In the Animal Crossing games, the player assumes the role of a human character who moves into a rural village populated with anthropomorphic animals and lives there indefinitely. Gameplay is open-ended: players have no defined objectives but are instead encouraged to spend their time in the village performing any number of activities which include collecting items, planting plants, insect catching, fishing, and socializing with the village's residents. Animal Crossing games are played in real-time, utilizing the video game console's internal clock and calendar. Thus, the passage of time in the game world reflects that in reality, as well as the current season and time of day. Some in-game events, such as holidays or the growth of a tree, occur at certain times or require some duration of time to have passed.[7]
One notable feature of the Animal Crossing series is the high level of customization available, some of which affects the outcome of the game.[8] The player character is both named and gendered by the real-life player at the start of the game, and their appearance can be modified by buying or designing custom clothes and accessories or changing the hairstyle (introduced in Wild World). The player's house can also be furnished, decorated, and later expanded: the player can purchase and collect furniture and place it anywhere in the house, as well as change both the wallpaper and floor designs. While its terrain, building locations, and initial residents are randomly generated when the game is first begun (except in New Leaf, in which the player decides between four given towns, and New Horizons, in which the player similarly decides between four given islands), the village's name and anthem, as well as some of the residents' catchphrases, are also determined by the player.[8]
Collecting items is a major facet of Animal Crossing: the player can explore the village and gather objects, including fruit from trees, seashells, and discarded items. Nearly all objects can be sold for Bells, the in-game currency. Players collect objects to obtain more Bells, which can then be used to buy furniture and clothing, purchase home expansions, and play games. Many of specialized tools are available for other activities such as fishing and insect collecting. Special items, such as fossils and paintings, may be donated to the village museum. The player can choose to socialize with the other animal residents by engaging in conversation, sending and receiving letters, bartering, or playing hide-and-seek. Residents may move in or out of the village depending on the player's actions.
All installments of Animal Crossing allow some form of communication between players, both offline and online. A single village can house up to four human players, though only one can be exploring the village at any given time.[7] The players can interact via written messages through the village post office or bulletin board. The GameCube iteration allows players to travel to other villages by trading memory cards written with the game data,[8] but all subsequent installments allow players to travel and interact online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, although City Folk also allows the DS Suitcase to travel to others' towns.[9][10]
Plot[edit]
Characters[edit]
Main article: Characters in the Animal Crossing series
While the series features various villagers for each title, certain prominent characters return in each series installment.
Tom Nook is a tanuki character who functions as both a shop owner and a real estate broker, giving the player a loan for their house and various upgrades while allowing them to pay it back with no interest.[11]
Mr. Resetti is a mole character who appears from underground whenever players shut off the game without saving (enabling them to reset random events deemed unfortunate), berating them for circumventing one of the game's systems. Due to a new autosave function, he was "laid off" from his job in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, although he has secured a new job as the Rescue Service operator.[12]
K.K. Slider is a canine traveling musician, based on series composer Kazumi Totaka, who plays on certain nights in the player's town.[13] Afterwards, he gives the player a free copy of the song played, saying that his music "wants to be free". This was seen by some fans as support for music piracy, although Nintendo denied that it was intended as social commentary.[14]
In New Horizons, Isabelle makes an appearance as the town community manager and secretary to Tom Nook. She was originally introduced in New Leaf, where she served a similar purpose as assistant to the player character. She allows players to change the town's flag and tune, as well as reset certain aspects of town life (nicknames and villager outfits).
Tom Nook's apprentices, Timmy and Tommy, manage the convenience store Nook's Cranny in later games in the series. Able Sisters also offers clothes for the player and is managed by sisters Mabel and Sable. Two new characters, Orville and Wilbur, manage Dodo Airlines, which is the only airport on the deserted island.
