Players have been clamoring for a host of quality of life improvements for some time now, and the steady stream of additional content provided by Nintendo has generally failed to address what fans perceive as the game's shortcomings compared to previous Animal Crossing titles.
Gyroids
It might not seem like a huge downside, but the strange, seemingly mechanical noise machines called gyroids that could be dug up from the earth in previous Animal Crossing titles added a certain surreal charm. Trying to collect every one of them was a goal that players could set for themselves, and decorating a house with the things added a fun quirkiness.
When players look back with nostalgia on the homes they kept with gyroids in earlier Animal Crossing games, it's hard not to feel like there's something missing from New Horizons without them. It's especially confusing considering that Nintendo has been exceptionally active in adding new themed items to the game -- so why not gyroids?
Brewster And The Roost
In earlier Animal Crossing games, players could take the time to unwind with a cup of coffee in The Roost, a cafe operated by the aloof pigeon by the name of Brewster. In the past, the roost was connected to the museum or situated in its own building somewhere in town, but either way, it became a staple of many a town landscape.
Not that the day-to-day activities of an Animal Crossing town are particularly hectic, but stopping by The Roost was always appealing because of its characteristically relaxed atmosphere and music. Dropping in for a cup of coffee felt like the quiet part of a player's routine, so it's a shame that the shop hasn't made a comeback in New Horizons.
Shop Upgrades
In every previous Animal Crossing title, the local shop, run by either Tom Nook or his nephews, could be upgraded by the player by spending a certain amount of bells at the store to unlock each subsequent tier. In past titles, this meant that the shop could go from a run-down shack to a luxurious, multi-story department store.
New Horizons keeps the ability to upgrade the shop, but unfortunately, only a single one is available, meaning that fans of previous Animal Crossing games will not have access to Nookington's or the T&T Emporium of the past. Shop upgrades were a major element of progression in earlier Animal Crossing games, so it's unclear why Nintendo opted to drop this feature.
Morning Aerobics
Morning aerobics was an activity that the player could participate in on early Summer mornings to get some exercise in before starting the day in the original Animal Crossing. The player would join an assortment of villagers to listen to the radio and execute basic exercises with the C-stick alongside their animal friends.
The gameplay rewards for this activity were fairly meager -- a radio from the mayor was the only incentive for attending every session, but something about waking up early in the morning to do an activity that wasn't normally available made the experience feel special and one of the many small touches that made the game so alive.
Minigames
New Leaf players will likely have fond memories of trying for the best times on island tours, and fans of the original Animal Crossing will certainly remember frantically scrubbing down Gracie's car for a chance to win some sort of rare piece of clothing. These sorts of side activities were simple, yes, but also diverting, and they did a lot to break up the routine that can set in after playing Animal Crossing for hours and hours.
While New Horizons does have NPCs challenge the players with certain activities, they're often similar in nature, usually revolving around searching the island for a handful of items that need to be collected for a reward. Diversifying these activities into new challenges would make random visitors coming to the island far more engaging and exciting.
Resetti
It does make sense that Resetti, the angry mole that would berate the player for forgetting to save, hasn't made a comeback in New Horizons on account of that game's autosave system. After all, the player can't easily forget to save if the game saves on its own, right?
Resetti is still sorely missed, though, because through his constant raging fury, he lent a sort of realism to the world of Animal Crossing. Not everyone is nice in real life, and Resetti seemed to reflect that truth well. His angry lectures were especially poignant since the player usually had only themselves to blame for forgetting to save, making it feel like there were consequences to the player's actions even in the idyllic world of Animal Crossing.
Constellations
In Animal Crossing: Wild World and City Folk, players were able to visit an observatory attached to the museum run by Blathers' younger sister: Celeste. Speaking to her would unlock the ability to peer through a telescope at the night sky, and map out custom-made constellations while doing so.
When the sun set after drawing a constellation, a player could look up at the sky and see their handiwork among the stars. The options available to actually create constellations were limited to simply connecting stars together, but it did help towns feel a little more personal. Furthermore, constellations were generally more interesting than Celestes' role in New Horizons, where she essentially just hands out DIY recipes.
NES Emulators
One of the most missed features from the original Animal Crossing game was the availability of built-in Nintendo Entertainment System games that could not only be placed in a player's home, but were fully playable as well. These items were fairly rare, but it was always nice to take a break from fishing to play some Balloon Fight.
The presence of a built-in library of NES titles as part of Nintendo Switch Online probably means that audiences won't be seeing any NES games in New Horizons any time soon, but it would definitely be fun to have at least some kind of video game to play in a New Horizons home.
Permanent Structures
New Horizons took the town customization options introduced in New Leaf to new heights and made the system far more flexible by allowing players to place any item anywhere on their islands. New Leaf, by comparison, only allowed players to place structures by shelling out the bells for a public works project.
While the New Horizons system is more flexible, it's missing the option to place the large, permanent structures that were available in New Leaf. If a New Leaf player had the bells, they could build a fortune teller's shop, a cafe, or a police station, among other things. The number of permanent structures available to the player is comparatively limited in New Horizons.
Expanded Dialogue Choices
A critical component of any Animal Crossing game is the player's relationship to the villagers that inhabit their town (or island, in the case of New Horizons). Earlier titles, like the original Animal Crossing, gave the player options when communicating with villagers. They could ask if that particular villager needed help with something, or simply strike up a friendly conversation.
Beyond the original game, titles like New Leaf would have villagers regularly asking the player their opinion on things, which would seem to inform their opinions of the player character. In the case of New Horizons, by comparison, it feels like there simply isn't as much dialogue to go around. Villagers will often repeat lines about how much they like to sit, and the options a player has to engage in the conversation itself feel more limited overall.