Countdown
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 The Countdown after midnight in the northern hemisphere inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons. | ||||||||
| Occurrence | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31st | ||||||||
| Time | 11 PM — 1 AM[nb 1] 11 PM — 2 AM[nb 2] | |||||||
| Host | Tortimer[nb 3] Isabelle[nb 4] Tom Nook[nb 5] | |||||||
| Main appearances | ||||||||
| Other appearances | ||||||||
Names in other languages カウントダウン 倒数 Compte à rebours cuenta atrás Conto alla rovescia Отсчет 카운트다운 倒數 Compte à rebours Cuenta regresiva Countdown Aftellen | ||||||||
TheCountdown, also known asNew Year's Eve, is a celebration of the new year in theAnimal Crossing series that appears in all games to date onDecember 31. It is the first part of the two-part New Year celebration, with the following day,New Year's Day, being the second part. An outdoor countdown party is held for thevillagers intown, with fireworks going off once the new year starts at midnight.
The holiday is analogous with the real world holiday of the same name. The villagers in the town will get excited about this event and how they celebrate it varies in all the differentAnimal Crossing games. Traditionally in many western countries, people sing "Auld Lang Syne," translated from Scots as "Times Gone By," which the villagers will sing inDoubutsu no Mori.
Appearances[edit]
In the first-generation games[edit]
In everyfirst-generationAnimal Crossing game at exactly 11 PM, an announcement plays from thetrain station's loudspeaker that the celebration is beginning. Once control returns to theplayer, special background music plays and the villagers begin to congregate about thelake, where a countdown board appears. As time passes, the villagers become more and more excited in theirconversations. At 11:59 PM, with only a few seconds left until the new year, the music stops and the board begins emitting beeps upon each new second. With a loud beep, the board beckons in the New Year at 12 AM. As the town clock plays thetown tune, the hour longfireworks display begins and each of the villagers begins to celebrate, whistling a tune that resembles "Auld Lang Syne." Players can see the fireworks by watching their reflections in the lake. The New Year's Eve celebration ends at exactly 1:00 AM, but the New Year celebration continues thenext day with the New Year's Day events.
Beginning inDoubutsu no Mori+,Tortimer appears near the lake and gives the player an item if spoken to before midnight. InDoubutsu no Mori+, he gives the player thetoshikoshi soba. InAnimal Crossing andDoubutsu no Mori e+, he instead gives anoisemaker.
InWild World[edit]
InAnimal Crossing: Wild World, beginning at 6 AM, the first time a player comes out of their house, Pelly announces from thetown hall's loudspeaker that the countdown has started. A large board appears in front of the town hall, counting down the hours/minutes/seconds to go until the New Year. Tortimer appears next to the countdown board, and will give outparty poppers if spoken to. Players may stock up on these items for the big event.
At exactly 11 PM, a cutscene plays, in which Pelly announces from the town hall's loudspeaker that it's time to start the celebrations. The cutscene will also play if a player begins play after 11 PM. Special music plays in the background at this time. Several animal villagers may congregate around the board at this time, but only if this is their first New Year's Eve celebration in the town. As time passes, the villagers become more and more excited in their conversations. At 11:50 PM and 11:55 PM, the music changes. Finally, at 11:59 PM, the music stops and the board begins emitting beeps upon each new second.
At 12 AM, the town clock plays the town tune and the board changes to a scrolling "NEW YEAR!" message. A 2-hour long fireworks display also begins - players can see the fireworks in the top screen of theirNintendo DS systems. Unlike the original, the villagers don't prance around and celebrate, although they will wish players a happy new year if spoken to. At this point, Tortimer stops handing out party poppers, and will begin to hand out fortunes for the new year. The fireworks end at exactly 2:00 AM, but the celebration continues the next day with the New Year's Day events.
InCity Folk[edit]
InAnimal Crossing: City Folk, beginning at 6 AM, a large board appears in front of the town hall, counting down the hours/minutes/seconds to go until the New Year. Tortimer appears next to the countdown board, and will give outparty poppers if spoken to. Players may stock up on these items for the big event.
At exactly 11 PM, Pelly announces from the town hall's loudspeaker that the final countdown has begun. The cutscene will also play if a player begins play after 11 PM. Special music plays in the background at this time. The animal villagers do not seem to congregate anywhere, although they will be excited if spoken to. As time passes, the villagers become more and more excited in their conversations. At 11:50 PM and 11:55 PM, the music changes. Finally, at 11:59 PM, the music stops and the board begins emitting beeps upon each new second.
At 12 AM, the clock plays the town tune and the board changes to a scrolling "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" message. At this point, players lose control over their character. Pelly will then wish everyone a happy new year from the loudspeaker in the town hall. A 2-hour long fireworks display also begins.
After the announcement, players can move their characters again. The animal villagers will occasionally look up and applaud the fireworks, and will also wish the player a happy New Year if spoken to. At this point, Tortimer stops handing out party poppers. The fireworks end at exactly 2 AM, but the celebration continues the next day with the New Year's Day events.
InNew Leaf[edit]
InAnimal Crossing: New Leaf, at the beginning of the day, there will be a board for the countdown for the New Year. At 11:00 PM, villagers andIsabelle will get more excited about it. It will also be announced on the loudspeaker as the player walks out of their house. Redd, who will be by theTown Tree, will give players either ablue New Year's hat,green New Year's hat,red New Year's hat, ory. New Year's hat. Additionally,party poppers are sold atTimmy and Tommy's store from December 1 to 31. The balloons displayed on the countdown sign will display an image of an animal that relates to the current Chinese year.
