Nintendo invites us to remember experiences and key moments that we treasure from the Animal Crossing saga, on the occasion of the arrival of New Horizons on Switch.
Animal Crossing is a much loved franchise by a large base of players from all corners of the world. Since Dōbutsu no Mori was published for Nintendo 64 exclusively in Japan on April 14, 2002 (in the United States and Europe we received an improved version, for Game Cube) there have been various deliveries that we have been able to enjoy on our Nintendo consoles (DS with Wild World, Wii with Let's Go to the City, Wii U with Amiibo Festival and 3DS with New Leaf, among others) and mobile smartphones (Pocket Camp).
On March 20 of this 2020 a new title will come to the main saga exclusively for Nintendo Switch, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and for this reason we have gathered to remember why we like Animal Crossing so much through personal anecdotes, memories and, in short, everything that comes to mind and draws a smile on our face when thinking about the saga that concerns us.
This publirreportaje is sponsored by Nintendo, but the gamers experiences narrated below have been written with full freedom, self-vision and memories of the Animal Crossing saga.
A place to dream, learn and have fun (Paula Croft)
My first contact with the Animal Crossing universe was with Wild World, for Nintendo DS. I had just turned 9 and the truth is that I do not remember exactly how it came to my hands: if I asked my parents after calling my attention to see it announced in a magazine or if they surprised me by giving it to me on a designated occasion. Be that as it may, it is one of my favorite video games of all time and in which I spent more hours immersed in my childhood. In addition, my little brother also had the game, so we used to play together and visit the towns of both of them in order to obtain new fruits, exchange objects and clothes and, ultimately, have fun thanks to the cooperative mode of the title.
I named my first town Honny (to sound similar to Honey, honey) and the name has remained intact in the rest of the installments of the saga that I have played to date, which have not been few. Because many years have passed since I was captivated by the Animal Crossing universe, there have been dozens of anecdotes and personal curiosities that have accumulated in my memory. I remember how Lili, the endearing frog that dominated the art of cooking, taught me that to find out when the pasta is ready we must throw a spaghetti on the wall. If it sticks it is that we can already serve the dish and enjoy it, while if it bounces it means that it still has cooking time.
I also remember how sad I felt when one morning I entered the game and received a letter from Lili explaining that I had decided to leave Honny. Like her, there were others who were very fond of neighbors and did not want them to leave. I wanted them to be proud of the town they lived in and to be able to talk to them every day, visit them, give them gifts and give them favors. And all this, added to a large number of stories that we create when playing in the company of friends and family, are the magic of Animal Crossing. From March 20 we can write new stories and get drunk by the enormous charm that the island on which we will live in New Horizons gives off.
An experience that connects in a very special way (Eli López)
After almost two decades and taking into account the great success that has been achieved throughout them, it is not surprising that the Animal Crossing saga has several installments and related games launched to date, but if I had to stay with just one, I would not doubt a second in that that would be New Leaf, for Nintendo 3DS. The truth is that I have played many video games with my brother, but I think that no other has allowed us to connect as much as this one did.
I remember that we made trips from one town to another to help us and lend us all kinds of objects, which took us quite a while … But the funny thing about this is that, when he was not to play with me, he still wanted to continue doing things even if she were alone, because part of the magic of Animal Crossing lies in her ability to make us connect, not only with real life, but also with virtual life.
From the first moment I arrived in my town, named Sapphire in honor of Pokémon, I felt a special connection that, as time went by, only grew and grew. The culprits were none other than the neighbors who lived in it. As if they were really animals, I got to have a great affection for them. We stayed at my house, I bought them medicine when they were sick, we wrote each other letters, they wrote errands … All that and a host of other things made me very aware of them for a long period of time, so as to avoid disregarding them and They were from town. It still saddens me the time my dear Luna dog left … After all, she and the rest of the neighbors were like a second family to me. So now, having a slight idea of all the possibilities that our new life will offer us on the island of New Horizons, it is logical that she is so excited, to the point that I only count the days left for him launching.
The good mood pill (Virginia Mejías "Arashi")
When I am asked why I love Animal Crossing, it is always hard for me to find a suitable answer. For me Animal Crossing is a world of experiences that are woven in the daily life of a small village of animals. In that place, every moment is surprising and unexpected, and even the most trivial becomes a fun task. Well, almost everything except … pay the mortgage to Tom Nook! Luckily it offers comfortable deadlines for us to relax and thus enjoy all the activities and events that occur in our new home. For example, during the week I liked to spend a little while fishing with rhymes (Alucina Lubina!), Get angry with fossils and also a pinch of bug hunting. Then, he obtained a generous ration of wisdom from Socrates by donating the copies to the museum. But when the weekend came, the good began … Totakeke in concert! Pure talent and charisma, and accepted my requests. The bad thing about staying late was that on Sunday the alarm clock rang hopelessly in the morning, since it was the day to buy turnips from Juana, or in other words: the most effective way to pay a mortgage. I remember that the friends who stayed to sleep in my house woke up startled by the deafening sound of the alarm clock. The best without a doubt were their faces knowing the reason.
However, my love for Animal Crossing would not be possible without those nice neighbors that make your day. Every day they wait for something new to tell you, or share their wishes for us to make them come true. Although if I had to stay with one that would be 'Déivid', an elephant that I met in Wild World and that ended his sentences with "mutant!". In each game session I was looking forward to discovering a new story. With the passage of time, we became super colleagues and, as a sign of their friendship, gave me a portrait with an inscription that said "the world is ours!". Years later, when New Leaf came into my hands, destiny wanted us to meet again … Déivid appeared in my town! My smile didn't fit on my face. The world is still ours, old friend. Even today he stays there with a shirt that I designed especially for him.
Animal Crossing feels like a second life in a distant place where there is no room for sadness. There the problems of the real world fade away to give way to the magic that each of its corners gives off. Joy, yes, maybe that's the right word to define what Animal Crossing conveys. Looking forward to starting a new life in New Horizons!
- You can book your Animal Crossing New Horizons here
