Summary
ThoughAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsbrought with it many new features as the series transitioned to the Switch, the return of Dream Islands could still benefit from a simple update that would improve both its accessibility and the community’s gameplay experience. First introduced inAnimal Crossing: New Leaf, sharing Dreams became a convenient and harmless way for players to visit their friends' towns and later islands. In addition to this, it also allowedNintendo to showcase its own Dream Island, which included references to franchises likeSuper Marioas part of a crossover content update.
However, while players can visit their friends and virtually any other random island when Dreaming, the most they can do during this time is explore the island in question. At face value, this can be useful for players looking for design inspiration, especially fromDream Islands others might overlook, but it will still leave players with the uphill struggle of recreating any ideas or concepts they might have seen and liked. Therefore, being able to save and change a Dream Island as a template based on the same Dream Addresses already in use will help players struggling to design their own perfect island.
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Some Animal Crossing Players Struggle with Being Creative
As with most games that embrace player customization and sandbox design, there is always an inevitable gap between those who master the game’s mechanics to achieve their creative potential and those who don’t. While this is usually best seen in games likeMinecraftorThe Sims 4,Animal Crossingis no different since players have an entire island to work with and all-new features like Terraforming that shake up the series formula. Combined with Custom Designs for furniture and regular updates bringing new content to the game, creating an idyllic island can become overwhelming for the more casual player.
Being able to visit other islands can help counteract this, since it gives players the chance to explore and take notes from fellowAnimal Crossingcommunity members. Whether inspiration comes from seeing how Terraforming can create a staggered waterfall or utilizing acustom path to preventAnimal Crossingflowers from spreading, players can learn a great deal from other islands with simple tricks and more complex design concepts. But while this can help prompt players to be creative, it still requires them to adjust toAnimalCrossing’s various mechanics regardless putting them right back at square one.
Dream Islands Could Be Downloaded As Templates
One way to overcome the lack of accessibility for these kinds of players would be to allow them to download islands visited during Dreams as a base template. Being able to predetermine a certain style or layout of anAnimal Crossingisland like a rural farmer’s market, players can then personalize things as much as they like all while avoiding the feeling that they can’t match the skill levels of others. With this approach,Animal Crossingwould become more broadly accessible to novice players who are unable to invest as much time and energy into their islands but still want to enjoy the game in the same way.
This also wouldn’t need to diminish the work put in by players designing islands that are then downloaded for others to use. Previously, players have been able to decide whether their Dream Towns and Islands can be kept private, and also if others can take their Custom Designs. If players are happy for others to share their design, this feature can just as easily be expanded to let them know if their island has been saved and even provide them a reward as an incentive for their community spirit. As a result, downloading Dream Islands could improve the onlineAnimal Crossingexperience for all players.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis available now on Nintendo Switch.
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