On November 5, Animal Crossing New Horizons was updated to version 2.0 with some massive changes and additions changing the game for the better. Animal Crossing fans have debated for months that New Horizon’s original release could occasionally feel unfinished and in need of new features, but everything changed with the update. Animal Crossing fans got everything from new recipes, slice of life activities, in-depth decorating techniques, and more.
Among other things, Animal Crossing fans can now embrace how New Horizons focuses on personalization and customization. Whichever new feature is your favorite, there is no doubt New Horizons has tons to offer players.
10 Island Hopping
Animal Crossing: New Leaf allowed you to sail to a tiny tropical island thanks to Kapp’n, the sailor turtle. Upon arrival, players could fish, catch bugs, or play fun mini-games even with friends and earn island currency to buy prizes. Animal Crossing New Horizons has a similar feature that allows you to visit randomised islands with Kapp'n.
The islands you to sail to with Kapp'n are more fruitful than the options the Dodo airline service had. Each island offers different materials or different seasons at random. This keeps the search fun because you'll never know what you'll get. Thanks to Kapp’n helping you travel, you can more easily harvest crafting materials and dig up adorable gyroids. One island can offer colorful star bits for Celeste's DIY recipes before you get a meteor shower on your island. Players can even find beautiful glowing moss to plant on their home islands or vines for new furniture sets.
9 Motion Control Capabilities
What is the first thing you think of when you think of Animal Crossing’s gameplay? Motion control is probably the last thing that comes to mind, but New Horizons has recently added it to the game. Motion control lets players do yoga in the plaza, and the villager will line up with other animal villagers on the island for a relaxing synchronized stretching session.
The yoga sessions makes the players feel like they can befriend their villagers simply for leisure. Non-playable characters, like Brewster or Isabelle, get more added to their personalities with this interactive activity. Isabelle and Brewster are always behind their counter spaces at work, so it is nice to see them out and about on the island with other villagers.
8 New Villagers
Animal Crossing wouldn’t be the game it is today without the adorable animal villagers as your neighbors. With hundreds of villagers to choose from, there’s a villager for everyone, and now there's even more of them.
New Horizons now has sixteen new villagers of various species and personalities that you can move into your island. The most popular already are the elegant Shino, Ione the celestial squirrel, and Sasha the adorable blue rabbit. The new villager designs all have their own creative aesthetics which give players the option to pick whichever they feel is a good fit for the vibe of their island.
7 First Person Camera
Most New Horizons fans spend a lot of time taking beautiful photos around their islands to share as inspiration for other players. New Horizons has an easy-to-use camera feature with various filters to give specific moods to your photography. In the New Horizons 2.0 update, players get new camera angles added to an already beloved feature.
If you want to feel like you’re walking through the island you created, you can use a first-person camera angle to insert yourself into the world of Animal Crossing. Players can really appreciate the details of their decorations and admire all the work they've put into their islands.
6 Updated Gyroids
Perhaps once underappreciated in older games, the gyroids of Animal Crossing return to New Horizons with a fresh look. Previously, the only gyroid in New Horizons was Lloid, but all he would do was supervise bridges and inclines on the island.
Gyroids are interactive little creatures that make you feel like you have a pet or companion living in your home. They're cute, collectible, and many players love trading them with one another until they find their favorite one. Once you find your favorite, you can change its color to fit the interior of your home. Until now, no other Animal Crossing game allowed for customization of the gyroid colors, and it makes them a lot more interesting.
5 Brewster's Coffee Shop
After months of patience, Animal Crossing fans were thrilled to learn Brewster and The Roost café would be being added to the game, especially with November being the perfect season to relax with a hot coffee. In New Leaf, Brewster had his own coffee shop building that could be placed anywhere in town, but in New Horizons his setup is in the island museum.
Brewster’s newest version of the café has warm lighting and room for your friends to grab a latte with you. Brewster may seem cold at first, but New Horizons encourages you to give him some time to open up. His dialogue will become more friendly, and he will give you rewards. The Roost also gives players another use for any amiibo cards they've collected by allowing you to invite villagers by scanning a card.
4 Utilizing Small Spaces
Expert Animal Crossing players know what it’s like to have so many ideas for home design in such a customizable game but not enough space to place the furniture. New Horizons uses your home’s space in a better way than previous games and lets Villagers slide into tight single block spaces and carefully move around furniture.
With the newest feature, couches and chairs can nestle up close to a coffee table to give a realistic home design that’s both functional and beautiful.
3 New Home Customization
Since its 2020 release, some New Horizons players have felt burnout from using all the decorating skills available. Thanks to Nintendo’s latest version of the game, this has changed and there are plenty more to choose from.
The New Horizons 2.0 update allows for new features such as ceiling lamps, lighting, each wall of your home having a different wallpaper, and dividing walls throughout the room. Players can create homes that feel as tiny and cozy or big and expansive as they choose. The personalization options mean every player will have a unique home, and we’re excited to see players post their updated island dream addresses to be appreciated by Animal Crossing fans all over.
2 Customizing Villager Homes
Animal Crossing fans on social media, blogs, and online have long discussed the idea of customizing animal villager homes on their islands.
Finally, there is a cure for when you accidentally give your villager a sea bass and they keep the big ugly tank in their otherwise adorable home for months.
New Horizons allows skilled players to customise villager homes after they prove themselves in the Happy Home Designer DLC. If you ever avoided having a villager because you felt they wouldn't fit in with the rest of your island, you can rest easy knowing that's a thing of the past.
1 Farming And Cooking
Animal Crossing fans with cottagecore themed islands or naturalistic islands are in luck because they can now plot out farmlands with actual crops growing. The addition of potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots has given the game a whole new element.
The additional crops not only look pretty across a landscape, but they serve a functional purpose. Players can learn food recipes similarly to how they learn DIY furniture recipes. The food players cook can be placed in a room for a decorative piece. This option means that your cafe, kitchen, or library can be accented with a wide variety of plated dinners, desserts, or drinks.