The October Animal Crossing: New Horizons-focused Nintendo Direct has announced a host of new gameplay features, additions, and changes, and is set to welcome NPCs including Kapp'n, Tortimer, and Brewster to ACNH for the first time. The update is scheduled for November 5, and should give fans more reasons than ever to jump back into the game.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' next update is the release's most substantial yet. As well as general game improvements such as storage expansions, new Nook Phone capabilities, and an improved photo mode, players will also see the return of fan-favorites special characters. Brewster will be setting up his coffee cafe, The Roost, in the island museum, while Harv's Island will also be expanded to include a plaza filled with shops, built with Bell donations from the player. Fans will also be able to take part in farming and cooking, with new crops and food recipes coming to ACNH.
The latest Nintendo Direct has revealed that Kapp'n, his boat tours, and his singing will all be coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Players will be able to exchange Nook Miles for a trip on Kapp'n's boat, enjoying his sea shanties while being taken to mysterious islands. Islands can be home to "mysterious flora," can have other seasons, or can be set at a different time of day. Fortune teller Katrina will also be setting up shop in the new plaza, and will be able to read players' fortunes. Tortimer was also shown in the Direct, though he doesn't seem to have a set role in the game. Another returning character is Harriet the poodle, who will be able to style players' hair with new looks not available through the mirror. As well as new NPCs, players will be able to utilize existing Animal Crossing characters in new ways. Reese and Cyrus, who will appear in the plaza, can customize items that the player can't, while Kicks will also be available via the plaza.
Watch the Nintendo Direct on YouTube here.
Perhaps one of the most exciting new gameplay features coming with the new Animal Crossing NPCs is Kapp'n's mystery island tours. While many ACNH players are happy to time-skip in order to catch out-of-season bugs and fish, there are still lots of fans who consider time-traveling as cheating. The new Kapp'n boat tours will give players a chance to visit islands with a different timezone, helping to fill out fish collections, and even giving the chance to collect additional star fragments. Players will also be able to visit out-of-season mystery islands, which will ensure those who've missed seasonal bugs and fish are able to complete their collection without waiting months for the correct season to roll around.
The upcoming Animal Crossing update may be a big one, but it's also the last substantial update the game will see. According to Nintendo, no more large content updates are planned for the future, though this presumably means that small drops, such as new seasonal items, are still in the pipeline. While players shouldn't expect huge expansions in the future, there's still a chance that other missing Animal Crossing features could return with smaller, more focused updates.
Source: YouTube/Nintendo