Nintendo's Animal Crossing: New Horizons has brought the Lunar New Year seasonal items back to the game. Launched back in March of 2020, the massively popular social simulation title has kept players coming back with seasonal events, new items, and DIY Recipes. Starting towards the end of January, Animal Crossing's February 2022 seasonal events are now underway.
While it’s unclear whether Nintendo plans to change up the game’s seasonal events for the game’s third year, there are already a lot of new things for players to experience in the game since its Happy Home Paradise DLC was released back in November 2021. The add-on is available as purchasable DLC, and comes bundled with the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription. The game’s first DLC added a number of new features and content into the game, many of which were based on the series’ 2015 spin-off Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer for the Nintendo 3DS. One example is the ability to create public facilities such as a cafe or a school, among others. These locations unlock special features so choosing the best Happy Home Paradise facilities is pretty important.
On Twitter, Animal Crossing (via DualShockers) announced the return of the Lunar New Year event with returning seasonal items now available. The seasonal items include the Lunar New Year Decoration, Bokjumeoni Lucky Pouch, and the Lucky Red Envelope. While the Lunar New Year Decoration, a diamond-shaped red and gold ornament with an upside-down Fu character to symbolize the outpouring of good luck, can be hung outside the door of any villager’s home, the two other items have a unique function. Players can put Bells into both the Bokjumeoni Lucky Pouch and the Lucky Red Envelope which can then be gifted to villagers. While doing so doesn’t unlock any other features or events, it’s one way to celebrate the Lunar New Year in-game. All three items are available for purchase until February 6, 2022 at Nook’s Cranny, which is rumored to be one of the Animal Crossing buildings getting upgraded in 2022.
Animal Crossing's Lunar New Year seasonal items aren’t the only ones that are currently up for grabs. Some of the aforementioned seasonal events for February have also already begun, including the ones celebrating the Carnival of Venice, Japanese Setsubun, Groundhog Day, the Super Bowl, and Valentine's Day. Associated items for those events can already be purchased alongside the Lunar New Year ones.
While the Lunar New Year is considered a relatively minor event in-game, many of Animal Crossing’s hundreds of thousands of players likely celebrate the annual occasion. While Nintendo has stated the November 2.0 update will be the game's last major upgrade, it's hoped new seasonal items will come when the event rolls around for its third year in early 2023.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for Nintendo Switch.
Source: Animal Crossing/Twitter (via DualShockers)