Animal Crossing Can ‘Steal’ One Mario Trick To Make Spin-Offs More Special – Journal Today Internet

Animal Crossing games are known for being social simulators filled with adorable anthropomorphic creatures and chore-like tasks that somehow help players feel comfy and relaxed. The franchise has become so popular that it spawned a few spin-off games that, for better or worse, take its twists on the core concept. With recent entries like New Horizons affecting the future of Animal Crossing development, possibly including spin-offs, this may be an opportunity for Nintendo to take on an approach that Mario games are known for.

Longtime fans of the Animal Crossing franchise will likely have played through its distinct spin-offs such as Pocket Camp and Happy Home Designer. Though such games still consist of the anthropomorphic creatures that players will be familiar with, they have enough gameplay deviations that make them unique and stand out. Future spin-off titles could take the franchise’s concept into newer and further directions, but they have to be interesting enough to get fans excited about where they’re going. One way that could help ensure that is if such titles take a page from the Mario video game franchise and take on different art styles.

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Mario Games Can Help Animal Crossing Spin-Offs Develop a New Look

While there is still no idea what’s next for Animal Crossing after New Horizons, a spin-off could help fill the gap until the next mainline entry. Borrowing some of the Mario games’ distinctive approach to certain art styles can help a new game generate fan interest and other benefits. Mario has many potential references:

• The blend of 2D models and 3D environments of the Paper Mario series
• The pixel art of the Mario and Luigi RPG titles, specifically those from the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS era
• The hand-drawn, paper-and-crayon aesthetic of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
• The pre-rendered sprite style of the original Super Mario RPG

If the next game tries to go in the opposite direction of New Horizons and the other mainline entries, then a new art style approach may just be what it needs. Although there are many other Mario spin-offs, the art of the ones mentioned above has the potential to provide future Animal Crossing offshoots with more entertaining and interesting ideas.

How Unique Art Styles Can Help Animal Crossing Spin-Offs

Spin-off games for established titles are an opportunity to show what developers are capable of aside from the genre or genres they’re known for. While there is still no idea where the next Animal Crossing should take the series, a game that deviates from the mainline entry with a different art style could help set the course. Such a move allows Nintendo to consider what type of gameplay Animal Crossing would be a good fit for other than social simulation. Although there is no clear answer, plenty of plans can be derived by taking note of the art from the more popular Mario spin-offs.

For example, a new Animal Crossing could benefit from taking a step back from its 3D approach by using an art style similar to the original Super Mario RPG. This could lead to the creation of a lighthearted Animal Crossing role-playing game, something that has yet to be done. An idea like this would be feasible because the franchise has many characters and its setting allows for many environments that can easily develop a world with fantasy mechanics, quests, and stories. Using the Mario spin-off approach to art styles lets the franchise potentially tackle genres it was never able to, giving more content for Nintendo to develop in the future.

Adopting different art designs is a golden opportunity for Animal Crossing spin-offs that should not be overlooked. Such changes could lead to new forms of gameplay that attract those without any prior interest in the franchise, making it more popular and accessible. If it requires taking a few notes from previous non-mainline Mario games, then all Nintendo has to do is look at what can work and try implementing it.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the fifth major game in the Animal Crossing series. This slice-of-life simulation game tasks the player with developing an abandoned island into a small town for its resident villagers. The game was released at the start of worldwide lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which catapulted it into massive success. It’s currently the best selling game of all time in Japan.

Released

March 20, 2020

Developer(s)

Nintendo EPD

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Genre(s)

Simulation

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer , Local Multiplayer

ESRB

E for Everyone: Comic Mischief

Expansions

Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Happy Home Paradise

How Long To Beat

61 Hours

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