The Animal Crossing Direct is now over, and if you're anything like me, you'll be giddy from the sheer amount of content and updates revealed for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. From everything included in the gigantic free Animal Crossing: New Horizons Update 2.0 to the first paid DLC for the game - Happy Home Paradise - it's a great time for Animal Crossing fans. Especially as it's all dropping on November 5. So, without further ado, here's everything announced at the Animal Crossing Direct.
Brewster and The Roost
Our old feathered friend, Brewster, is back, taking up residence in his cafe The Roost. It'll be added as a new wing of the museum, and you'll be able to enjoy a cup of coffee there with friends, fellow island residents, and invite characters in for a sip via amiibo too.
Kapp'n and the new boat tours
Alongside Brewster, another old face is making a comeback - Kapp'n the boat captain! Like his role in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Kapp'n will take players on boat tours to mysterious tropical islands. These islands are quite similar to those accessible via Dodo Airlines, but can offer up never before seen plant life, and may well exist in a different season or time of day.
Harv's Island
The photography studio soon won't be the only reason to visit Harv's island as the location is getting a serious upgrade. If you spend some bells, you'll be able to set up permanent stores for roaming characters like Sahara and Kicks around a new plaza. Plus, there is also space for the long-standing fortune teller, Katrina, as well as elderly tortoise Tortimer. Harriet the hairdresser is co-founding Harv's island expansion too, so prepare yourself for a haircut.
Group Stretching
Over on your own island, there's a new Group Stretching mini-game to take part in at the plaza. Joined by other residents, you can use button or motion controls to work out with your pals.
Cooking and Farming
Another large element of the incoming free update is farming and cooking. Players will soon be able to plant and grow crops like tomatoes, wheat, and potatoes, which you can then use to create dishes to eat and display in your home. This is all part of DIY Recipes+, which is a new collection of food-based recipes that you can unlock.
Pro Decorating License
For the first time since the game launched, you'll be able to hang ceiling lights and other decorations thanks to the Pro Decorating License. It'll allow you to add accent walls to your home too, plastering single walls with a specific wallpaper design to contrast the others.
Pro Camera App
The Pro Camera App will give you a new perspective on your island. Offering an eye-line view from your camera, you will be able to better film what's happening on your island. And, using a new tripod mode, better feature in the snaps themselves too.
Island Life 101 App
For your Nook Phone there's also a new app that'll allow you to catch up on everything that's happening on your island. It's perfect for those who are new to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and island life.
Gyroids
At long last, the wonderfully bizarre gyroids are descending on New Horizons. Found at the same digging spots as fossils, you'll now collect gyroid fragments that'll need to be buried in the ground and then watered, before growing into full gyroids the next day. Plus, if you've already grown some gyroids on your island, you may also find more after it's been raining.
Ladder Set-Up Kits
There's also a new tool inbound. The Ladder Set-Up Kits will allow you to place ladders against cliffs, giving you more options for moving around your island. You'll just need to buy the recipe from Nook's Cranny.
Villager home visits
With the update, residents may ask you to come visit their home, or randomly turn up at yours. This is a long-awaited returning feature from Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
New tweaks and updates
Alongside those headline updates heading to your game on November 5, here are some of the smaller - but still awesome - new features that are inbound.
- Island ordinances: Options to tweak when things happen on your island
- New home customization options: Options for changing the exterior look of your home will now be available via Tom Nook.
- Expanded home storage: Three new unlockable levels of expanded home storage will be on offer, with 3,200, 4,000, and 5,000 item storage options
- Increase in build and slope support: You can now place up to 10, increased from the original eight
- Nine new fence types (including some with customization options)
- Custom Design Pattens+: You'll soon have the option to use patterns provided by Sable as clothing, floors, and wallpapers
- 11 new hairstyles
- 11 new reactions
- New items redeemable using Nook Miles
- Storage Shed item: A shed that will let you access your house storage from anywhere on your island
- New portable ABD item: An Automatic Bell Dispenser terminal for accessing your money stored in the ABD at Resident Services from anywhere
- 12 new K.K. Slider songs
- Tight space navigation: Move through narrow gaps between furniture
- New items at Nook's Cranny: Including never before seen items
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise DLC
While all of the above will be available as part of the free Update 2.0, we also got the reveal of the first paid-for DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In the DLC, you'll get a job as a paradise planner, designing and customizing holiday homes for Animal Crossing characters. Each client will have a specific vision about what they want their vacation bolthole to look like, but from there it's up to you to bring that dream to life.
Through the DLC, you'll learn new interior design skills too, like pillars and partition walls, adjusting counters, how to adjust lighting, and add soundscapes too. You can even polish items to unleash special effects. All of these skills can also be utilized back on your own island too. The archipelago where the DLC is set is also home to lots of vacant lots, including schools, hospitals and restaurants, which you'll also be able to design and customize.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise is launching on November 5, priced at £22.49 or free if you're a subscriber to the new Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership tier.
Animal Crossing Series 5 amiibo
To celebrate the duo of major Animal Crossing updates, you'll also be treated to the launch of the Animal Crossing Series 5 amiibo cards, which launch also on November 5. There are 48 cards in total and include never-before-seen characters for the series.
