The Nintendo Switch 2 is mere days away, but one beloved Nintendo franchise isn’t making the generational leap just yet. While a newMario Kartwill be there on day one, a newDonkey Kongis right around the corner, and the likes ofZelda: Breath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomare getting dedicatedNintendo Switch 2 Editions,Animal Crossingisn’t getting any form of Switch 2 upgrade just yet.
ButAnimal Crossingis too big to be left behind for too long. It’s likely there’s already some newAnimal Crossingcontent in the works for the Nintendo Switch 2, and when it’s eventually announced, expectations will be higher than ever. Fans will be expecting a bigger and better experience. But when it comes to town size, bigger might not necessarily mean better.
The Argument For Bigger Towns in the Next Animal Crossing
A Bigger Town Means More Villagers
With more real estate available, a more diverse and plentiful set of villagers could inhabit the player’s world inthe nextAnimal Crossing. This would hopefully eliminate the need for players to bully their unwanted villagers in the hopes they’ll leave and be replaced with a more likable resident. This should also introduce players to a much wider range of characters, and expand their opportunities to complete tasks and earn gifts, adding even more longevity to the daily grind.
A Bigger Town Could Mean More Customization
A majorselling point ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizonswas its island customization, with players being able to manually carve parts of the landscape. This went hand-in-hand with the franchise’s already extensive customization features, such as the ability to create custom paths and furniture. If the nextAnimal Crossingbrought bigger towns, it would pave the way for even more customization opportunities as players would be given a larger space to work with.
A Bigger Town Could Set The Next Animal Crossing Apart
While it wouldn’t be a revolutionary new feature, havinglarger towns in the nextAnimal Crossingwould be a surefire way to make the game immediately appear bigger than its predecessors. This larger scale would also help to make the nextAnimal Crossingfeel like it’s fully utilizing the Nintendo Switch 2’s improved hardware.
The Argument Against Bigger Towns in the Next Animal Crossing
Traversing a Bigger Town Could Be Tiresome
Larger town sizes in the nextAnimal Crossingcould create some potential traversal issues. InAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, players can only fast travel to NPC or otherplayer-owned islands, and the only method of traversal on an island is walking, running, or pole-vaulting over small bodies of water.
If the nextAnimal Crossingintroduced much larger towns, then it would also need to introduce new traversal mechanics to the franchise, as running around the entire circumference of aNew Horizonsisland can already become tiresome quite quickly.
A Bigger Town Might Require a Better Map
The contained nature ofAnimal Crossing’s previous maps has allowed players to memorize their town’s layout quite quickly, which makes traversing it fairly manageable from the get-go. This has also allowedAnimal Crossing’s in-game mapsto remain quite light in terms of detail, as players will likely remember the key locations and the routes to get to them. A larger town size in the nextAnimal Crossingmight require a more detailed and potentially less accessible map.
