We're back on Animal Crossing: New Horizons to try the new updates on Switch 2

The social trend of these first days of the year is, for rather mysterious reasons, 2016 (why has it been 10 years? Who knows). While timelines and feeds are flooded with photos and memories from 2016, in recent days, the arrival of the update and the Switch 2 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons has taken us back to 2020. In that terrible year for almost everyone, Nintendo's casual game represented, due to a confluence of factors (between the pandemic and the explosion of Switch's popularity), an oasis of calm for countless players, probably expanding its user base beyond all imagination. Perhaps in a sort of mechanism for processing a trauma that we all quickly tucked away, the echo of New Horizons faded as the emergency that generated it did (as if it reminded us too much of that emergency). Six years later, however, a substantial free update for all game owners and a paid update for the Switch 2 version convinced us to once again bid farewell to every moment of free time and prepare our documents to return like the prodigal child to our island.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons: What changes on Switch 2?

In recent days, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, released on the first Switch model in March 2020, has seen two distinct evolutions: on one hand, update 3.0 was released for all game owners regardless of the version, while on the other, the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack was published. The latter, sold for €4.99 for those who already own the Switch version of AC: New Horizons (and obviously included for those who purchase the Switch 2 version of the game for €64.99), allows players to take advantage of new exclusive features of Nintendo's flagship console.

The modernization set up by Nintendo to technologically update its adorable (and adored) bucolic cozy game could only start with the graphical aspect, now capable of sporting a 4K look in docked mode and 1080p in handheld. The restructuring was light, non-invasive: compared on a 55" television, the Switch version and the Switch 2 version differ in the almost total absence of aliasing and visual "noise" in the latter, as well as some effects on the river water. Animal Crossing: New Horizons was already a beautiful sight upon release, and today on Switch 2, it's even a tiny bit more so, although to be honest, its appearance has changed very little in this platform jump. On the technical side, the reduction in loading times is more interesting and impactful: even in this case, it's just a few seconds less, but multiplied by all the times during a game that you see, for example, the entrance animation to the shop, it results in decidedly smoother and less fragmented gameplay.

The second novelty, somehow connected to the previous one, is the expansion to 12 of the number of friends you can invite to your island: before you organize wild parties, however, I want to remind you that each visitor is accompanied by a non-skippable cut-scene upon arrival and departure. So, I've told you, do as you please. In any case, regardless of the number of guests, it is now possible to communicate with them via Gamechat and see their faces with the USB-C camera. There are no contraindications, however, for the third addition, which is the ability to use the mouse-style controls of the Joy-Cons 2... but only within the creative sections, i.e., those where you compose patterns or write/draw messages for other islanders. The last surprise in the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack is finally a new item, the megaphone, which, by utilizing the console's integrated microphone, can be used to call other island residents simply by saying their name: in our experience, however, the recognition doesn't work very well, unfortunately, but when it does, you'll receive a shouted response from your fellow citizen that will allow you to roughly pinpoint their location on the map.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons: What does the 3.0 upgrade add?

With Nintendo, there's always a certain degree of unpredictability: one would expect, for example, that with two updates, the paid one would be the most substantial and impactful, right? But no, the most significant additions to the gameplay of Animal Crossing: New Horizons are found in update 3.0, available for free to all game owners and on all platforms. The main course, in this case, is even a hotel! After updating the game, upon startup, you should be greeted by an announcement from Isabelle informing all residents of the opening of a new hotel facility. The Resort Hotel is located on that small pier overlooking the sea to the east or west of your island, and waiting for you is an old acquaintance, Kapp'n, who has arrived on the island with his wife Leilani to offer suitable accommodation for your visitors. Of course, it will be up to you to do the dirty work and furnish the 8 available rooms in addition to the luxurious VIP suite, which will need to be redecorated after each stay. All this effort will be rewarded with handfuls of Hotel Coupons, a new currency with which to purchase items from the Gift Shop.

In addition to this new large piece of content, version 3.0 includes another series of small adjustments that nevertheless significantly and positively impact the gameplay experience, such as the ability to craft up to 10 copies of the same item at once or access materials stored in the home's shed while working on a DIY project. In this list, among the numerous adjustments listed in the patch notes, there is also a small modification to the controls that will delight all perfectionists (like myself): by holding down the L button, it is now possible to move your character exactly one single block, even sideways with strafing!

So, to sum up, what can you expect from Animal Crossing: New Horizons today after the upgrades, if you haven't played it since that distant 2020? Well, first of all, know that when you transfer the cartridge to Switch 2, you will be asked whether to import your island (through a process that requires access to the old Switch version) or create a new one. Having overcome this agonizing dilemma, you are faced with a game that is a little less rigid than its original incarnation: dialogues, menus, and superfluous passages are still part of its (undoubtedly charming) gameplay flow, but some small rough edges have been smoothed out with perhaps barely perceptible, but still positive, effects. This is especially true if the 3.0 update is combined with the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack, which shaves off loading times, plus a graphical aspect that finally adapts to the large 4K panels that are now in almost all our homes. Considering the free nature of the 3.0 update and the negligible cost (which can still be debated) of the Switch 2 upgrade, it's an excellent opportunity to return to your island and enjoy the soft roundness of the polygonal models in the splendor of ultra-high resolution. The game is still the same, a little more careful not to frustrate the player too much, a little more beautiful to look at, and with a few more things to do. For those who haven't played it on Switch, this Switch 2 upgrade is the perfect opportunity to try it in its best form. In short, in both cases, the risk is always to fall back into it and wake up at night looking for islands where you can make a fortune with turnips: don't say we didn't warn you!