Towards the end of September, Nintendo held a Direct presentation that offered updates on upcoming and new games for the Nintendo Switch. While Animal Crossing: New Horizons wasn't featured in September 2021's Nintendo Direct, the company held a special presentation several days ago focusing only on Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
It's now clear why Nintendo decided to host a separate Direct for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, given that the game is about to receive a significant update in the form of the Happy Home Paradise DLC. So now, for players who missed out on this big announcement, here's everything coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and details on the Happy Home Paradise DLC.
The Animal Crossing: New Horizons DLC in a Nutshell
As announced by Nintendo, the Happy Home Paradise DLC will allow players to work on a resort that offers vacation homes to characters in Animal Crossing. In a way, the DLC will work similarly to the spin-off game, Happy Home Designer, where villagers will make specific requests to design their dream vacation home, tasking players to make the overall creative decisions.
The Happy Home Paradise DLC will open up new areas for players to create vacation homes, ranging from sunny beaches to snowy forests. Players can even change the season on a particular plot, depending on the villager's request and the overall aesthetic the player wants to achieve. In the beginning, players will only have a limited number of design options to choose from, but more will eventually open up.
All The New Content Coming To Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Among the many changes coming to Animal Crossing: New Horizons with the Happy Home Paradise DLC launch are new characters. This includes Wardell the Manatee and Niko the Monkey, who will be running the shop inside the Happy Home Paradise HQ. Additionally, the returning character Kapp'n will be leading boat tours to unique islands and Lottie the Otter, who appeared in the Happy Home Designer, will help in the Happy Home office.
Given that a massive part of the DLC will center around designing homes, new items and materials will be available with the update. This includes new partition walls, counters, and pillars, alongside manipulating light levels, adding soundscapes to every room, and polishing furniture. Additionally, players will be able to change the exterior layout of homes as well as the size of their client's houses inside. The best part with all the new home design content coming to New Horizons is that once players have remodeled enough homes, they'll be able to take all the new furniture and design techniques back to their islands and use it on their homes, and some island residents may even want to build their own vacation homes after gifting them souvenirs.
Apart from homes, Animal Crossing: New Horizons players can also design facilities such as restaurants, theaters, schools, and much more. These new facilities will then be brought to life as villagers come in and do various jobs, depending on the items players have placed inside. Additionally, players can now change the weather, season, and time of day, allowing them to showcase their new designs in Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter. Lastly, players can now change the size of their client's houses to suit their designs.
How Much is Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Happy Home Paradise DLC?
While Nintendo is releasing a massive update for free that includes Brewster's cafe, alongside many quality-of-life changes, the Happy Home Paradise DLC is a paid expansion. Players can purchase the Happy Home Paradise DLC by itself for $24.99. Another way to access it is by subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. For a yearly fee of $49.99, players will get access to Nintendo Switch Online plus select Nintendo 64 and SEGA Genesis Games alongside the Happy Home Paradise DLC at no additional cost. The 2.0 free update and the Happy Home Paradise paid DLC will be rolled out on November 5, 2021.
However, it is essential to remember that players must maintain their subscription to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack to retain their access to Happy Home Paradise. Once a subscription isn't renewed, players won't be able to visit the archipelago anymore. However, all furniture, partition walls, soundscapes, and counters will remain in the game even if players cancel their subscription later. Lastly, if players re-subscribe to the service, the game will grant them access to the archipelago again.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for Nintendo Switch.