Animal Crossing (video game)

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Animal Crossing
File:Acbox.jpg
Developer(s)Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Designer(s)Shigeru Miyamoto, Katsuya Eguchi, Hisashi Nogami, Takashi Tezuka
Platform(s)Nintendo 64, GameCube
Release14 April 2001 (JP) (N64)
14 December 2001 (JP) (+)
15 September 2002 (NA)
27 June 2003 (JP) (e+)
17 October 2003 (AU)
24 September 2004 (EU)
Genre(s)Role-playing game, Communication Adventure
Mode(s)Single player

Animal Crossing, known as Animal Forest or Dōbutsu no Mori (どうぶつの森) in Japan, is a video game franchise developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development. After release in Japan, the game was improved upon and released in the United States on 15 September 2002, later being made a Player's Choice game. The game utilizes the GameCube's internal clock to create a persistent world.

Because of its complexity, the game uses 57 blocks of the standard 59 block memory card. If bought new, it comes with a memory card with an Animal Crossing sticker already on it and a 1 block "grab bag" present in it. If the player has an NES game in Animal Crossing and the present is not collected, the entire memory card is used up.

In Japan, Animal Forest was released for the Nintendo 64 on 14 April 2001, and a new edition of the game, called Animal Forest +, was released for the GameCube in December of the same year. Another new edition of the game, Animal Forest e+, was released on 27 June 2003. Only Japan saw a Nintendo 64 release.

Gameplay

Animal Crossing has been dubbed a "communication game" by Nintendo. It is an open-ended game with no plot, where a player can live a separate life with no preset plot or mandatory tasks. Many people enjoy this though, as it is entertaining to young children, and possibly adults, while "talking" to interesting animal characters. There are, however, certain goals to achieve to which players will be naturally drawn. The game is played out in real-time - observing days, weeks, months, and even years - using the Gamecube's internal clock. As such, there are many actual events and holidays spanning the year. This includes Independence Day, Christmas, Halloween, along with other regular activities such as early morning fitness classes and fishing tournaments. Some players purposely adjust the clock to skip forward or backward in time, a practice known as time traveling.

House Improvements

The main, and most obvious goal of the game, is to expand the size of the player's house. This house is the repository for furniture and other items bought or acquired during the course of the game, giving this goal a strong motivation.

Tom Nook, a tanuki (a raccoon in the American and European version) who runs the local store, gives the player their first house and a debt of 19,800 Bells (the game's currency) along with it. The house is comically small, furnished only with wallpaper, carpeting, a box, a journal, and a radio. Upon paying off the entire debt, part of which is done through a part-time job to Tom Nook, the player is offered to expand the house. If the player accepts, the house is enlarged overnight for 148,000 Bells. If the player doesn't, he still expands the house; claiming that the player will need the space. Upon paying this new debt off, Tom Nook gives the player the option of having the house expanded again for 398,000 Bells or having a basement built for 49,800 Bells. After the player chooses one and pays back the debt, Tom Nook then offers to complete the other. The last addition to the house is the installation of a second floor. Upon paying back the 798,000 Bells for this last expansion, Tom Nook builds a statue of the player in front of the train station. The statue is in gold, silver, bronze, or jade, depending on how fast the other players can pay off their debt. This is basically the main goal of the game, to get a statue up in front of the town by paying off one's debts.

Though Tom Nook is more than willing to sell furniture and other items to fill a house, there are many other ways to acquire furnishings. A trip to the town dump may yield items that were unwanted by someone else and can be had for free. The police station has a lost and found department run by Officer Booker, who will allow anyone to claim any item (any item discarded outdoors by any player may end up here). Other villagers that live nearby may need favors and will reward the player for their help. Players can even obtain new furniture items by shaking trees until a piece of furniture falls from one. But sometimes, when shaking trees, bees may come out instead. If this happens, a player must run into the nearest house or building. Sometimes people can even catch bees in their nets.

Villagers

The Animal Crossing village initially contains a handful of villagers, and others will move in or out depending on the player's actions. All of the villagers are animals, hence the game's name, and each has their own small home the player can visit. There are many interactions a player can have with the villagers, including talking with them, trading furniture and other objects, completing tasks for rewards, and writing letters to them. Villagers will also interact with each other. There are roughly 200 villagers. Each villager also has a sound or phrase they repeat often. (e.g 'Rowf!') These are simply to add personality, and can be changed at times if the villager asks the player to.

