A player of Animal Crossing: New Horizons has added some Howl's Moving Castle magic to their game by incorporating Calcifer into their kitchen design. Animal Crossing and Studio Ghibli designs have become increasingly popular in the Nintendo hit, made possible thanks to the title's custom design tools and fantasy-style items.
While there's no limit to the creative possibilities in Animal Crossing, the game's dedicated community has shown a passion for Studio Ghibli recreations in particular. Players have been remaking famous scenes from movies such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, and more since the game released in 2020. The whimsical character designs and art of Studio Ghibli might not be an exact fit for the aesthetic of the game, but with a little creativity and artistry, everything from Spirited Away's train scene to Catbus have been remade in Animal Crossing.
Redditor and Animal Crossing player pepper_gecko has shared a look at their Howl's Moving Castle Calcifer, who sits comfortably in a frying pan within the user's kitchen. The impressive design is made possible thanks to the Happy Home Paradise DLC, which unlocks the polishing tool for use in animated designs and creations that can be added to items. By combining the polishing tool and a custom Calcifer design, and applying them to the saucepan, the player's creation gives the illusion of Calcifer residing on the stove, making the perfect addition to any Ghibli-inspired island. Explaining how to achieve the effect, pepper_gecko writes:
"First, put a frying pan inside the house. Second, press L. Third, press +. Fourth, place the cursor on the Chatterblurb. Fifth, press X to select a Calcifer design. Sixth, wipe the frying pan. Then finished! I hope it helps."
See the image gallery on Reddit here.
Happy Home Paradise is ACNH's first and last paid DLC, and gives players the chance to get to work as a Paradise Planner, designing vacation homes for the title's many villagers and NPCs. The polishing tool has already been used throughout the community with impressive results, with creative players adding flair to household items with designs including spooky ghosts and flickering flames. As custom designs can be used with the tool, there's no end to the potential of the polishing tool.
pepper_gecko's impressive Howl's Moving Castle design has impressed Animal Crossing fans, receiving thousands of Upvotes on Reddit. The clever use of a basic pan and a custom image has enabled the user to make the perfect Ghibli and ACNH mashup, and as it's easily re-creatable, it's likely many more fans of Animal Crossing will add the Ghibli design to their islands. The game may be approaching its second anniversary, but players are still finding surprising and delightful ways to personalize their island.
Source: pepper_gecko/Reddit