Last week, we learned about the new Version 3.0 update that’s coming to New Horizons in January. (Need to see the trailer with my thoughts?) In this entry, I’m going to rank the features that I’m most looking forward to. This is just about the (free) Version 3.0 update, not the Switch 2 upgrade. (So, no megaphone listed here.)
Okay, let’s start the countdown with my 5th most-wanted feature.
#5: Zelda Items
The Legend of Zelda is probably my favorite game series of them all, and I always found it puzzling that New Horizons never had Zelda items. Even the original GameCube game had a Master Sword, and later games added a Triforce, Link’s outfit, Majora’s Mask, and more.
The idea of making a Zelda-themed room (or even better, an outdoor forest) sounds so appealing. I’m sure nearly everyone will be doing the same thing around the same time…but that’s okay. I can’t wait!
#4: Storing Flowers and Plants
For the first year or two of New Horizons’ release, I would sometimes change the flowers on my paths depending on the season. I’d use orange and black flowers for Halloween, I had some red and white (candy cane colors) around Christmas, and so on. But without the ability to store those flowers, I’d usually have to sell them.
Of course, some colors (hybrids) can’t be bought as seeds. So there was no good option if you wanted to regularly cycle through various flowers. It was particularly annoying when you consider flowers could be stored in most previous games. Now it’ll be easier to save these flowers without sticking them in awkward spots on my island.
#3: Tourists in Town
Guests at the new hotel will have decorated, themed rooms to stay in…but they don’t have to stay there the whole time. The trailer showed tourists roaming the town, and that just sounds so cool. Seeing fresh faces around your town could really liven things up. Besides, it never seemed realistic the way that campers would just stay in their tent for their entire visit.
Some previous Animal Crossing games let you interact with non-residents, but usually just in the city (City Folk) or on Main Street or the Roost (New Leaf). The GameCube game would occasionally let a former villager return for a visit, but that seemed rare (and they’re not random visitors). So this is definitely an exciting thing that I’m looking forward to!
#2: Resetti’s Clean-Up Service
Sure, multi-crafting will be a time saver…but nothing like Resetti’s clean-up service. Redecorating outdoor areas no longer seems like such a huge, tedious chore when Resetti can clear the slate for you in a flash. He can even dispose of flowers for you, or put them in storage! Flowers have a way of breeding out of control in rainy seasons, so this is huge!
Honorable Mentions
Before I get to #1, I want to list a few features as honorable mentions. They’re all cool features, but they didn’t quite make my top five. Here’s the list:
- multi-crafting
- the hotel itself
- playable video games
- storage increase to 9,000 items
- Nintendo items
- Splatoon items
Many of you might be surprised that multi-crafting didn’t make my top five, and I imagine it would be high on your lists. But at this point (over 5 years into the game), I don’t do much crafting any more. So it’s not as helpful to me now as it would have been 4-5 years ago. But I’ll still use it, especially once I start redesigning some new areas.
#1: Slumber Islands
Some of you may remember a video I made in 2019, about features I’d like to see in New Horizons. One of the features on my list was a designated play area that we could design, that was completely separate from our town. I wanted to make race courses or obstacle courses without using up a big chunk of the real estate in town.
At the time, I envisioned it as a barge that we could call over when we wanted to use it. Despite the fact that this new feature is accessed through dreaming (and not on a barge), this is pretty much exactly what I was hoping for!
I’ll be able to make those obstacle courses, starting in January, without taking up half my town. 😛 It’ll (potentially) let me get more creative and make bigger races than I could before. Of course, I haven’t played the game online for over a year and I’ve kinda gotten out of the habit. But I guess I’ll have to get back into it.
Well, that’s my list. Do you agree with any of my points? Feel free to share your lists in the comments below!
And if you haven’t yet seen my Tomodachi Life song about the new features coming to New Horizons, please check it out:
This Week in Forest
In other news, life goes on in Forest. This wasn’t a particularly eventful week on my island, but here are some highlights:
- On Monday night, I returned Wisp’s spirits to him. He rewarded me with a pop-up toaster.
- I helped Gullivarrr on Wednesday, and he sent me another pirate-ship cannon in the mail.
- Thursday, I sold 8 bugs (7 wasps and a scorpion) to Flick for 38,250 bells.
- Yesterday, I returned a lost item to Agent S. She thanked me with an argyle sweater.
- Tonight, K.K. Slider performed “Surfin’ K.K.” for me. No other villagers attended the show.
See you all next time!