From showing how players have absolute control over their island to highlighting the intricate changes to the franchise's tried and tested set of system, today's Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Direct revealed a lot of new details about the highly-anticipated sequel. The game appears to be both honoring what fans love most about Animal Crossing while also adding a host of new features to make it feel fresh and new. One of the latter just so happens to be how the game handles Amiibos and Amiibo cards.
Of course, since the release of New Leaf, Animal Crossing hasn't exactly been a stranger to using Nintendo's popular toys-to-life platform, however, New Horizons looks to add a brand new feature alongside the already established Amiibo system. In New Leaf, when a player used an Amiibo, the character they selected would be sent to the campsite where the player could interact with them by going into their temporary home.
In New Horizons, Amiibos can be used in the same way. The player simply goes to the town hall, touches their figure or card to the joystick, then visits their local campsite where their selected friend will be there waiting for them. However, the game also features a new mode where players can visit a special island called Photopia. Here, they can use their Amiibo characters to stage elaborate photoshoots and take fun pictures. Unfortunately, not all the game's Amiibos will be available at launch, with the gameplay footage showing K.K Slider - one of the franchise's most popular recurring characters - will be implemented at a later date.
Alongside showing off how the game's Amiibos work, today's Nintendo Direct announced that free seasonal post-launch updates, a host of exciting multiplayer options, and new environment sculpting tools will all be present in New Horizons. As is often the case for Nintendo's recent Switch sequels, it looks to be the definitive Animal Crossing experience, featuring a long list of new additions that fans have been begging for since New Leaf.
With it being Nintendo's first big release of the year, it's sure to satisfy fans who have been craving a deep and fulfilling Switch exclusive to sink their teeth into. With the company's slate seeming pretty clear after Animal Crossing, it's evident Nintendo is going to have a lot to show when it launches its next mainline Direct. Until then, fans are no doubt more excited than ever to finally get their hands on New Horizons.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be available on March 20 for the Nintendo Switch.
