Unleashing the Ultimate Game-Changer: The Must-Have Palia Feature Animal Crossing: New Horizons is Missing

Highlights

Animal Crossing: New Horizons could benefit from continued updates to address abandoned features and keep the game fresh.

The Drop-Off Box in Animal Crossing should collect earnings twice daily, accommodating both morning and evening players just like Palia's donation box. Nintendo should take notes from Palia's successful model and consider adjusting the collection times for the Drop-Off Box to enhance the gameplay experience.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is set to receive a new companion in 2023 with the release of Palia Open Beta on August 9. Combining elements from Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley, Palia offers a charming free-to-play simulator that shows great potential in its early stages. While Palia can learn from studying Nintendo, there are also quality-of-life improvements that Nintendo could borrow from Palia for Animal Crossing, whether through a new game or an update to New Horizons.

It would be beneficial for Animal Crossing: New Horizons to receive another update to address certain neglected aspects of the game. Despite receiving twelve free content updates from March 2020 to November 2021, it was disappointing for some players to see Nintendo halt updates within a relatively short period of time. Though some bug fixes were implemented in later years, there has been a complete halt in new events, characters, and items. Nintendo has the opportunity to revive the game by continuing updates to long-standing features, starting with the Drop-Off Box.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Needs a Better Drop-Off Box

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the Drop-Off Box was introduced as an alternative to selling items at Nook's Cranny. It is accessible all day, even when the store is closed. It is advisable for players to conduct business with Timmy and Tommy during store operating hours, as items left in the Drop-Off Box are sold at eighty percent of their full price.

However, the Drop-Off Box proves to be extremely useful for those who need to sell or clear out their inventories after store hours. Currently, players only receive their earnings the following morning after selling items in the Drop-Off Box. These earnings are automatically deposited into the islander's savings account. Unfortunately, this is only a once-a-day transaction and does not accommodate players who cannot play in the morning or have other time constraints.

The Palia donation box conveniently collects earnings twice a day - at 6 AM and 6 PM in-game time. While it would be ideal if these boxes were attended to more frequently, the current schedule is already a significant step forward for both games. The Palia MMO, similar to Animal Crossing, considers players who are active in both morning and evening hours by implementing a twelve-hour time difference.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons could benefit from adopting this system to better accommodate nighttime players who wish to earn Bells quickly. Earning Bells is essential in this game, as it serves as one of the primary currencies alongside Nook Miles. Although there is an option to time travel by adjusting the Switch's clock, this method can be tedious and controversial among the community, with some feeling that it detracts from the overall experience.

It would be easier for Nintendo to adopt Palia's approach and increase their Drop-Off Box collection times to at least twice a day. However, given that the DLC Happy Home Paradise has ceased receiving updates and is considered the final update, it remains uncertain whether the developers will entertain this possibility. Perhaps the upcoming Animal Crossing game could take inspiration from Palia instead. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is currently accessible on Nintendo Switch.