Highlights

  • Adding a survival mode to future Animal Crossing titles could attract both casual and hardcore gamers.
  • Survival mode could include hunger and energy mechanics, and open up partner villagers for exploration.
  • A separate server for survival mode could preserve players' progress apart from the main game while offering a new challenge.

Animal Crossing titles are known for being simple open-ended games with many satisfying work-like and recreational activities. While they are easy to pick up and play, it is unlikely for them to attract the interest of those seeking a more difficult experience. Other games similar to the latest Animal Crossing entry have greatly benefited from having a survival mode, gaining attention from fans of both casual and hardcore games. With the content and mechanics the most recent Animal Crossing involved, the next entry in the mainline series has the formula necessary to adopt a version of a survival mode.

The release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its enhancement and modification of previous games' mechanics can be seen as a setup for the next mainline entry. Along with numerous creative features and quality-of-life improvements, a survival mode in the future title would make for a reasonable addition. Although it goes against the franchise's relaxing nature, it could lead to the creation of a new and interesting type of gameplay. With other similar titles successfully fusing survival modes and mechanics into their social simulation gameplay, the next Animal Crossing game can use them as important reference materials.

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How a Survival Mode Can Be Implemented in the Next Animal Crossing Title

There is arguably not much for Animal Crossing players to return to once they have completed their in-game goals. The addition of a survival mode can encourage players to continue playing, as it can give a more difficult experience with new personal objectives as well as unique experiences. There are already franchise fans who have made their own hard mode for Animal Crossing, showing that there is interest in a more challenging type of gameplay. Should the next mainline entry have a survival mode, it can:

  • Create a hunger and damage feature that shows the player's current state through the in-game avatar's expressions
  • Modify New Horizons' eating and energy points mechanic by providing effects such as increased movement speed or faster crafting for a limited time
  • Let players take villagers as partners to explore areas while managing their status along with the player's own
  • Make players faint and lose some items permanently upon failing to survive

This mode should only be optional, as it can scare away fans who are used to the relaxing and easygoing nature of Animal Crossing titles. Having the player select what type of gameplay they would like to experience at the start ensures that both casual and hardcore fans are catered to.

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Why Animal Crossing Should Have Its Separate Servers for Survival Mode

Similar games such as Minecraft have amazing servers that allow players to experience the survival aspect without fear of losing their main world's progress. Animal Crossing fans could benefit from such a concept as many will want to secure the decorative and structural placements that they have established. New Horizons has shown that it has the connectivity features needed for players to easily visit one another's islands, allowing for friendly and sometimes chaotic meetings worldwide. This means that a future Animal Crossing title could have servers that let players explore different towns, cities, or islands together under the difficulty of survival gameplay.

While there will always be games dedicated to the more casual gamers, sprinkling optional hardcore elements into them can broaden a player's horizons and offer an easy way to try something new. The next Animal Crossing title has a golden opportunity to one-up New Horizon's unique experience by having a survival mode. It may even work towards attracting players who had no prior interest in any of the Animal Crossing games.