One of the more noteworthy omissions from previous Animal Crossing games, The Roost, will finally make its debut in Animal Crossing: New Horizons next month. As previously teased, the coffee shop will take its place in the town’s museum following the release of a new update releasing on November 5, we learned during the October Animal Crossing Direct. But the update is much more significant than we previously realized, with additions like Kapp’n, permanent ladders, new customization options, ordinances, and a lot more marking the last free major content update for New Horizons.
By stepping into the musuem, you’ll be able to go up the stairs and to the left to visit The Roost, which is still run by Brewster. You can order a cup of coffee for 200 bells and encounter other island residents, even including Isabelle. Using Amiibo cards or figures will also let you call in specific characters, who can bring along other characters. Multiple players can also visit and have a cup of coffee together.
Kapp’n also makes his return to the game and will take players to an island using his boat–and yes, he’ll still sing sea shanties on the way. On the island, you can encounter new types of flora or a different time of day or season than your island.
Harv’s Island expands significantly, as you can donate bells to help him open up new shops from characters like Kicks and Sahara. You’ll also have the ability to customize furniture that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise, and Katrina will tell you your fortune. Tortimer, the old mayor, also shows up, and you can learn new hairstyles from Harriet.
Changes are coming to the town center, as you can join other characters to take part in group stretching along out island residents using your Joy-Cons. Another notable addition returning from the past is ordinances. You can issue one of these to change the island in various ways, like gearing the game around wanting to play earlier in the day.
Tom Nook will offer new home customization options, with more choices for the exterior. Furthermore, you can upgrade your home to hold up to 5,000 items. On the inside, you can use accent walls, letting you place a design on a single wall, and install new lighting. And your character will be able to navigate tighter areas in between items.
Nook Miles get some new uses, as you can earn new benefits. You’ll be able to buy DIY recipes to cook new items like carrots and potatoes. A variety of things can be cooked to place on your table or eat (which seems to have the same effect as eating fruit).
On the island itself, you can now have more bridges and inclines than in the past (10, up from eight), and new fence recipes will help you design a new look. Those fences include corrugated iron, block fencing, bamboo slats, log fencing, frozen fencing, and more. A new storage shed can be erected on the island to let you access storage from anywhere, and similarly, you can build an ABD outside of the airport. The new ladder setup kit, which can be bought at Nook’s Cranny, lets you permanently place ladders around the island, ensuring you can get around more easily.
The camera app on your in-game phone gets some upgrades with the Pro camera app. This includes the ability to use a tripod, letting you step into the photo. New hairstyles and reactions will help you customize your look and presence, while patterns for customizing items can now be worn or used as flooring/wallpaper. And a new Island Life 101 guide will fill in novice players on how to play.
KK Slider gets new songs, while Gyroids make a return from previous games. These play sounds, as in the past, and fragments can be buried in order to create full gyroids that you can place in your home or customize like furniture.
There are new interactions to be had with villagers, who can finally visit your home or invite you to theirs.
Toward the end of the stream, we learned about Happy Home Paradise, a paid DLC pack (and standalone release) that is a take on Happy Home Designer. You’ll sign up to work at DAL and then help to craft vacation homes for villagers based on their specifications. It costs $25 or is included in the new Expansion Pack tier of Nintendo Switch Online, which we learned will cost $50 annually (or $80 for a family plan).
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