Animal Crossing currently faces some steep competition in the simulation genre. The franchise may have established itself as the genre’s goliath, but big-name IPs have thrown their own hats into the ring over the last few years. Hello Kitty Island Adventure is one notable and more recent entry, but Disney Dreamlight Valley has cemented itself as a fierce competitor since its early access release in 2022. As Nintendo gears up for the release of the Switch 2, and the rumored release of a new Animal Crossing title alongside the console, Nintendo should take close note of Animal Crossing’s competitors.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is one of the most popular simulation games at the moment, and therefore, one of the main competitors Animal Crossing should investigate. There are obviously quality-of-life improvements from New Horizons that must be implemented in the next Animal Crossing title, but expanding gameplay is a necessity for the next Animal Crossing title considering the number of competitors the franchise currently has. Looking at some of Disney Dreamlight Valley’s best features would undoubtedly benefit the Animal Crossing franchise, though Nintendo should of course put its own twist on these features.
Hello Kitty Island Adventure and Disney Dreamlight Valley Make a Strong Case for More Animal Crossing Clones
Hello Kitty Island Adventure and Disney Dreamlight Valley prove that more IPs should throw their hat into the simulation genre ring.
Animal Crossing Needs Its Own Version of House Dreamstyles
Though this feature isn’t integral or game-changing, Disney Dreamlight Valley’s house Dreamstyles are a fun way for players to decorate their Village. Dreamstyles are essentially Disney Dreamlight Valley’s versions of skins, and they are available not just for homes, but for characters, tools, stalls, and also wells. Only a few house Dreamstyles are available automatically for players, which are simply color variants of the default home players begin Disney Dreamlight Valley with. However, themed house Dreamstyles are available for purchase in the Premium Shop for Moonstones.
These themed home Dreamstyles don’t just include fancier buildings such as castles, beach cottages, and log cabins, but are also based on various Villagers present in Disney Dreamlight Valley and characters from Walt Disney Animation and Pixar Studios that have yet to make it into the game. Dreamstyles may seem like fashion over function, but they also have a surprising use. Players can use various house Dreamstyles as separate buildings. Whether players choose to use these house Dreamstyles as storage or simply for decoration is entirely up to them. Nevertheless, the fact that such a fun feature can also have a functional purpose is yet another aspect of Disney Dreamlight Valley house Dreamstyles that Nintendo may want to take note of.
How Animal Crossing Could Implement House Dreamstyles
The functionality aspect of house skins for the next Animal Crossing title would be easy to implement, but the themes for these house skins are something that Nintendo could put their own spin on. Of course, theming for Animal Crossing’s version of house Dreamstyles could also go the Villager or NPC route. Whether it’s house skins themed to NPCs like Isabelle, Tom Nook, and Blathers, or dreamy Villagers like Raymond, Tangy, and Ankha, Animal Crossing could easily nail down character-themed house skins.
A few themes that these house skins could fall under are crystal clear. The most obvious example would be to introduce these new house skins in Animal Crossing’s various furniture series. But another route Nintendo could take with these skins is categorizing them by villager personality type. By assigning these house skins to either lazy, jock, cranky, smug, normal, peppy, snooty, or big sister, perhaps Villagers of those personality types would feel more inclined to visit a player’s island or village. This would therefore give the feature an Animal Crossing twist and help players recruit the Villagers they want on their island the most. Ultimately, house skins would be a fun addition to the next Animal Crossing title, though they aren’t the highest priority for the franchise.
