YouTube channel SnazzyAI has released a trailer for a hypothetical next-gen enhancement of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The results show that Nintendo could make some exciting upgrades to Animal Crossing: New Horizons if it decides to release a next-gen console.
While the Nintendo Switch is much weaker than consoles like the PlayStation 5, Nintendo's developers have made some good-looking games within the console's limitations. Animal Crossing: New Horizons definitely falls into this category, as it has a focus on slow action, bright colors, and continual additions that make Animal Crossing: New Horizons' world evolve over time. Still, it might be exciting for some fans to imagine what the series would look like if its design was taken to the next level.
The trailer presents an upscaled version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons running at 4K resolution and 60 FPS. While the trailer shows off only some basic gameplay, it is enough to see how immersive and vibrant this version of the game could be. As the Switch could not run this, the trailer begins with a faked logo for the long-rumored Switch Pro. Most rumors peg the enhanced console as having a release some time in 2021, so it's not too hard to imagine Nintendo potentially releasing a trailer just like this in the future.
If Nintendo were actually to release a Switch Pro, there are other games that would likely require its power more urgently than Animal Crossing. For example, the recent blockbuster Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity frustrated some players due to perceived blurriness and frame rate drops. The same occurred with Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, which dropped to resolutions beneath 480p in handheld mode.
More than just looking pretty, the next-gen trailer for New Horizons opens up new possibilities for future Animal Crossing games on more powerful hardware. While some believe that Animal Crossing: New Horizons should conclude the franchise, it is exciting to imagine ways that new games could use more processing power. For example, a sequel could offer a vast open world filled with landscaping tools, more dynamic character behaviors, and 4K graphics.
For the time being, fans are still finding ways to push the current version of Animal Crossing: New Horizons to its limits. As a recent example, one Kingdom Hearts fan recreated the iconic Keyblade Graveyard location on a New Horizons island. While higher-quality graphics might make fan creations look better than ever, there is plenty for fans to occupy themselves with as the wait for the possible release of the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro continues.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is exclusively available for the Nintendo Switch.