Creating a beautiful island home requires a lot of work from Animal Crossing: New Horizons players. Every new game starts with an island map covered in trees, a few tents, and a vision of what the town of the future could be. However, players who have long graduated from that tent and gone on to build a beautiful, bustling town may feel they have reached the end of the available objectives. Restarting an Animal Crossing: New Horizons game offers little incentive for players who have beaten all the primary tasks, which is where a "New Game Plus" mode could be helpful.
Once a player has decided to restart an Animal Crossing: New Horizons save file, they will need to come to terms with losing all their progress. Players can only have one save file per Nintendo Switch, so all their achievements will be erased in order to start fresh. Players may want to ask a friend to hold onto a few of their more treasured items, like wands or special event decorations, before they restart their game.
Starting a new Animal Crossing game allows players to invite a fresh group of villagers to their new town, and pick a new base island as they start from scratch. For anyone who has already played the game through, this may seem a little repetitive. However, if Animal Crossing: New Horizons added New Game Plus modes, players could unlock new options during their first playthrough by accomplishing the game's objectives, making restarting less of a chore.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Would Benefit From NG+
Players could trigger a New Game Plus option in New Horizons by reaching certain in game milestones. While unlocking Animal Crossing's K.K. Slider could be a way for players to access NG+ options, it is actually fairly easy to get the famous dog to come play on the island. To make it challenging, Animal Crossing's New Game Plus modes could be unlocked when players purchase the final upgrade to their own home. These upgrades can take a while to accomplish, making their completion a real challenge for Animal Crossing players. New Horizons' New Game Plus could also require players to finish all the exhibits inside the museum, adding another level of difficulty to unlocking the new game options.
Once unlocked, New Game Plus options could come in many different packages. Animal Crossing players could start the game with a certain amount of Bells to help them get established with their new island. They could also be given a choice to player at a higher difficulty, with all upgrades and buildings costing more in Bells and resources for their new save file. Either mode would allow Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans a new set of goals, or rewards, for putting the time into their prior save file, making restarting a more rewarding experience.