Revamping Animal Crossing: NPCs in Desperate Need of an Update

Highlights

Animal Crossing: New Horizons missed an opportunity to give sidelined classic NPCs more prominent roles, and the next game should update their inclusion.

Reese, Digby, and Resetti ought to undergo a revitalization process in a sequel to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, enhancing their significance in gameplay.

While Isabelle remains a beloved character, her current role in Animal Crossing: New Horizons falls short and warrants an expansion in future installments.

Content should be rewritten to:

Several popular and iconic NPCs in the Animal Crossing series have played important roles in the player's town and contributed to the overall gameplay experience. Although Animal Crossing: New Horizons introduced new characters like Orville and Wilbur from Dodo Airlines, Flick the Bug-Off host, and C.J. the Fishing Tourney host, it unfortunately sidelined many classic characters. This calls for a sequel to Animal Crossing: New Horizons that revitalizes these NPCs and gives them a more meaningful function in the game.

In addition to sidelining classic NPCs, Animal Crossing: New Horizons initially launched without several beloved characters. While updates eventually brought some of them back, their new roles were disappointing. Furthermore, many NPCs from previous entries remained absent even after these updates. Animal Crossing: New Horizons missed the opportunity to provide these characters with the important roles they deserve. Therefore, the next Animal Crossing game should focus on updating their inclusion.

Reese

Reese the pink alpaca, the co-owner of Re-Tail in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, was renowned for providing players with Bells for their unwanted items. However, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, she and her husband Cyrus only appear during the Wedding Season event on Harv's Island for special photos. Unfortunately, after the 2.0 update, Cyrus regained his old job, leaving Reese with no new responsibilities. It would be great to see her return to her role as a shopkeeper in a future game.

Digby

Digby, the brother of Isabelle from Animal Crossing, is often overlooked despite his potential for a more significant role in the series. While he played a minor part in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, overseeing the Happy Home Showcase, his presence has been more prominent in spin-off titles, and he even has his own amiibo. However, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, his involvement is limited to a few interactions that can be unlocked by scanning his amiibo. This leaves ample opportunity for Digby to play a more integral role in the mechanics of future games.

Resetti

One of the most notable changes in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is how Mr. Resetti's role has been diminished. In previous titles, encountering Mr. Resetti meant facing a lengthy lecture for not saving properly, making him an infamous and memorable character. However, with the introduction of the auto-save feature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mr. Resetti's original job became obsolete. He had to find new employment at Nook Inc.'s Rescue Service, which many players hardly ever utilize. This disgruntled mole deserves a more significant position, perhaps overseeing an exciting mining mechanic in a future Animal Crossing game.

Isabelle

After debuting in Animal Crossing: New Leaf as the player's trusty assistant in their mayoral duties, Isabelle quickly rose to fame as the beloved face of the series. However, in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, her role has been diminished compared to her popularity. While she continues to support the player as a colleague of Tom Nook at Resident Services, her contributions have been significantly limited. While she can assist with tasks like changing the island flag, town tune, and evaluating the island's appeal, her daily announcements lose their relevance over time, ultimately relegating Isabelle to a somewhat disappointing role.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available for Nintendo Switch.