Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing

Original title	どうぶつの森
transcription	Dōbutsu no Mori
developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
Designer	Takashi Tezuka , Katsuya Eguchi
First title	Animal Crossing (2001)
Last title	Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)
Platform (s)	Nintendo 64 , Nintendo GameCube , Nintendo DS , Wii , Nintendo 3DS , Wii U , Android , iOS , Nintendo Switch
Genre (s)	Simulation game

Animal Crossing ( Japanese どうぶつの森 , Dōbutsu no Mori , dt. "Forest of Animals") is a video game series from Nintendo that started with the game of the same name Animal Crossing . The game principle of the simulation games takes place in a fabulous world and, with the exception of the spin-offs , takes place in real time . In Germany, series offshoots appeared for the Nintendo GameCube, the Nintendo DS , the Wii , the Nintendo 3DS and the Nintendo Switch . On the Wii U and iOS / Android appeared spin-offs of the series.

Animal Crossing is one of the most popular game series, especially in Japan . The offshoot for the Nintendo DS, Animal Crossing: Wild World , is the most successful part of the series to date, with almost 12 million units sold worldwide.

The game series is created by Katsuya Eguchi .

Gameplay

In the Animal Crossing series, the player takes control of a human-like avatar who moves to a village inhabited by talking animals or to a campsite (see Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp ). He usually gets a small house from Tom Nook . In order to pay off this, various activities have to be carried out, which serve to get to know the rest of the city's residents and some ways of making money. If the house is paid off, Tom Nook offers the player an enlargement of the house several times, for which he asks more money each time. In this way, you can expand your own accommodation to several rooms and floors.

In order to receive money for paying for the house expansions, the player has various options. There are numerous trees in the village where fruits grow. The fruits can be collected and sold after shaking the trees. A fishing rod can be used to fish for fish in the river, the sea or in lakes. Likewise, the player can catch insects with a net , which he also receives money by selling them. A shovel can also be used to dig up fossils . After an analysis in the museum by Eugen, these can also be sold. Alternatively, all specimens of the insects, fish and fossils can also be donated to the museum once to complete its collection.

In addition to the player, there are other residents in the village. They are talking animals that live in their own houses and can interact with the player. Every now and then animals move out of the village and are replaced by new residents. The animals living in the village rarely influence the game. However, several of the residents change their behavior towards the player and become friendlier if he speaks to them regularly over a certain period of time. For example, you can find out the history between different characters or get a photo of them as a gift.

Another aspect of the game is your own house, the interior of which can be individually designed with the help of numerous pieces of furniture, floors and wallpapers. The interior design is assessed daily by the so-called “Academy of the Beautiful House”, of which Fred is the chairman. If the player reaches certain point limits with his facility, he receives various prizes.

The village's tailoring is run by Tina and Sina. In the tailor shop, the player can buy numerous items of clothing and thereby customize his appearance. There is also the option of designing items of clothing yourself and then wearing them.

A special feature of the Animal Crossing series is that it runs in real time. The game is based on the set system time of the corresponding console. The hours, days and years pass just like in real life, 24 virtual hours correspond to 24 real hours. The time that you don't play, that is, “absent” in Animal Crossing , still passes in the game. Many things in the game also depend on the day, month or season. For example, festivals only take place on certain days or various types of fish and insects can only be observed and caught in certain months.

Animal Crossing also dispenses with classic game elements. There is no ongoing action, no specific missions or tasks. A fixed, achievable end of the game does not exist either. The focus of the game is on the collecting principle and the interaction with the non-player characters .

The virtual game world is presented very lifelike by interacting with the environment and animals, pursuing various activities or celebrating various festivals and holidays that take place in the game. There are also different types of weather: it can rain, snow, the sun shine, be foggy or thunderstorm.

Games

Animal Crossing (2001)

Animal Crossing ( どうぶつの森 , Dōbutsu no Mori) was released in Japan on April 14, 2001 for the Nintendo 64 , but did not make its way to the west. On December 14, 2001, the game was released as Dōbutsu no Mori + (どうぶつの森 +) for the Nintendo GameCube. This is a version that is almost identical in content to the original game on the Nintendo 64, but has been technically upgraded mainly through the use of various graphic filters . On September 15, 2002 the game was published in North America, on September 24, 2004 the release took place in Europe.

Animal Crossing: Wild World (2005)

Animal Crossing: Wild World ( おいでよどうぶつの森 , Oideyo: Dōbutsu no Mori) was released in Japan on November 23, 2005 for the Nintendo DS. On March 31, 2006, the European version was brought onto the market. It was the first game in the series to offer the option to play online. With over 12 million copies sold, it's one of the most successful games for this platform.

Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City (2008)

Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City ( 街へいこうよどうぶつの森 , Machi e ikō yo: Dōbutsu no Mori) was released on November 20, 2008 for the Wii in Japan. A few days later, the game was released in Europe on December 5, 2008. It is the first game to support WiiSpeak . The game world is divided into the usual village and a large city, in which business life takes place.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (2013)

Animal Crossing: New Leaf ( とびだせどうぶつの森 , Tobidase: Dōbutsu no Mori) was released on November 8, 2012 in Japan and on June 14, 2013 in Europe for Nintendo 3DS family systems. For the first time, the player can take on the role of mayor and thus participate more intensively in shaping the town. With over 9 million copies sold, it is one of the most successful games for the Nintendo 3DS. On September 1, 2016, Nintendo announced a free update to the game entitled Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome Amiibo .

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (2015)

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer ( どうぶつの森：ハッピーホームデザイナー , Dōbutsu no Mori: Happī Hōmu Dezainā ) is the first spin-off in the series, which was launched on July 30, 2015 in Japan and on October 2, 2015 in Europe for the Nintendo 3DS family systems was released. It is the first Nintendo game to support amiibo cards. It differs from the previous games as the focus in Happy Home Designer is on designing the houses for NPCs.

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (2015)

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival ( どうぶつの森 amiibo フェスティバル , Dōbutsu no Mori: amiibo Fesutibaru) was released on November 20, 2015 in Europe and one day later in Japan. The game is a spin-off of the series for the Wii U and is based on the use of amiibo figures.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (2017)

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is a mobile game for Android and iOS . It was released on October 25, 2017 in Australia and worldwide on November 21 of the same year. The principle of the game is to manage a camping site.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the fifth installment in the series and was released on March 20, 2020 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch .

Applications

In addition to the regular games, numerous other applications were made available for download .

The Animal Crossing Lobby appeared free of charge for the Nintendo eShop on the Wii U on August 7, 2013 and was discontinued on December 31, 2014. Numerous residents could be met in the lobby and interacted with other players via the Nintendo Network.
The Animal Crossing Calculator appeared in the Nintendo DSi Shop on the Nintendo DSi .
The Animal Crossing watch also appeared in the Nintendo DSi Shop.
Photos with Animal Crossing is a photo application for Nintendo 3DS that allows the player to take photos of selected Animal Crossing characters using AR cards .

Characters

On the one hand, the village in Animal Crossing is inhabited by various animal characters that have no major role. The player can talk to them, send them letters and parcels or take on small tasks for them. Every now and then some of these animals move out of the village or new ones move in. The number of animal residents is limited to eight or since the New Leaf to ten. The animals embody different personalities and react differently to the player and other non-player characters. Since Wild World , the animals also have dialogues with each other, which the player can follow, set up their house a little differently from time to time, or react noticeably more friendly and personal to the player when he is not sufficiently or insufficiently concerned with the animals.

In addition to the residents of the village, there are other characters that play a bigger role in the game. Many can be found all the time, others can only be seen in the village every now and then, some only on certain festive days.

Tom Nook: Tom Nook is a Tanuki and owner of the real estate company ImmoNook . Until Let's go to the City , he had his own shop in the village. After the player exceeded a certain total price with the purchase of items, the shop closed for one day and reopened the next day in a larger form with a larger offer. Since New Leaf , his nephews Schlepp und Repp have been looking after the shop.

Tina and Sina: Tina and Sina are hedgehogs and the owners of the town's tailoring shop. In it the player can buy tops, pants, skirts, dresses, umbrellas and accessories. Since Wild World it has been possible to design items of clothing yourself and save your own designs as a QR code. These can in turn be read in at Tina and Sina on the sewing machine , and the two are also supported by their sister Samthea, who takes care of the sale of headgear and accessories.

Eugene and Eufemia: The two owls are in charge of the village museum. Eugen has always looked after the collection of insects, fish, works of art and marine animals. Since Wild World he has been supported by his sister Eufemia, who runs the observatory, in New Leaf she is responsible for the museum shop.

KK (English KK Slider): The dog is a musician and a DJ . He performed in the Taubenschlag café until Let's go to the City , but in the Kalauer Club since New Leaf .

Pelly and Peggy: The two pelican sisters have always worked for the post office. While Pelly can be found during the day, Peggy is only present at night. At the post office, the player can send letters to other non-player characters or to his future self.

Peter: Peter is the postman in Animal Crossing New Leaf . You can also find Peter in Wild World if you shoot him with the sling at a certain time. He is a pelican (white) and wears a green uniform.

