The next series entry afterAnimal Crossing: New Horizons is in a risky position. Although it's not necessarily considered the best entry in the series,New Horizonsdelivered many ofthe improvements fans wanted in a next-genAnimal Crossing game. Now with the ability to alter their islands' terrain, craft a wide variety of tools, and build, design, and customize like never before,New Horizons players have really taken to the latest entry in the series, giving it a diverse and talented fan community that's constantly sharing itsopinions, creations, and tips.
That puts the next game in the series in a difficult position. While it'll certainly have the benefit of the Switch 2's beefier hardware on its side,it'll also have aNew Horizons-sized pair of shoes to fill. That could cause it to repeat one of the most easily forgotten parts of the series' history, and while it'll probably never be an abject flop, it may not live up to its full potential.
Animal Crossing Is Heading For Another City Folk
A Tough Act To Follow
New Horizons' successor has all the makings ofa secondCity Folk. First released in 2008, it was a Wii exclusive - just like the nextAnimal Crossing will probably be a Switch 2 exclusive. It followed directly in the footsteps of two of the series' most popular mainline entries, just as the nextAnimal Crossing will followNew LeafandNew Horizons (spinoffs likePocket Camp andAmiibo Festival excluded).
Why A New Animal Crossing Game Announcement Is Looking More & More Likely, Despite Total Silence From Nintendo
Fans of Animal Crossing are awaiting the next installment. New Horizons had an eight-year gap from New Leaf, but the next game might come out sooner.
Butall of those predecessors had unique advantages. The firstAnimal Crossing was, well, the firstAnimal Crossing, and introduced a new, innovative series to the West.Wild World had the benefit of portability; being a DS game, you could take your village with you anywhere you went. That would've been enough, but it also significantly developed the gameplay of the first entry, adding several new customization features and online play.
New LeafandNew Horizons continued to innovate, leaving little room for the nextAnimal Crossing to breathe. Just by nature of being a new game in the series, I know it'll garner thousands of new players, and be popular in its own right. But I worry that, likeCity Folk,it won't have the staying power of earlier entries.
Animal Crossing: City Folk Is Good, But It Didn’t Stick
The Next Animal Crossing Could Repeat This Trend
People still playNew Leaf,Wild World, and the originalAnimal Crossing today - fewer playCity Folk. The problem is thatits gameplay didn't innovate enough on its predecessors to make it feel distinct.City Folkbarely builds on the mechanics established byWild World; its big gimmick is motion controls, but that's not enough to carry a game on its own.
Animal Crossing’s Next Game Can’t Repeat A Day-One New Horizons Problem
The first time a player turns on a new game can make or break their experience, even with a cozy, laid-back game like Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
There's nothing really wrong withCity Folk. It's a perfectly passableAnimal Crossing game, especially if you likedWild World and want to play something similar on the bigger screen. But it's barely distinct from its immediate predecessor, which is why it hasn't been able to maintain a player base today, even when some earlier entries still have their devotees.
The Switch 2's specs are a lot flashier, and will certainly make the next game in the series look better. But the nextAnimal Crossing needs to build meaningfully on the conventions established byNew Horizons, and I'm not sure that it has enough room to grow. It's difficult to imagine ways for the series to expand from here, which means the nextAnimal Crossinggame could wind up being a forgettable rehash a laCity Folk.
