One of, if not the biggest, reasons why the Animal Crossing franchise is as popular as it is now is because of the variety of charming NPCs that it has produced. Also known as villagers, each has its own unique design to help them stand out from one another, along with a personality type that gives them more character. Throughout the years, they have evolved, resulting in many becoming beloved and memorable while helping the franchise grow. However, fans have noticed that the personality types of the most recent Animal Crossing feel like downgrades compared to their previous iterations, meaning there is a compelling argument for them being reworked in a future game.
March 20, 2020, saw the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the fifth major entry in the series of games. While it had many new features and quality of life improvements, it also changed the many villagers that people have come to love about the franchise. This is seen through their personality types, as they have been updated to provide a fresh experience to veterans and newcomers. The problem is that a good number of players feel that they've lost the charm they once possessed from previous games, severely lacking in areas that would have made them beloved instead of being disliked or even loathed. With this in mind, Nintendo will hopefully capitalize on the opportunity to fix the problem via the next game, giving the underwhelming personality types what they need to improve.
Most Animal Crossing Fans Have Never Met These NPCs
Animal Crossing has racked up hundreds of NPCs and Villagers across its many titles, but there are a few that players may have missed.
What Villager Personalities Should the Next Animal Crossing Work On?
If there's something that Animal Crossing should invest in, it's making sure that certain villager personality types get better treatment in the next game so that people will come to like them again. As for which ones require some proper changes, there are a few candidates:
- Jock villagers are seen as a type that could use a lot more work, as they need more to their personality beyond just bragging about anything exercise-related.
- The Lazy personality type in Animal Crossing: New Horizons often had dialogue that involved bugs, something that should be toned down and replaced with topics more related to loafing around.
- Peppy villagers have become too overly friendly to the point of being obnoxious, especially when their dialogue is pop-star-related, meaning they could use some work to be less overwhelming.
While the next Animal Crossing game could work on improving every personality type, these three in particular may need some prioritization over the rest. Hopefully, Nintendo ensures that they get special treatment so that they become more desirable for players.
How the Next Animal Crossing Can Ensure Villager Types Provide a Fresh New Experience
Although some personality types could use extra work, that does not mean the rest should be forgotten. Should one of Nintendo's best and most popular franchises ever produce a new mainline entry, it would be wise to alter villagers in such a way that each character trait has an opportunity to shine. Instead of making some exclusive for males and females, the next entry can make it so that any villager can get whatever personality type. This can allow for more variety, as could new dialogue and animations, helping make the game and its NPCs more interesting and enjoyable for new and returning players alike. Some fresh interactions between villagers of the same and different types would also be welcome.
A new Animal Crossing will likely be one of the games for the Nintendo Switch 2, and whenever it's announced, hopefully Villager improvements will be highlighted as a major focus. The franchise's NPCs are one of the main reasons people play its games, meaning the critique of villagers being boring due to their repetitive dialogue and lack of interaction with furniture must be addressed.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- March 20, 2020
- ESRB
- Everyone / Comic Mischief, Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Expansions
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Happy Home Paradise
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Simulation
