Thanks to continued software updates and that sweet, sweet Nintendo Polish, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is still finding ways to impress its fans. One of the notable ways this is accomplished is by island-wide attention to details - little things that make the environment feel more lived-in, more real - as real as a village of sentient animals can be, anyway.
Now, some of these details are in plain sight, but others are hidden and require specific conditions to be met before they become accessible. Here are some of our favorite hidden details in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Updated April 28, 2023, by Gabrielle Huston: They spent a long time working on Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and a lot of special updates came along over time. With those things in mind, we've added a few new fun facts that have come to our attention!
18 Nook's Cranny Is Always Seasonally Decorated
Nook's Cranny is a cute little shop that's run by Timmy and Tommy, twin apprentices to the real estate mogul himself. It's a good place to go if you're interested in finding items that would otherwise be impossible (or annoying) to craft.
Even though the two Tanukis are capitalistic shills, they have an eye for seasonally appropriate decor. Depending on the time of year, the aesthetic inside Nook's Cranny changes. For example, in the fall, the shop is decked out with pumpkins. Sure, it's basic, but it's the thought that counts.
17 Villagers Are Weirded Out By When You Watch Them For Too Long
You know how it's really uncomfortable when someone watches you for an extended period of time? Like, maybe you're doing homework, a little light cleaning, or finishing that DIY backsplash that you promised to work on ages ago, and it's fine, probably, except for that creep who's just... watching.
Anyway, you can be that creep, if that's your vibe. Walk into any of your villagers' homes, and if they're doing something, you can just stand there and watch. Understandably, they'll turn to stare back with a confused reaction, which is far kinder than we'd be in the same situation.
16 A Hidden Shakespeare Reference
When your island reaches the envied 5-star rating, you can talk to Isabelle and hear reviews from people who have visited lately! NPCs will comment on their experiences, including Flick, everyone's favorite bug-lover! You can tell it's him because of all the bug puns, of course.
What you might not have noticed is that his quote is actually a paraphrased version of a deathbed speech given by John of Gaunt in the Shakespeare play, Richard II. Check out the quotes below!
Shakespeare's Quote |
Flick's Quote |
---|---|
"This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle, this Earth of majesty... This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England." |
"This roiled throne of bugs, this sceptered isle, this hive of majesty... This infested plot, this earth, this terrarium, this [island name]." |
15 Rainy Season Means Umbrellas And Raincoats For Everyone Except The Amphibious Villagers
Island renovation waits for no one. It also waits for no specific weather. Long-time players will tell you that the island can fall prey to rain or snow just as frequently as it might enjoy a light spring breeze on a sunny day. On rainy days, you might notice your villagers bring out their umbrellas or don a cute little raincoat.
Except for the amphibious villagers, that is. If there's a frog or any seafaring creature on your island, they embrace the wetter climate as if it were just another day in the neighborhood. At least some of us are listening to Natasha Bedingfield.
14 Kapp'n Brings his Family To Brewsters
The 2.0 update added all kinds of Quality Of Life changes. Among these alterations came Brewster, a coffee-loving rooster in spectacles who runs his own java shop called The Roost. Adorably, it resides inside the museum, which is just so like a local coffee place.
If you visit often enough, you'll notice that the villagers seem to enjoy The Roost, too. If Kapp'n comes, though, he doesn't come alone. The old turtle will bring his whole family along for some caffeinated bonding time.
13 Fans Actually Affect The Environment
Okay, this might be a small detail, a very small detail, but that's the point of these kinds of articles, right? Among the items that can be purchased/crafted/utilized are fans. Ceiling fans, tower fans, fans. When placed in the environment, they actually work.
Leaves literally rustle in their presence. It's such a small thing that makes the whole experience feel more connected. Given enough time and money, we have no doubt that Nintendo will make us feel it, too. Enter - Animal Crossing: The 4D Experience (you can use that one for free, Nintendo, make it happen).
12 Villager Footprints On The Beach
There are 35 different species of animal villagers in New Horizons and most of those species have different feet. We promise there's a point to this. Take a close look at your villager friends' footprints when they walk along the many beaches on your island.
It's a cool enough detail that you leave shoe footprints in the sand, but it's even more interesting to see an ostrich's three-toed foot imprint. Though this is a relatively unimportant detail, it just shows how much thought the designers put into the game.
11 You Can Actually Use The Toilet
Unlike in previous Animal Crossing titles, the porcelain throne actually serves a purpose in New Horizons. The game introduced the ability to gain energy from munching on fruit. This energy can be used to smash rocks with one hit or completely uproot fully-grown trees to move them elsewhere.
Each of those moves takes just one energy point (eating one fruit), so you may end up with extra energy by the end of your project. Rather than waiting for the energy to wear off, hop on a toilet to quickly expel the remaining fruit. And that takes care of that!
