Animal Crossing: New Horizons has provided a paradise for players to develop and manage for almost two years now. With the multiple updates to the game, fans have been treated to classic events like Halloween and Bunny Day alongside new features like landscaping. But one thing players have been waiting to see added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons is mini-games similar to the Island Tours available in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
The most recent Animal Crossing Direct seemed like a promising time to announce such a large addition and some fans were hoping to see multiplayer mini-games added back into the series. However, there were many gameplay features announced that were reminiscent of the 3DS release New Leaf. Even with such a major content update like the upcoming November 5 one as well as a paid expansion, there was no news on the addition of more in-depth multiplayer options in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Mini-Games in Animal Crossing
In the shadow of everything announced for the free update, it can be easy to understand why at this time mini-games haven’t been added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, but it still leaves something major out that players have wanted for quite a long time. Pretty much since its launch in March of 2020 the lack of mini-games in Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been a topic of discussion. In a game that has provided so many quality-of-life changes like the addition of new a tool, it’s somewhat odd to see this aspect of the player experience go unaddressed for so long.
As some fans have wondered if the game would be getting content additions at all the news that Brewster and his cafe would return reassured fans that Animal Crossing: New Horizons is still being supported. But even with that support major features like mini-games continue to be absent. This isn’t to say that the recent Animal Crossing Direct didn’t have incredible news, but rather it’s disheartening to see something that many players see as a simple and necessary addition being ignored.
In contrast, the overall single-player experience of Animal Crossing: New Horizons looks like it will be a blast for the foreseeable future. The announcements made during the Direct gave fans a view of some other long-asked-for features. Many of these are large quality-of-life changes for dedicated players that reinforce the idea of being able to design one’s island in just the way they want while others were major like the Happy Home Paradise expansion.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons' 2.0 Update
New changes to Harv’s island will turn it into an extension of the player experience that does more than just serve as a photo destination. With classic characters returning as well as other vendors getting permanent residence on the island fans should find a lot more flexibility when it comes to collecting rare items. For a game constricted by the time of day, this is major and helps to make a lot of features in Animal Crossing: New Horizons accessible to more players.
Coupled with the return of Kapp’n and his ferry service to unique and mysterious islands, players will now have a lot of control over what items they’re hunting for. All of this is supported by new storage expansions from Tom Nook as well. Introducing so much is welcomed but the addition of items and particular solo activities also keeps the question of “Why no multiplayer mini-games?” prevalent.
The new DIY food recipes seem like it would have been a perfect way to incorporate something like this. Other Nintendo titles like Pokemon Sword and Shield have featured cooking mini-games that, while not full of depth, did provide an extra activity for players to enjoy. A similar mechanic could have been used in the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons update to allow players to compete in a cook-off together.
Despite this opportunity and the want for mini-games, it doesn’t seem like they will be added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons anytime soon. The next update has been confirmed as the final major free update, and while multiplayer mini-games could make an appearance in future Animal Crossing updates or a paid expansion or DLC, it doesn’t seem likely. It’s still disheartening to consider, given how much fans have hoped for them but there is also a lot to look forward to.
The Happy Home Paradise expansion itself can be gotten with a major Nintendo Online pack and the 'Froggy Chair' is finally getting its place in the game on November 5th. Coupled with the returning NPCs, new Villagers, and the solo content being added to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and fans should be able to stay occupied for quite a while. Hopefully, this will be expanded on in the future so friends can enjoy each other's islands more but for the time being the Kapp'n soothing tones will have to suffice.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for Nintendo Switch.