The town hour theme will change at 11:00 PM, which begins to sound eager and changes as the New Year gets closer. At the last minute, the Countdown clock will beep for every second left. When the New Year comes, the town tune will play and a giant party popper will burst from the Countdown clock. The Countdown clock will give a scrolling message wishing a happy new year. The fireworks will display the (new) year at first, and a fireworks show similar toCity Folk follows.
The fireworks end at 2 AM, at which point the hour theme changes to a calmer version of the earlier New Year's theme. Villagers will still be out and about to wish the player a happy New Year, and Redd will still be selling his wares.
Isabelle stands by the town tree and will give the player an item that differs based on the region of the town and the language the game is currently being played in:
- North America
- English/French —sparkling cider
- Spanish —twelve-grape plate
- Europe
- English/Italian —tweeter
- French —sparkling cider
- German —berliner
- Spanish —twelve-grape plate
- Japan —New Year's noodles
- South Korea —bell knickknack
If the Countdown falls on any day of the week other than Saturday,DJ KK can be heard atClub LOL playing a club remix of theNew Leaf main theme.
InNew Horizons[edit]
InAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, there is an island broadcast on December 31 announcing that it is the last day of the year. A countdown clock, lights, and balloons will appear on the Resident Services plaza. Isabelle will hand outlight sticks, andTom Nook will offer fiveparty poppers for free and will sell either theNew Year's hat or theNew Year's silk hat. Each hat variation cycles through every four years, though others can be obtained on other islands. Throughout the day, Resident Services is closed, andgroup stretching will not be available.
At 11 PM, special hourly music will play, and villagers will get ready for the Countdown. At 11:30 PM, the music changes again, and villagers will head to the Resident Services plaza. During this time, if the player talks to a villager while wearing a New Year's Hat or Silk Hat after talking to them for the first time, the villager will notice they are not wearing a New Year's hat, and will put on a New Year's hat of their choosing. At 11:55 PM, every villager will pull out a light stick. When the clock has only 1 minute left, it will beep for every second until it reaches zero; the music during this time will fade when this occurs. At 30 seconds remaining, a new tone is added to the beep. During the last ten seconds, the beeps get very loud and another low tone is added to the beeps. The villagers present will wave light sticks in rhythm with the countdown while counting down inAnimalese. When the clock reaches zero, a cutscene occurs where the town tune will play and fireworks will display the new year. Villagers and players alike will wave their light sticks around when the fireworks are launched. The player can also see the start of the fireworks while onKapp'n'sboat tour.[1]
After the cutscene, a fireworks show begins, and villagers (holding their light sticks) will be dancing along to the town tune, occasionally waving their light stick or using a party popper. The fireworks show continues until 2 AM, when it will stop and the music switches to a calmer version of the earlier New Year's music. All villagers will stop dancing and will leave the plaza. Isabelle and Tom Nook will still hand out light sticks and sell party poppers and hats, respectively.
In addition to the event itself, severalseasonal items are sold viaNook Shopping from December 22 to December 31[nb 6] to celebrate New Year's Eve in various regions. The items include theNew Year's noodles,berliner,twelve-grape dish, and since1.6.0, theOlivier salad andsparkling cider. If it is the player's first time celebrating New Year's in the game, they will complete theNook Miles achievement Countdown Celebration and earn 1,000 miles when the countdown reaches zero.
Gallery[edit]
Artwork[edit]
Screenshots[edit]
Pelly announcing the upcoming countdown inAnimal Crossing.
Fireworks in the sky inAnimal Crossing, as seen in a pond's reflection.
The board inAnimal Crossing, displaying that it is approximately seventeen minutes, nineteen seconds to midnight.
The Countdown for the new year inAnimal Crossing: City Folk.
New Year's Eve inCity Folk.
Fireworks during the Countdown inCity Folk.
An aurora on New Year's Eve inCity Folk.
An example of what villagers would say during the New Year's Eve.
The Countdown clock inAnimal Crossing: New Leaf.
Redd giving out items (party popper or hats) by theTown Tree inNew Leaf.
The arrival of the new year inNew Leaf. Note the 2019 in the background.
A bulletin board announcement inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
Isabelle's announcement inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
Isabelle giving the player a Light Stick inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
Isabelle telling the player that Resident Services is closed inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
Tom Nook giving the player party poppers inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
Fireworks spelling out the year at midnight inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
A message displayed at midnight inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
The last ten seconds of the Countdown and the subsequent fireworks inAnimal Crossing: New Horizons.
Names in other languages[edit]
 | カウントダウン Kauntodaun | Countdown |
 | 카운트다운 kaunteudaun | Countdown |
 | 倒数 Dàoshǔ | Countdown |
 | 倒數 Unknown | Countdown |
 | Отсчет Otschyot | Countdown |
 | Aftellen | Countdown |
 | Countdown | - |
 | Cuenta atrás | Countdown |
 | Cuenta regresiva | Countdown |
 | Compte à rebours | Countdown |
 | Conto alla rovescia | Countdown |
Notes[edit]
- ↑FromDoubutsu no Mori toNew Leaf
- ↑InNew Horizons only
- ↑InAnimal Crossing,Wild World andCity Folk
- ↑InNew Leaf andNew Horizons
- ↑InNew Horizons only
- ↑Prior toversion 2.0, these items were available from December 26 to December 31.
References[edit]
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