If you have been playing video games for most of your life then there is a big chance that you’ve seen or played an Animal Crossing game. Animal Crossing is a very popular franchise that has been producing different types of games since 2001 so being able to play the newest Animal Crossing game must bring some nostalgia. What happens with most games though? You become obsessed with it and play that game at all times. Even when you’re not playing it, you’re thinking about it. I know that when I was younger I played a lot of Animal Crossing: New Leaf, but of course I got bored of it over time. So when Animal Crossing: New Horizons came out I, like many others, was eager to get my hands on it.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was one of few things that might have saved 2020, the year many people were stuck in their homes and craving human contact. New Horizons gave everyone that needed feeling of hanging out with their friends while also still socially distancing. In the game, you can design an entire island to whatever you want and also, something young people these days can only dream of, own a home.
It’s no surprise that people are excited about this huge new update, including me. The update has so many new items and things to do, that it might gain some popularity again. This update will be available on November 5th, 2021. This is surprisingly quick considering it only happened a few weeks after the official announcement. In the official video, Nintendo said that it will be the last major free update. This makes me think that they might have more costly updates in the future.
On your island, in the museum, there is now a cafe called Roost owned by Brewster. I know that many lovers of the Animal Crossing games were begging that Brewster be added to New Horizons. In this quaint cafe, residents like Isabelle, characters from amiibo™ cards, and even your friends can come to the cafe! Now anyone will be able to drink coffee for only 200 bells a cup and hang out with friends. Which to me sounds like a dream.
At the pier, Kapp’n is now there to take you to new mysterious islands. Of course, he still needs to sing a sea shanty on the way there. The islands that he takes you to are interesting; for they have exciting new flora which may be used to decorate your island in a tropical way. However, the most exciting part about these islands is that they can now have different seasons, or times of day, that can help with seasonal items or shooting stars.
Harv’s is known for having a photo-shoot type home on his island. However now there will be an empty plaza with Harv asking for help setting up shops. His long-time friend Harriet is there to help with the plaza and teach you a few new hairstyles. You can contribute bells to fund different shops owned by Saharah, Kiks, Redd, Sid, Reese and Cyrus, Katrina, and Tortimer. It is unclear what Tortimer will be selling. With Reese and Cyrus, they can help you customize items that previously could not be customized before. This new plaza is great for people who find it difficult to find items from these characters or just have the unfortunate luck of not having Redd visit their island all week.
Back at your island, there will be a group stretching at that plaza which can include residents, Isabelle, Brewster, and even your friends. The island representative can now enact ordinances that can make residents wake up at a certain time of the day like Early bird, Night owl, and Bell boom. Home services by Tom Nook have been upgraded with new home-exterior options, though there didn’t seem to be a lot of information in the video. There will also be storage expansion that goes from holding 2,400 to holding 5,000 items. Which can hold all the clothes I’ll never wear and the items that I can just never find the right place for.
New amazing items can be redeemed for Nook Miles. You can earn Nook Miles by doing housework, such as cooking, which is probably one of the things I look forward to the most with this update. With cooking DIYs you can make delicious meals and from the video, it is clear that there will be many different recipes to make. Newfence Recipes brings out nine new exciting DIY recipes which can be customized into different colors. Of course, you need ingredients to make meals so there will be all sorts of crops such as tomatoes, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, carrots, and maybe more!
With the Pro Decorating License, you can add ceiling decorations to each room and add accent walls that leave more room for creative designs and decorating. Also, with the Pro Camera App, there is a handheld camera mode that allows you to see your island from an eye level and the tripod camera mode lets you be in the picture. Island Life 101 will be an app on your phone that gives you tips on how to enjoy your island but I’m not sure how many people will be using it or just choose to ignore it.
Brand new items will be available to redeem such as a storage shed that lets you put items in your storage at home without having to walk all the way back home and maybe even take items out as well. There will also be an ABD which is like an ATM because it lets you take bells out of your account while outside.
There will be more songs from K.K. Slider with adorable music boxes that play K.K.’s music and Gyroids! Gyroids can only be found in the ground and you can plant and water them. If it rains on your island, you could find more Gryoids in the ground the next day. They can also sing in harmony together if there is music.
There are also new items in Nook’s Cranny with ceiling decor and furniture that’s never been seen before. You can now make ladders that can be permanently placed on your island which is amazing if you have a tight space that doesn’t have room for an incline. If you don’t have a lot of room in your house to walk through now you are able to navigate tight spaces. Now, your residents can invite you to their home or even show up at your home.

Happy Home Paradise: Paid DLC
If animal crossing: New Horizons didn’t feel real enough before with buying a home and having neighbors, now you can have a job with the paid update! Now, this isn’t a usual nine to five office job and as far as we know it’s not minimum wage. You are going to be given the job of a paradise planner with the help of other characters on this new island. You will be in charge of creating dream-like homes for characters that visit the island. These characters have various dreams and will suggest items that they want to see in their vacation home.
Where are these homes going exactly? Well, there will be a variety to choose from like in a desert, forest, ice lands, and much more! The most exciting part about decorating the homes would most likely be the yard where you can place furniture, fences, and paths outside as well as change the seasons, time of day, and the home’s exterior and location. This gives more room for creativity and many different designs.
On the inside of their home, you can increase the size and create counters, partitions, and pillars. To enhance the mood you can have different colored lighting and add background noise. Maybe you didn’t like your first design and that’s fine because you can always remodel it at any time.
Of course they can’t put you to work without paying you. That’s slavery! You can earn Poki from your hard work. Poki can be used to buy furniture that can be really hard to find, which most likely is furniture in different colors.
Two clients can even become roommates so historians will call them the best of friends. Although they may both have different ideas for their ideal vacation homes, they can still room together in perfect harmony.
Instead of vacation homes you could design a school, restaurant, and a hospital on this island. I’m excited to see what creative decor everyone will place in these buildings, especially the restaurant.
With the internet you can see your designs while also connecting with clients and you can see other people’s designs and share your own.
With amiibo™ cards you can invite clients including Isabelle and Timmy and Tommy.
This job certainly comes with its benefits as you could eventually use learned techniques like putting up partition walls, counters, and pillars as well as lighting, soundscapes, and polishing in your own home.
This Happy Home Paradise update is only $24.99 USD, available on November 5th, and I bet Nintendo’s servers are going to have a meltdown at how many people are going to buy this new update. Even without paying for the DLC there are still going to be many new things in Animal Crossing: New Horizons! I’m excited to see all the new things and what else they make in the future.