While Animal Crossing: New Horizons has introduced many new features to the series, some charming aspects of the Animal Crossing series have failed to reappear. One of the features left behind is Animal Crossing: New Leaf's mini-games. Simple games such as Puzzle League and Desert Island Escape were hidden rewards for players able to acquire Nintendo-themed items in their games. These items could only be obtained by purchasing Tom Nook's daily Fortune Cookies, which also appear in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has not introduced Fortune Cookies into the game yet, and instead has developed other methods of limiting the number of items players can obtain in-game each day. The Nook Stop kiosk in Town Hall only allows for a certain number of orders each day, and usually offers items more exclusive than those sold in Nook's Cranny. Often, these items are specialized (such as the Super Mario-themed items and the event items), allowing Nintendo to place focus on items in the loot pool.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the game has succeeded in implementing systems, activities, and events to keep players around for longer than its predecessors, but the variety of activities leaves much to be desired. Fishing and Bug-Catching Tournaments can be entertaining the first few times, but they are dependent on RNG and don't offer rewards more valuable than other activities. The Museum Stamp Event and Holiday Events offer an incentive to return throughout the year, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons relies on much of the same formula as its predecessors. Adding mini-games back into the rotation of activities could add another feature for ACNH to extend its longevity and playtime.
Some ACNH Items Already Exist That Could Implement Mini-Games
Seeing as Animal Crossing: New Horizons has already improved on many features from previous installments of the series, it's reasonable that Nintendo will be able to improve on Animal Crossing: New Leaf's mini-games as well. ACNH already has a rather extensive list of items with implicit mini-games, such as the pool table or the arcade game consoles available for purchase. Games like Tic-Tac-Toe and Connect Four could also contribute to possible mini-games available to players. With the frequent emphasis on visiting other players' islands in ACNH, there is also the opportunity for leaderboards. Instead of visiting a friend's island and running around aimlessly for a while, tournaments for the highest score could be held.
In addition to building off of items already present in ACNH, other Nintendo games could also make appearances in the form of new items or events. Mini-games referencing new releases could function within the game to advertise for fellow Nintendo franchises, like Pokémon or Legend of Zelda. With the Nintendo Switch consistently acquiring more titles on its Nintendo Online Store, the possibilities for crossovers seem endless. ACNH players already engage in crossovers with fandoms using fan-made island setups, and being encouraged to make use of these items officially could open more opportunities for players to diversify their islands. By utilizing mini-games with other Nintendo series, the potential for Animal Crossing fans to invest in other Nintendo products could increase.
While Animal Crossing: New Horizons has plenty of new features, there are many features from older games that could add to its longevity. Implementing Animal Crossing: New Leaf's mini-games could entice players to hunt for certain items or increase the value of items that have been in the game since release. Encouraging players to find items with mini-games and play those mini-games on their islands could connect the Nintendo fandoms more, and add another activity for players to enjoy in the game.