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With Animal Crossing: New Horizons in catching distance, Nintendo launched a Direct to get players excited about the upcoming return to the franchise (as if they weren’t already). Adorably, it’s framed entirely as a Nook Inc. promotional video for the Deserted Island Getaway package, with nary a real-life human in sight. It was a dense 25 minutes, so let’s touch on a few highlights.
The Direct kicks off with the beginning. Before landing on your very own desert island, you have some choices to make, including general landscape and, interestingly, choice of hemisphere! It’s a nice touch for some geographical diversity and, appropriately, also affects how seasons appear in-game.
Over some music that can only be described as a bop, the video explains Nook Inc. will provide attendees with a tent, the use of Resident Services (for crafting, buying and selling) as well as an airport. As you might guess, this is your key to hanging out with your friends. Up to eight players at a time can play together on a single island using this facility or, if you prefer, you can use the postal service to drop a note. It’s touched on later, but since we’re on the topic multiplayer, it’s also worth mentioning that local co-op is available. AKA, each user on a given Switch can live on a single island and play together, if they so choose.
Nook will also provide a Nook phone, which starts off with a camera and a few other basics, but will gradually add more apps as time goes on. Chiefly, it also provides access to the Nook Miles program; the side quest system players can use to rack up miles and spend on paying off loans (or just… buying cool fashions).
Once players get started in their normal loops, they’ll encounter a few events, including dangerous insects and arthropods, ghosts and washed-up castaways whom you can nurture back to health.
Eventually, Nook Inc. will even give players total dominion over land and sea through Construction Consultation. Players can build bridges, pathways, ramps, slopes – hell, even physically alter natural waterways and cliff sides! As the video points out, the island’s infrastructure is at your will.
Of course, Nook Inc. allows players to customize their homes to their heart’s content with upgrades, expansions, renovations and even relocations. Using recipes and tools, any piece of furniture, flooring or wall decor can be customized, too.
Notably, the Direct makes a point that Animal Crossing: New Horizons will receive lots of free updates, including the expected seasonal events as well as the more interesting (and seemingly regular) traveling merchants. They’ll sell exclusive items and even teach players about their customs and traditions. Very cute and good!
Also on the topic of updates, Tom Nook himself is planning to leverage some of his old contacts to bring in new shops and facilities including the recently revealed museum, shop, tailor and campground.
Finally, in a series of FAQs, Tom plugs the exclusive and beautiful Animal Crossing: New Horizons Switch, alludes to a dedicated save data recovery program, confirms Amiibo utility and chats about the aforementioned local play capabilities.
Then, Tom requests a literal Twitter follow, Isabelle taunts us with her presence and it’s a wrap on the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Direct. We are one month out from having a new game in the series folks have been waiting years for. It arrives on Nintendo Switch on March 20. For more, check out the video here, or head over to see what shenanigans Tom is up to on Twitter.
Hello, hello! Tom Nook at your service! Today, I’m here in place of Isabelle so I can share some info with you all. There’s so much I want to tell you about my Deserted Island Getaway Package! pic.twitter.com/acMN8tfnuP
— Tom Nook (@animalcrossing) February 20, 2020