Folks have been wondering whether there'll be any great Nintendo games launching for the Switch in 2019. We'd say it was a foregone conclusion, but we also know not to count our eggs before they've hatched.
That's why the latest Nintendo Direct presentation was such a relief: several new titles were announced for what's quickly becoming the world's favorite handheld. One of those games was a new mainline Animal Crossing game, which was met with a lot of enthusiasm online. Did you miss out? We have all the details for you right here.
What is Animal Crossing?
For the uninitiated, Animal Crossing is a game that tasks you with running a small village as mayor. In most games, you arrive at a new nook of the woods that's already inhabited by a host of charming characters.
The game features changing seasons, monthly events, and more. Your primary goal in these games typically involves buying and upgrading a house, outfitting it with your favorite things, and helping the townspeople. You'll find many things to do in between, including celebrating birthdays and participating and friendly competitions.
What we know about the Switch version so far
Animal Crossing was the "one last thing" moment during the Nintendo Direct where it was announced, so Nintendo didn't have much to say about it. There are a couple of assumptions we can make in the early going, though.
For one, we can call it a safe bet that Tom Nook will be in the game considering he was the character that helped introduce the title at the event.
Another character we may have been tipped off to is Isabelle, the assistant who helps you throughout these games. While she wasn't necessarily present during the Animal Crossing segment of Nintendo's presentation, she was revealed as the latest character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate just before the game was announced.
We can also assume it won't be a mere port of one of the 3DS games, with the Tom Nook character model having more polygons than we've ever seen him with. We're also expecting this to be something completely different compared to Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, the version that Nintendo released for smartphones and tablets some time ago. Had it been a remaster or a port, Nintendo likely would have revealed a subtitle along with it.
Animal Crossing games haven't strayed far from their winning formula over the years. That's not to say it can never happen, but Nintendo has shown it isn't willing to reinvent the wheel when they have something that's proven. We're sure there will be a few unique features to Switch and some new gameplay features, but for the most part, Animal Crossing will likely be Animal Crossing.
When can you play it?
All we know right now is that the game is set for launch at some point in 2019. That'll add to a lineup that already has a brand new Pokemon experience going for it.
That's not a lot to go on right now, but we'll continue to bring you more Animal Crossing updates as they're released. Until then, we can't wait until 2019.
