Summary
At first glance,MinecraftandAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsappear to have a lot of similarities. Both games give their players the tools to express themselves creatively, and there have been several instances of bothMinecraftandAnimal Crossingplayers recreatingStar Warsplanetsand real-world locations, or coming up with new and exciting creations altogether. While both games can offer relaxing, creatively stimulating, casual gaming experiences, there is one area where the nextAnimal Crossinggame ought to followMinecraft’s lead.
MinecraftandAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsboth use procedural generation to keep each game world unique. However,Minecraftplaces a much higher emphasis on exploration, and a big part of what makes that exploration exciting and rewarding are the various distinct biomes in the game. Since crafting key items and terraforming have been much-welcome additions toAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, it seems natural that the series should borrow another staple fromMinecraft. The nextAnimal Crossinggame doesn’t need to change gearscompletely, but adopting a feature similar toMinecraft’s biomes could go a long way toward keeping the franchise fresh and interesting for both new and returning players.
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Adding Biomes Could Make Exploration Worthwhile In Animal Crossing
Compared to most AAA, big-budget video games, theAnimal Crossingfranchise is rather small in scope.New Horizonsoffers a wealth of options when it comes to collecting decorations, fishing, catching bugs, and building relationships with townsfolk, but the landscape of the island itself is somewhat constrained, even if players can modify it through the terraforming mechanic. With the addition of biomes,Animal Crossingcan become more interesting in terms of both aesthetics and gameplay.
There are a number ofrare items inAnimal Crossing, but very few serve a practical purpose, nor are they found through organic exploration. With biomes, the nextAnimal Crossinggame could encourage players to explore its map, offering up unique crafting components, collectibles, or even buffs of some kind, all dependent on where the player is looking. This could be a welcome alternative to the long-running in-game Nook store, which offers a rotating selection of items available to purchase. Although the store offers its own form of excitement, some players might view it as a bit stale or boring, as they have less control over not only what items they can get, but how they can get them.
Biomes Would Add A New Level Of Intrigue To Animal Crossing’s Multiplayer
Animal Crossingplayers can trade villagers, visit their friends, and engage in some friendly, unregulated commerce thanks to the series' multiplayer format. As such, multiplayer plays a key role in theAnimal Crossingexperience. That said, the addition of unique biomes could make this feature even more exciting and worth engaging with.
As it stands, eachAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsisland is unique. This is thanks to a combination of procedural generation of resources, randomization of villagers, and player customization. Add biomes into the mix, and things suddenly become even more unpredictable between islands. For instance, one player may have a rainforest biome on their island, giving themproduce that is different from otherAnimal Crossingplayers, but also offering unique bugs, wood from trees, and other resources, all of which could make trading more interesting and multifaceted. There could be benefits and drawbacks to each biome, encouraging players to trade with each other as much as possible to get the most out of their respective environments.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis an expertly crafted game that has been fine-tuned to allow players the chance to be creative, engage with the environment, and have low-stakes fun with their friends through multiplayer. By implementing unique biomes in a manner similar toMinecraft, the nextAnimal Crossingcould shake things up while maintaining its signature charm and identity.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis available for Nintendo Switch.
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