Despite 2020 being a mess of a year, Nintendo managed to make the world a happier place with the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons for the Nintendo Switch. The game has sold extremely well and has served as a great entry point into the Animal Crossing franchise for millions of new players.
The game is a relaxing and comforting experience that features a host of wonderful characters, and it secretly pays homage to both the Animal Crossing series itself, and Nintendo, in a variety of ways. That being said, it's best if we gather them all up and explain where and why they're a part of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
10 1UP Audio
This first entry won't come as a surprise to Animal Crossing veterans, but newcomers might learn a thing or two. If you've happened to be hitting the rocks on your island you may have come across a lucky one that released bells instead of rocks or irons. This lucky event is accompanied by a sound that is likely to feel very familiar and nostalgic. The sound the money rock makes when you hit it with a shovel is the same 1UP sound you hear in Super Mario Bros. titles when the player collects a green 1UP mushroom and gains a life.
9 Godzilla & Kaiju
Animal Crossing is super popular as a franchise around the world, but its fan base in Japan is hard to deny. One of the biggest pieces of Japanese pop culture when it comes to its history in the entertainment space is Godzilla. Not only can you buy the crafting recipe for a giant Godzilla-like statue you can place on your island, but you can also catch a giant moth reminiscent of Mothra. If you're clever enough to play with perspective you can set up your own classic Godzilla scene where it faces off with its flying foe, with cameras, lights, and beautiful scenery.
8 Gundam
Despite not being officially licensed or named, it's clear as day that the craftable giant robot in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a Gundam reference. People around the world, especially Japan, love Gundam and its inclusion in the game is pretty sweet. It's not easy to craft and will take a bit of hard work and determination to finally obtain, but it's worth the wait. Players are hoping that an update in the future lets you customize the color of the armor, and maybe even the weapon the Gundam can hold and display as decoration.
7 StarTropics
At surface level, one could argue that the entirety of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a reference to StarTropics, or at the very least a modern homage. Well, it turns out Nintendo understood the connection themselves and threw in a StarTropics connection via dialogue delivered by the unfortunate sailor known as Gulliver. He mentions washing up on the shores of an island called Coralcola. Coralcola is the name of the tropical island users visit in StarTropics that happens to be home to the main protagonist's uncle.
6 Secret Songs
By this point, you've probably been spending time collecting all of K.K. Slider's songs in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Whether you scour the shops every day or set up a nice trading system with friends, you understand that the game has so many songs to collect.
In addition to the 90 songs that can be acquired, K.K. Slider has several other secret songs that can only be heard via song request when he visits your island. These secret songs are remixes and re-imaginings of music from previous titles in the series.
5 Splatoon
For years people felt that Nintendo relied too heavily on its past and hadn't done a good job of creating new franchises for people to fall in love with. This criticism was halted in its tracks when Splatoon came around and showed how Nintendo could put a family twist on third-person shooters. The franchise is now a household name and millions of people fell in love with the world. When you catch a squid in New Horizons both of the secondary lines are direct references to the world and lore of Splatoon.
4 Ocarina of Time
When you hear about an ocarina being in a video game you immediately assume it's going to be a hassle to get your hands on. In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, all you have to do is buy the Beginner's recipe guide in Nook's Cranny and you'll learn the crafting recipe for it. Unlike some of the other easter eggs that are craftable items, the ocarina is super simple to obtain the materials for. All it requires is 5 pieces of clay, which you likely already have in your possession simply by playing the game for hours at that point. The design of the ocarina itself is an obvious and fitting Zelda reference.
3 Totaka's Song
We've already talked about the secret songs you can hear in Animal Crossing: New Horizons by simply requesting them from K.K. Slider, but there's one in particular that's rather special.
The song is titled Totaka's Song and is a reference to the legendary composer of many Nintendo franchises, including Animal Crossing. He has this tradition of sneaking a 19 note song called Totaka's Song into most of his projects, and in Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans can experience it under the name of K.K. Song.
2 Peach & Daisy
One of the cooler features about the crafting system in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is how you can customize items with alternate designs. A good example of this is the tulip surprise box item, which can be customized into two different variants, with one having Princess Peach inside, and the other Princess Daisy. All it requires to build is 5 red tulips and 3 softwood, but can also be purchased for just over 3000 bells. It's so hidden that most people don't even know this easter egg exists in the game.
1 Alien Signal
Fans of Animal Crossing might remember the haunting alien signals that players could come across in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. These weird broadcasts make a return in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and players only need to adjust their system settings on the Nintendo Switch or pull an all-nighter to experience it. At 3:33 a.m. on Saturdays, an alien will appear (alongside other strange sci-fi imagery) on all of the televisions you own and are displaying in your home. It only lasts a minute, but will linger in your mind for much longer than that.