10 Some Fake Art Is Haunted...
Most players have probably fallen victim to Jolly Redd's shady art dealings at least once. Unfortunately, not much can be done with fake paintings; they can't be sold, donated, or given to villagers. However, if you do end up with a fake, place the artwork in your home and pay close attention. It may be haunted.
Players have reported that a select few fake art pieces do some creepy things all day and night. For example, some paintings will wink at you, while a few statues glow in the dark or float.
9 ...While Other Art Is Hiding A Reference To The Da Vinci Code
Animal Crossing's 'Academic Painting' is actually the Vitruvian Man, a drawing by the Italian artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci. The art sold by Redd in the game can be the real deal, or a 'fake' version where there is a key difference the viewer can identify if they know the art in question. In this case, it's meant to be the coffee stain on the artwork.
However, there's another inconsistency in this art piece that you can only see once you've bought and placed the drawing! If you get a look at the back, you'll notice that there's a red key, unceremoniously taped in place. This is widely recognized as a reference to the Da Vinci Code, an award-winning novel that was made into a popular movie.
8 Villagers Take Selfies
Everybody takes a little selfie now and then, even your animal friends. And, apparently, they don't always turn out well. This is one detail that happens purely by chance, so observe your villagers carefully to see if they snap a selfie.
They'll take their phones out and hold them up with one hand. After a few seconds, the phone will flash. Granted, the flash on the back of the phone can cause questions as to if the villagers are actually taking selfies, but it certainly looks that way.
7 Perform A Concert With Your Villagers
One common villager pastime is singing, either a cappella in the town square or along with music from any type of radio or speaker on the island. Sometimes, the villagers in the square will perform a vocal duet or even a trio.
You can join in on the impromptu concert by playing instruments as they sing. The villagers seem to appreciate the accompaniment, and you can finally tell your parents that your band worked out. Sort of. It's only a lie if you give more context.
6 You Can Scare Wasps Away
The trees in New Horizons are an incredibly valuable resource. Not only do some provide fruit, but various types of wood can also be harvested from every tree for crafting. Some trees even contain hidden items. Of course, many also contain angry wasps.
If you're quick with your net and keep it handy while you shake trees, you can likely catch the little bugs before they sting you. Otherwise, to avoid getting a nasty swollen eye, you can scare them away using a party popper once they begin to chase you.
5 K.K. Slider Can Play Secret Songs
K.K. Slider has a few unreleased tracks up his sleeve. When the famed dog musician visits your island for his weekly Saturday concerts, you can request to hear any specific song.
Gamers learned that there were a few secret titles you could whisper to unlock the track for your music players. Be sure that when you type the secret song title in, though, you're using the correct punctuation and capitalization. Otherwise, K.K. will play a backup piece and tell you that he didn't know the requested song.
4 Wasps Attack Villagers, Too
Typically, when you knock down a wasps' nest in front of a villager, they'll have a shocked or distressed reaction until you run away or until the wasps attack you. If you run past the villager, the wasps will still focus on you. However, if you happen to knock down a nest as the villager is resting under the tree, the wasps will swarm the villager first.
Be careful, though, because this doesn't mean you're in the clear. When the wasps are finished with the villager, they'll head for you next.
3 Mr. Resetti Is The Rescue Service Operator
Mr. Restti was a beloved character in past Animal Crossing games, despite how mean he is to you. He's a mole whose purpose is to chastise the player for forgetting to save their game. However, with new auto save functionality, there's really no purpose for him anymore! He lost his job. However, something new was waiting for him.
A new feature in Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the Rescue Service, which can pick you up from anywhere on the island and drop you off in a safe location. Plenty of players go their entire playthrough without needing this feature, but it's a fail-safe in case you get stuck somewhere while decorating. If you didn't use it, though, you may have missed that the Operator who picks up the phone is actually Resetti!
2 See Animal Evolutions In The Museum
Those glowing circles on the ground in the museum are more than just an interior design choice. If you follow the lines in the fossil exhibit, eventually they will lead to a wall filled with silhouettes of every villager species. When your villagers explore the museum, they may stand in their own species silhouette and unlock a dialogue about evolution.
At the end of the wall, a human silhouette can be seen. Stand in the space and a spotlight will hit you, highlighting humanity's role in evolution.
1 Watch An Alien Secret Message
Every Saturday morning at the wee hour of 3 a.m., you can watch an eerie message on any television, anywhere. A red-eyed alien will pop up on the screen and begin unintelligibly whispering, followed by a picture of a UFO. The message will last exactly one minute before returning to a fuzzy screen.
So, yeah, aliens are canon to Animal Crossing. Give it time, maybe we'll get an update where you can design a village on Mars. Even better, maybe some little green men will become available as villagers for our own islands.