Nintendo's chill life-simulation game Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Supergiant Games' intense Greek mythos-inspired roguelike Hades may seem like strange bedfellows, but both have been in the news following their "Game of the Year" nominations for The Game Awards 2020. However, there are more similarities between the two disparate titles under the surface, as suggested by a piece of fan art uploaded to Twitter last week.
Artist denebolart, who goes by Mei on the social media platform, posted an image of Hades protagonist Zagreus rendered in the style of Animal Crossing's toy-like chibi characters on November 19. The point of convergence is fishing, which is a cornerstone activity in Animal Crossing as well as a minigame that provides rewards in Hades. The artwork shows Zagreus catching a bass in a snowy-banked river and comments that maybe he should "let Orpheus know about this."
Animal Crossing: New Horizons exploded in popularity following its March release, which coincided with the first major spread of the coronavirus pandemic worldwide, leading to all manner of fan art and other custom creations based on the Switch-exclusive title. One prominent crossover came through another 2020 Game of the Year nominee, as Animal Crossing and Doom: Eternal art was common due to both titles releasing on the same day.
As impressive as Mei's Animal Crossing-styled Zagreus is, down to details like his unique heterochromia, it appears to be somewhat out of the norm for the artist. Much of her work posted to Twitter and Tumblr is based on characters from fellow Nintendo Switch best-seller Pokemon Sword and Shield, and a good amount of it is not safe for work. Though, she is accepting commissions as of this writing.
It is currently unclear which game will come out on top at this year's Game Awards, but just about everything on the list seems to have potential. Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Hades are fan-favorites, as evidenced by things like Mei's art, but other AAA blockbusters such as Sucker Punch's Ghost of Tsushima, Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and Naughty Dog's The Last of Us 2 also have fans in their corners.
Regardless of which title ultimately wins Game of the Year, Animal Crossing in particular will likely continue to resonate with gamers around the world. New Horizons recently announced its Winter-themed expansion, and should receive content well into the new year.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch.
Hades is available now on PC and Switch.