It goes without saying that theAnimal Crossingfranchise has a wide range of characters. There is the adorable dog Isabelle and her fellow canine K.K. Slider, with the former keeping players in the loop on major news while the latter provides much of the series’ music. Blathers and his sister Celeste are knowledgeable on animals and stars respectively, whileTom Nook is a kindhearted businessmandespite the memes that say otherwise. And, of course, there are the hundreds of cute little animals that can move into player islands or towns.
Despite there being so manyAnimal Crossingcharacters to keep track of, most lack complexity, serving one purpose and having little to contribute beyond that. While this has not stopped players from getting attached to the cute animals like Roald and Dom that can move nearby, or the figures like Gulliver that provide some special items to chase, it does feel like Nintendo can do a lot more withAnimal Crossing’s many cute characters. Intriguingly, the best approach may be an RPG staple: a lore codex.
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How a Lore Codex Could Add to the Animal Crossing Experience
WhileFinal Fantasy 16’s active lore systemhas revolutionized the concept, plenty of other games have featured ways for players to catch up on a universe’s many creatures, places, and items.Star Wars Jedi: Survivorfeatures one such mechanic, as does theMass Effectfranchise. Even Blizzard’s hero shooterOverwatch 2is set to get a lore codex once its PvE missions arrive, which will give more context to its many vibrant heroes.
AnAnimal Crossinglorecodex could serve the exact same purpose as all of these systems. While its world does not seem to be all that special, meaning that Nintendo can avoid providing too many descriptions about the widerAnimal Crossinguniverse, it is the cuddly characters that a codex could really shine a light on. It could take the form of a cute scrapbook handed to players by Isabelle or Tom Nook, with players steadily filling it with new notes as they begin to interact with more characters.
While completing tasks for characters like Gulliver could help fill out his page in a lore book, and talking to characters like the Able sisters could expand on their entry, the hundreds of Villagers that can move into a players town or island provide the best justification for such a system. Major NPCs likeFlick and CJcould use a bit of lore, sure, but they at least have enough backstory and distinct personalities that make them memorable. This is not the case for characters like Audie or Marshall, as regular Villagers only have a few personality types and their appearances to set them apart.
While it would require a ton of effort, Nintendo could give each and every one of these Villagers their own backstory. Some of these could be happy, and others could be sad, while a few could lean into the more unique character designs. Lucky’s origin could be a bit creepy, as could Ribbot’s, while Monique’s could borrow from her look to make her a celebrity. If a character is a reference to a real person, like Audie being a nod toAnimal CrossingGrandma, then her bio could double as a wholesome tribute.
Though players will surely have a limit as to how many Villagers they can have living with them in the nextAnimal Crossinggame, this system could makeDreamie Huntsmore interesting. Even if players do not want to recruit a Villager they find, they could still talk to them to learn about their lore. Perhaps Nintendo could even add a friends and enemies section for each Villager, telling players which characters have a history and would make a good pairing - or a bad one. With this information, gamers could create extremely happy or chaotic islands, with best friends living together in harmony or enemies clashing constantly. Ultimately, all of this extra info would lead to the Villagers feeling more like proper characters, giving players a reason to pick them beyond their appearances.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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