Tartel: The turtle is the mayor of the village until Let's go to the city . In New Leaf this function is taken over by the player himself, while Törtel operates a small island to which the player can travel.

Fred: Fred is an otter and was an insurance salesman in Wild World . He has been working for the Academy of the Beautiful House since Let's go to the City and, as its chairman, evaluates the interior design of the players' houses.

Melinda: The bitch is the mayor's secretary in New Leaf . She has a brother named Moritz, who is responsible for the model village of the Academy of the Beautiful House.

Aziza: The camel decorated with New Leaf at the request of the player's own house in order, can obtaining this exclusive flooring and wallpaper. In New Horizons you can buy carpets, exclusive floors and wallpapers from Aziza.

Purer: The Fox operates in all games of the series, a black market in which the player can buy works of art to it later to donate to the museum. However, many of the exhibited works are forgeries that the museum will not accept.

Smeralda: Smeralda, a panther , is a fortune teller and can foresee the player's future. She works in this role in all of the games in the series.

Harry and Woof: Harry and Wuff guarded the city gate in Wild World and Let's go to the City , through which the player could play online. In New Leaf this function is taken over by the monkey Flip, while the two dogs now work for the lost property office.

Resetti: Resetti is a mole that aims to trick players into saving. If you don't save, he gives the player a lecture on how to save.

Sigrid: Sigrid is an old wild boar lady who sells beets in New Leaf on Sundays between 6 a.m. and 12 p.m. At these times she can be found in the city.

Amiibo

With the release of Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer , the first series of amiibo cards was released, comprising 100 cards. Each card features a resident of the Animal Crossing series. The cards can also be used in Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival . So far, four rows of cards with a total of 400 cards have appeared.

For the release of Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival , Nintendo released eight amiibo figures in November 2015. Four more figures each followed in January and March 2016.

Merchandising

In Japan in particular, numerous Animal Crossing merchandise was published . These include B. Plush and PVC figures, key rings and bags.

Motion picture

In Japan, expired on December 16, 2006 Anime -Kinofilm Gekijōban Dobutsu no Mori ( 劇場版どうぶつの森 ) in theaters at the Crossing Village animal with a story from the Yui Horie told as a voice of the protagonist Ai.

Songs:

End credits: Mori e ikou ( 森へ行こう ), sung by Taeko Ōnuki ( 大貫妙子 )

Keke Bossa ( けけボッサ ), sung by Totakeke in the storyline

Occupation:

figure	Voice actor
Ai ( あい )	Yui Horie ( 堀江由衣 )
Būke ( ブーケ )	Misato Fukuen ( 福圓美里 )
Sarī ( サリー )	Fumiko Orikasa ( 折笠富美子 )
Yū ( ゆう )	Yū Kobayashi ( 小林ゆう )
Kotobuki ( コトブキ )	Ken'ichi Ogata ( 緒方賢一 )
Tanukichi ( たぬきち )	Naoki Tatsuta ( 龍田直樹 )
Masutā ( マスター )	Takaya Hashi ( 土師孝也 )
Rakosuke ( ラコスケ )	Takashi Miike ( 三池崇 )
Special appearances ( 特別出演 )
Risetto-san ( リセットさん )	Yūichi Kimura ( 木村祐一 )
Totakeke ( とたけけ )	Shun Oguri ( 小栗旬 )
Perico (ぺりこ)	Otoha (乙葉)
Aruberuto (アルベルト)	Takatoshi Kaneko (金子貴俊)

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Animal Crossing: New Leaf Passes 6.35 Million Lifetime Sales. In: gamnesia.com. November 1, 2013, accessed January 22, 2016 .
^ Animal Crossing creator open to the idea of AC-themed mobile apps. In: engadget.com. March 27, 2014, accessed January 22, 2016 .
↑ Figure line-up. Nintendo.de, accessed on June 15, 2015 .
↑ 『劇場版どうぶつの森』 . In: vap.co.jp. Retrieved January 22, 2016 .

[1] Animal Crossing: New Leaf Passes 6.35 Million Lifetime Sales. In: gamnesia.com. November 1, 2013, accessed January 22, 2016 .

[2] Animal Crossing creator open to the idea of AC-themed mobile apps. In: engadget.com. March 27, 2014, accessed January 22, 2016 .

[Official-3] Figure line-up. Nintendo.de, accessed on June 15, 2015 .

[4] 『劇場版どうぶつの森』 . In: vap.co.jp. Retrieved January 22, 2016 .


Main series	Animal Crossing • Wild World • Let's Go to the City • New Leaf • New Horizons
Offshoot	Happy Home Designer • Amiibo Festival • Pocket Camp