The recent Animal Crossing: New Horizons update includes the potential for random Brewster cafe visits from Mr. Resetti. While some players are delighted to see more of the curmudgeonly mole, other longtime fans of the series are much less excited to see Mr. Resetti. Before the update in New Horizons, Mr. Resetti has operated the Rescue Service, but in previous Animal Crossing games, he ran the Reset Surveillance Center and is mainly in charge of making sure players save their game.
The reason Mr. Resetti has not been the most popular character in previous games (though he does have his fans) is mainly due to his brash tone and insistence on making sure players don't reset their games. Since it may at times be advantageous to reset the game, Mr. Resetti's scolding for not saving the game can become an annoyance. However, Mr. Resetti is a really interesting character in that respect, as he reflects the growth of the Animal Crossing series, both thematically and technologically.
Mr. Resetti's Appearance and Role
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Mr. Resetti is infamous for his tough-love approach to educating players since the first game. The highly-strung mole's lectures become more intense in the earlier games the more the player resets. In the first Animal Crossing game, he'll even pretend to reset the game himself after enough player resets and claims all the player's progress will be lost. While this is just a trick, the rumor persisted that Mr. Resetti could even delete the player's save file if they crossed him enough. Thus, he gained a legacy as even more of an annoyance for player's who chose to reset.
The mole typically appears in overalls, a miner's cap, and holding a pickaxe. In the Happy Home Designer DLC, players can build a holiday home for Mr. Resetti, whose first name is revealed to be Sonny, and his brother, Don. Canonically, Mr. Resetti was let go from his job at the Reset Surveillance Centre before taking up his new role in Rescue Services. He also appears in some New Horizons error screens, but overall his role was greatly reduced. With the update, players can have more conversations with Mr. Resetti and come to learn the mole is happy with his new job and is aiming to reign in his temper.
Animal Crossing: Mr. Resetti and Technology
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The reason for Mr. Resetti's reduced role is that the Switch has an autosaving feature, which makes his reminders redundant. While fourth wall breaking has never been uncommon in the Animal Crossing series, Mr. Resetti is one of the only characters to speak directly to the player, thanking them for buying the first Animal Crossing game. Furthermore, he is a creative solution to a practical gameplay issue, but his harsh tone made him the divisive character he is. He deals directly with the gameplay apparatus in early games, which gives him a unique role in the series.
While the Switch autosave feature did leave Mr. Resetti no reason to shout at the player, conversations with the mole in Brewster's cafe following the recent update reveal some reflections on his role in previous games. One such conversation has Mr. Resetti declaring that resets may not be all that bad, which for fans is a major growth of the character. Mr. Resetti is thus not simply abandoned from the games now that there is autosaving, but rather develops along with the game and available technology.
His direct approach to addressing the gameplay apparatus has been compared to the likes of Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid, and although he has divided fans, he is an innovative feature of the series. Hopefully, Mr. Resetti can have a new, more relaxing life in New Horizons and beyond.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for the Nintendo Switch.