Animal Crossing Needs To Borrow A Key Feature From This Cozy Game With 89 On Metacritic

If you own a Nintendo Switch 2, or even if you don’t, you’re almost certainly like me and wondering when we’ll hear even a sliver of news about the next Animal Crossing game. As someone who has adored the series since I was very young, I’m fairly eager to hear about how Nintendo is switching up the core formula in the next entry. However, as much as I found joy in playing New Horizons, I didn’t love it as much as everyone else did.

As a result, there’s a part of me that is somewhat worried about the future of the series and the direction the upcoming Animal Crossing game may take. Part of me wishes for a return to the glory days – Wild World was my first foray into the wonderfully cozy world of Animal Crossing – while another appreciates that the series needs to remain fresh. As a result, I’m constantly wondering how Nintendo can improve Animal Crossing, and one feature from arguably one of the greatest cozy games of all time stands out as an option.

Animal Crossing Needs Stardew Valley’s Mines

It Would Give Players Something To Do

As much as I love Animal Crossing – and I really love Animal Crossing – it has begun to feel like there are far better cozy games out there. That is, in large part, thanks to the fact that the genre has evolved far beyond the limited, yet undoubtedly unique, experience Animal Crossing offers. As much as hanging out with my favorite pals is genuinely fun, the lack of meaningful interactions and dull gameplay loop eventually puts me off playing any more.

I appreciate I am somewhat in the minority here. However, I’m not sure I’m entirely alone in believing that Animal Crossing’s most frustrating features have become a tad burdensome, especially in New Horizons. Its prioritization of mechanical innovations bogged down the original intention, drowning ideas of communication, villager interactions, and merely existing beneath a cavalcade of crafting mechanics, Nook Mile chasing, and island hopping.

My dream Animal Crossing game would focus more on the experience of merely inhabiting my own town and getting to know its villagers, rather than on busying myself with menial tasks. However, I realize that’s not a realistic goal, at least for the majority of people. Fans want longevity, they want an experience that will consume them, and that will only come about with more engaging gameplay.

However, I’m completely and utterly unconvinced New Horizons’ more job-focused approach is the right solution. Instead, I believe Stardew Valley, the game that took the cozy game by storm and became the de facto inspiration for all future cozy games – surprisingly few attempt to ape Animal Crossing’s approach – has the perfect idea. What Animal Crossing needs isn’t crafting tables and island renovation, it needs mines.

Animal Crossing Needs More Areas To Explore

The Town Itself Isn’t Enough

More specifically, Animal Crossing needs to take Stardew Valley’s approach to variation, and implement a space that is a complete departure from the base experience. Nintendo attempted to coalesce the cozy life-sim experience that past Animal Crossing titles have always offered with more gameplay-focused activities, and it simply didn’t work, in my opinion at least.

The two sides were at odds with one another. You couldn’t really just vibe out, as Nintendo had stripped back the villagers so much that they felt like hollow shells regurgitating vague platitudes and catchphrases. However, the gameplay side of things was far too menial and based solely around a desire to customize your island. These clashing ideals were the biggest problem with New Horizons, and something I struggled to look beyond.

It also meant that the entire experience, save for hopping over to other islands to find resources or potentially a new villager, took place within the one setting. Animal Crossing is at its best when it works as an escape room, with new spaces opening up for you to explore as you progress. A mine, or some form of interactable setting, would serve as that second location.

Of course, some of the best Animal Crossing games have featured a second location, but it is usually just an extension of the town or a new space to put shops that were previously part of the same town. Instead, mines – or a dedicated gameplay space – like in Stardew Valley, would serve as a place to go to engage in gameplay unlike what the core experience offered, while also getting away from the hubbub of town life.

Mines Would Give Animal Crossing Fans More To Do

It Would Separate The Cozy From The Gameplay

That separation of the cozy from the gameplay is the best way for the series to evolve. Nintendo should focus on improving the town life experience, making it something that can be enjoyed on its own without the need for menial distractions. Then, it can offer a piece of side content that players can grind away at whenever they feel like a distraction,

While Animal Crossing shouldn’t feature combat, it could feature a roguelike-esque exploration element, an ever-changing maze, for example, that’s filled with secrets to discover, and maybe a lost villager or two. There could be certain milestones the player could reach, with each one rewarding them with a new piece of exclusive furniture. Nintendo could even throw in some light puzzle elements to keep things interesting, or areas that are locked off until they get help from a fellow villager.

It could also serve as a fun way of integrating co-op, as currently, while running around a town together is enjoyable, co-op can often feel too limited. Regardless, Nintendo absolutely needs to split the more gameplay-focused elements and the cozy life-sim aspects of Animal Crossing. In doing so, it can offer both sides of the coin without players feeling they need to interact with the part they enjoy the least.

The mines in Stardew Valley are mostly optional, although they tie into the overarching goal if you want them to. Animal Crossing needs something similar. A unique, gameplay-focused experience with interactable elements and rewards that can be enjoyed separately from the core experience. The next Animal Crossing cannot be like New Horizons. It must carve out its own path and offer a new type of Animal Crossing experience, especially if it wants to keep up with its cozy competitors.