The Animal Crossing fans who didn’t play New Horizons until update 2.0

Nintendo Direct For the First Time Animal Crossing – New HorizonsThe film premiered in 2020 and fans quickly speculated on the meaning of a single frame gravestone. Is the grave a sign of the passing away? TortimerDid you know that he was the mayor of previous towns? Or did Kapp’nIs it possible for a boater to sing charming songs to passengers and die in a marine accident? While these characters hadn’t actually died, when New HorizonsFans learned that many of their beloved characters had been expelled from the game for unknown reasons a month later.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Amelia Zollner

However New Horizons’ initial updates added mechanics like diving and art collecting, the game was notoriously lacking some of Animal Crossing’s core features — until the developers finally filled in (most of) the blanks with the 2.0 update. The Dropping Alongside Happy Home Paradise DLC, the update introduced gyroids, an expansion of the game’s previously pumpkin-exclusive farming and cooking system, and hundreds of new furniture items. This update has brought back many long-standing Animal Crossing players, who are happy to reunite with old friends. It even brought back older fans of the Animal Crossing franchise who initially hadn’t enjoyed New Horizons.

However New HorizonsWhile the initial release of the game in 2020 received overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans, long-time players felt it lacked charm and replayability. The lack of favorite characters was a major reason for this. “I think it just got a bit repetitive to me,” player Estey Boling said over email, explaining why they stopped playing after a few months. Boling had been a fan of the series since 2005’s Wild WorldI was not engaged, however. New Horizons. “I hadn’t even paid off my house in full nor did I feel super satisfied with how my island looked.”

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Amelia Zollner

The clear favorite among seasoned players has been returning to The Roost, Animal Crossing’s storied coffee shop, and rekindling lost relationships with Brewster, the pigeon who runs it. Brewster was absent in the past. New Horizons, has always held a treasured spot in fans’ hearts thanks to his gradual character development.

“I always loved Brewster’s cafe in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I like how he’s shy at first and then opens up,” longtime fan Alayna Chu said via Twitter DM. Chu was so disappointed by Brewster’s absence in New Horizons After two months of exhaustion from playing for the team, she made the decision to stop. boycottThe whole game was created in a Twitter Campaign, and then Brewster was introduced. “I basically created my entire personality into wanting Brewster added into New Horizons,” Chu said. “I am just glad he’s there. I visit him all the time!”

Alongside Brewster, other lovable characters like Kapp’n, Tortimer, and Harriet have made a triumphant return. Other characters without a part in the story? New HorizonsPlayers can also join them at the Roost for coffee by scanning their Amiibo. charming reunions.

For many, the return of beloved characters has helped break up the pace of the game’s tedious features like terraforming and online trading. “I think I really missed the sort of leisurely feeling of the game,” Boling said. “I like having things to do every day on my island that don’t totally feel like work, and I think Brewster and Kapp’n really helped re-pique my interest there.”

With the long-awaited addition of these familiar faces in the game’s final major content update, does the game now live up to expectations? Well, sort of. A few items are missing from the fans, such as minigames. Tortimer’s IslandFrom New LeafAlthough most complains are about improving quality of living, bulk craftingAnd varied villager dialogue.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Amelia Zollner

“I was so genuinely depressed when the game was first released because I had been playing the series for so many years. It was a major part of my childhood,” longtime fan Claire said. “I’m glad that Nintendo has put in all of this work and effort to at least bring us closer to a fully fleshed out game. It isn’t necessarily there yet, but I hope Nintendo will learn from this.”

Long-time fans will be happy to hear from you. New Horizons This may not be the best solution. The game’s update 2.0 brought back an older section of its faithful fanbase who were reluctant to return to the game since its original release. The stakes were high for these gamers. Many fans expected the game to live up their childhood memories, as well as older titles such as Animal Crossing And Wild World Animal Crossing. And now that it’s finally complete, New HorizonsYou might just be one of the first to raise a new generation Animal CrossingClaire and her fans love the fact that older titles have raised them.

“I remember running home every day to start up the GameCube so I could run around in a safe space, where I had friends who cared about me, and missed me if I didn’t play for a few days,” Claire said.