With its highly anticipated 2.0 update, which is coming November 5, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is bringing back an NPC familiar to those who played some of the series' previous entries: Kapp'n, a turtle and sailor of the high seas, will offer his services as a boat captain. He'll expand the game's randomized, alternate island visit mechanics, and serenade the player on the way. The longtime Animal Crossing character is a late addition to New Horizons, but he'll be waiting to offer boat tours to hidden gem islands only he knows about.
Kapp'n appeared in the very first Animal Crossing, acting as a ferry captain. In subsequent games, he is similarly in charge of transportation, driving a taxi in Wild World, and a bus in City Folk. In New Leaf, he appeared in much the same capacity that he will in New Horizons' 2.0 update - captain of a small motorboat. In each game that has featured The Roost, which will also be added to New Horizons in the upcoming content update, Kapp'n can occasionally be found enjoying a cup of Brewster's coffee as well.
For a fee of 1,000 Nook Miles, Kapp'n will take New Horizons characters on a boat ride that resembles the Mystery Tour islands that are already in the game. Kapp'n will be found at the island's pier, and once properly compensated, will take the player on his motorboat to a random hidden gem island only known to him, singing sea shanties on the way. Once players have arrived on the island, he'll park his boat and wait until they're ready to return home.
Animal Crossing: Kapp'n's Hidden Gem Islands In New Horizons
When Kapp'n was revealed to be coming to New Horizons during the recent Animal Crossing Direct, the islands he takes the player to were referred to as hidden gems. In practice, Kapp'n's hidden gems work just like the current Mystery Tour islands, complete with immovable DIY workbench, but these new islands have special properties. For starters, they'll have brand new flora never before encountered in New Horizons, including vines that let the player climb to elevated places.
In the same way the Mystery Tour islands let players find fruit not native to their own island, Kapp'n's hidden gems might let players find items that are currently out of season. The 2.0 update is dropping in the middle of Fall for those in the Northern Hemisphere, but taking a boat tour with Kapp'n might bring players to an island that's in Spring, Summer, or Winter. Similarly, Kapp'n's hidden gem island might be during a different time of day, letting players that, for instance, only play during the day, have a chance at seeing shooting stars. Kapp'n being added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons is essentially another take on the Mystery Tour, but it will help bring more variety to the game after more than a year and a half.