Many Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans have been waiting for more of the series' fan favorite characters to be added to the game. While not much news was shown in the recent Nintendo Direct, fans did get official confirmation about Brewster's return to the series.
A good number of Animal Crossing: New Horizons players were already aware of Brewster and his cafe coming to the game via dataminers finding references to the pigeon in the game's code. While the cafe unfortunately won't be it's own building like usual, players will be able to access it through the second floor of their island's museum.
Newer players may be unfamiliar with Brewster and why he is so beloved by the Animal Crossing community. Because of this, it's important to look back on the history behind this bird and his various roles throughout the series.
Who is Brewster?
First appearing in Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS, Brewster is a pigeon that owns a cafe known as The Roost. He sells cups of coffee to players visiting during open hours, with players able to unlock a few special benefits depending on the game if they keep visiting.
Talking with Brewster reveals him to be very straightforward and honest, with him being offended if players wait too long letting their coffee cool. Drinking his coffee as soon as possible in regards to getting the bird to warm up to players and speak more comfortably. Brewster additionally offers hot chocolate instead of coffee on special occassions for players to enjoy.
What makes Brewster special is that he is one of the few non-villager animals in the Animal Crossing series to be able to be befriended over time. The only other character like this is Sable, another animal that has trouble relaxing until being bonded with. Brewster is additionally established to be a close friend of Blathers, often connecting the Roost to the Museum.
The Roost
With Brewster's cafe being one of the facilities players can have access to in the Animal Crossing series, there have been a variety of different purposes the Roost has served over time. It has made use as a place for players to store extra gyroids, buy coffee, and even work part time.
Unlike most shops and buildings, there isn't much for players to get at the Roost other than coffee and the occassional holiday drink. In New Leaf, however, the aforementioned part-time job players can undertake at the Roost isn't there for just extra bells. It actually allows players to get to know just a little more about the villagers in their town.
Villagers visiting the Roost while players are working all have their own coffee preferences. Each and every villager has their own unique way they want the sugar, milk, and type of beans, adding just a little more personality to these animals. Even special characters such as Nook, Isabelle, and Kapp'n have their own preferences. Getting the right coffees for the customers coming in allows players to earn bells and parts of the Cafe furniture set.
Brewster and Blathers
There aren't too many characters that Brewster is seen with, but the animal that seems to know him the best is Blathers. The two have been connected for a long time, with the Roost originally being a part of the Museum. Even when the Roost got the chance to be in it's own building in New Leaf, Blathers is the villager to request for it's construction, as he is close with Brewster.
While Brewster isn't one to talk much, Blathers is quite the opposite. According to the owl, Brewster is more "innocent" than the average person/animal. He can recall a time where Crazy Redd tried to sell the pigeon fake art directly to him at the cafe. Brewster took Crazy Redd for his word until Blathers burst in to stop his friend from being scammed. In fact, most of what's known about Brewster is gained from talking to Blathers in Wild World after the Roost has opened.
A funny part of Blathers' and Brewster's relationship is how Blathers visits Brewster so often and drinks coffee that it affecting how he sleeps. He can remark about how he gets bouts of insomnia, but will still crave a cup from his dear friend. Disturbingly though, Blathers also remarks how Brewster's coffee uses pigeon milk as ingrediant, implying that Brewster is adding his own "special touch" to every cup. None of the other animals seem to mind, but most players may raise an eyebrow after finding this out.
The two birds originally met in the city where Brewster owned and operated a different cafe. At the time, Blathers was still a university student working on his thesis. While he was struggling with finishing his work, Brewster walked up to Blathers and told him "There's nothing more bitter or tragic than a rushed cup of coffee". This helped Blathers get a proper grip on how he wanted to tackle his biggest project yet, causing a friendship to bloom between to two.
In regards to what happened to Brewster's original cafe, Blathers explains that he was always struggling keeping everything afloat in the big city. He lived a pretty rough life with his refusal to create something other than a traditional coffee shop without and gimmicks. Before being invited to open up a new cafe in the museum, Brewster even started considering giving up his passions for coffee making. As soon as Blathers discovered this however, he reached out to his dear friend with space for a new cafe in exchange for the pigeon moving from the big city and starting a new life.
With the roost returning as part of the museum in Animal Crossing New Horizons, it is very possible more of the relationship between these two birds will be seen. If it is combined with cafe features introduced in New Leaf, there could additionally be more characters that can have a connection to Brewster. Many would agree that seeing more of Brewster and Blathers interact with each other would bring a lot more to these special villagers.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is out now for Nintendo Switch.