As the latest entry in the series, Animal Crossing: New Horizons has added several new gameplay features to the franchise. One of the more exciting additions came in the form of farming, which was introduced during the game's fall update and allowed players to grow their own pumpkins to use in DIY recipes. Since then, however, the feature has received little focus within the game, which feels like a wasted opportunity.
A large part of the excitement surrounding Animal Crossing's farming mechanic came from the fact that Stardew Valley and similar farming sims have gained so much popularity in recent years. New Horizons and Stardew Valley are both often considered relaxing, violence-free games with similar goals - befriending villagers and living with the land are two major points of focus across both titles. Similar anticipation was seen when the Sims 4 announced their latest farming-themed expansion pack, Cottage Living, earlier this summer.
The new gameplay was also welcome due to the fact that New Horizons has been frequently criticized for its lack of engaging features in the past. Some longtime Animal Crossing fans consider it empty in terms of furniture, special characters, and familiar locations. Although the game has had several large updates to improve this, the majority of New Horizons' events come in the form of annual repeating holidays that often don't offer substantial new content to players. Farming was one major addition that broke the mold, and in the eyes of many it's been disappointing to see it go underutilized since then.
How New Horizons Could Get More Use Out Of Farming
Some have proposed that farming could get more focus in the form of an Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC pack, which could add additional crops and tools to the game in order to allow players to make the most of their garden spaces. Different crops could allow for a wider variety of recipes, and they could also be a new method of earning a profit. Cooking could even be introduced to the game, and players could use their crops to cook recipes or villagers. This would potentially also allow room for the addition of something similar to a cooking book for players to fill up, which would in turn provide more content for those players who aim to fully complete every checklist in the game.
In an Animal Crossing leak that was discovered earlier this year, it appeared that New Horizons' islands would be upgraded with additional space on the southern shore. If this leak is true and island expansions are inevitable, then it's possible that more room could be provided for farms, which would then pave the way for the farming mechanic to take center stage. Given the game's lack of focus during this year's E3 Expo, however, players are still waiting for updates on the state of the game and any upcoming changes.
Although it's been communicated that new content will be coming to New Horizons in the near future, it's currently unclear exactly when or what that could be. As it is, many fans hold out hope that it could mean a renewed focus on Animal Crossing: New Horizons' farming system.