Yesterday, Nintendo dropped a new trailer detailing the new features to come in the next Animal Crossing: New Horizons update. It looks like we'll be getting a bunch of new items and villagers, as well as a flurry of nearly back-to-back events starting from 23 April (when the update goes live) all the way until 30 June.
Thankfully, these events don't appear to be as invasive as the nightmare that was Bunny Day - don't get me wrong, I love free events and new cosmetics, but I think most of you can agree that the drop rate was a tad excessive.
Without further ado, let's dive into a breakdown of the new features showcased in the trailer. Do note that this article is based on a rough translation of the official Nintendo blog post in Japanese, so please forgive me if there are minor errors, especially with naming. Here we go!
Leif's Garden Shop
Here, you'll be able to buy seedlings of flowers that aren't sold at Nook's Cranny, as well as shrub seedlings such as azaleas and hydrangeas. Shrubs will bloom according to the season, so you can use a variety of them to decorate your island.
Jolly Redd's Treasure Trawler
Redd's Treasure Trawler appears to be a boat that docks on the 'secret' beach located on the back of your island (finally, a purpose for it!) Here, you'll find a selection of furniture, paintings, sculptures and other 'art objects' on sale. The furniture is a bit expensive, but you'll be able to find colour variations that are not otherwise sold on your island. Not all art sold here is genuine - watch out for forgeries!
Museum Expansion
If you're skilled enough to be able to identify genuine works of art, donating them to the museum will open up a new art exhibition space to display your acquisitions.
Event: Nature Day (23 April - May 4)
Nature Day is an annual event celebrated to demonstrate support for environmental protection. During the event period, there will additional quests related to plants, which will yield bonus Nook Mile points upon completion.
Event: May Day (1 May - 7 May)
May Day is a celebration to show gratitude to workers. People who 'work' on the island will be given Mayday Travel Tickets as a token of appreciation. With these tickets, you'll be able to visit mysterious islands that differ from the usual islands accessible via Nook Mile Travel Tickets. An 'unknown' character will also be visiting - 'unknown cat' is the Japanese name for Rover, who seems to be making a welcome return (you can also see him at the top right of the screenshot.)
Event: International Museum Day (18 May - 31 May)
In honour of International Museum Day, a Stamp Rally will be held in the island museum. Collect stamps while enjoying the fish, bug, and fossil exhibitions, and you'll be able to redeem a commemorative prize.
Event: Wedding Season (1 June - 30 June)
There is a legend that says you'll find happiness when you get married in the month of June. Help Reese and Cyrus take their wedding pictures on Harvey's island, and you'll be rewarded with wedding-themed items.
New Items
Isabelle's, Timmy's and Tommy's aloha shirts will be added to the Nook Mile redemption catalogue, so you can dress up to match your favourite waifu (or twin brats) soon!
It's encouraging to see how much support and extra content Animal Crossing is receiving post-launch. Next, we do hope that the dev team will take fan requests into consideration, especially durability indicators, the ability to craft multiple items, and further customisation options (just let us put rugs outdoors, dammit!)
Until then, enjoy the free update!