If the player doesn't interact with individual villagers on a regular basis, they are likely to leave the village. The village also has a level of "attractiveness" depending on certain parameters that are never explicitly described to the player, but are hinted at by a spirit living in the village fountain. A high attractiveness will draw new animals to live in the village, while a low attractiveness will make existing villagers likely to move out. After a while, the town's grass will begin to grow weeds, but this does not attribute to the unattractiveness, because all towns experience this happening.

Fish and insects

Animal Crossing maintains a list of all fish and insects caught by the player. Some types of fish and insects are only available during certain parts of the year or at specific times.

Capturing insects requires a net, which can be purchased at Tom Nook's store. Most insects can be found during the summer, and very few are available during winter. Most insects are found by walking around and listening to the loudness of an insect's chirping, or looking at trees or flowers, but some take more dedication. Pill bugs must be found by examining rocks, and it is quite difficult to capture a bee before it has the chance to sting the player and leave his/her left eye swollen shut. Ants and roaches may be lured by spoiled turnips or candy. The mole cricket can only be found by listening for its distinctive sound and attempting to dig it up. The player's reward for capturing every type of insect is the golden net, which is larger than the standard net, and a butterfly picture for the player's roof.

Catching fish requires a pole, which is also available for purchase at Tom Nook's store. There are ponds, lakes, rivers, and the ocean available for fishing. Certain fish live only in certain bodies of water, and some fish can only be found while it is raining. The player's reward for capturing every type of fish is the golden rod, which causes fish to stay on the line longer and makes it easier to catch fish, and a vane shaped like a fish for the player's house.

Nintendo Entertainment System games

Nearly two dozen NES games are available to collect in Animal Crossing. Animal Crossing is packaged with a memory card that gives the player two to begin with, and others are acquired in various ways. The games available include:

Japanese Exclusives:

U.S./Europe Exclusives:


There are four NES games often referred to as the "Forbidden Four" that can only be had by using an Action Replay cheat device or an e-Reader. Ice Climber and Mario Bros are available through both, while Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda are only available by using an Action Replay. Previously, this was referred to as the "Forbidden Five", as the newer, Mike Tyson-free version of Punch-Out!! was only available by means of Action Replay until the European release, when the Nintendo of Europe website for Animal Crossing offered a code similar to the ones needed for Clu Clu Land D, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, and Soccer on the American website for Animal Crossing. The code worked for U.S. copies as well. These codes were the only way of obtaining the five games.

It should be noted that Clu Clu Land D is previously unreleased outside of Japan, as it was a Famicom Disk System game. It was, however, based on the Arcade VS Clu Clu Land, as the two share some new elements. And while Excitebike, Ice Climber, and Mario Bros were given new versions for the Famicom Disk System, they don't appear as unlockables. The Famicom Disk System of Excitebike, called VS Excitebike, is heavily based of the Arcade version of the same name, adding a new VS Excite mode, but the Edit Mode is only for that. Everything else is much the same as the original, so it wasn't needed. The Famicom Disk System Ice Climber features different levels and at least one new enemy all derived from the Arcade VS Ice Climber, like Clu Clu Land did, except it shares the same name as the original NES version. The Famicom Disk System version of Mario Bros, however, was a brand new edition. It was called Return of Mario Bros., boosting from the Arcade version, with more extra features like cutscenes and a tutorial, but is mostly in Japanese and would have to be translated. This is why Gomoku Narabe and Mahjong didn't make it outside the Japanese version. They were replaced by Excitebike and Soccer for NA & PAL regions just because of the language, and these versions were made to preserve almost entirely, which means no translation would be supplied.

As for Advance Play, where one links a Game Boy Advance into one's GameCube to obtain the NES game temporarily, there are two rules for that for work. First, it must not be a game that has saving of any kind. Nearly all games can save one's High Score now with the Memory Card, but if it was initially released with the saving, it will not work for Game Boy Advance. This rules out Punchout, Legend of Zelda, and Wario's Woods. Secondly, it must be a real NES game, not a Famicom Disk System game. This rules out Clu Clu Land D. All other games can be played on Advance Play, slightly stretched and lacking 2 Player.

Museum

A player may choose to visit the local museum, but will not find much there initially. The museum has rooms to house fish, insects, paintings, and fossils, but relies on the player to complete the exhibits by making donations to Blathers, the owl curator. The fish and insect rooms can be filled by catching specimens to donate. Paintings are found like other furniture. Fossils can be dug up, but must be mailed off for identification before donation.

Pattern design

File:Animal Crossing Spooky.jpg
An Animal Crossing character wearing a tailor-made shirt on Halloween.

Players can also design patterns at a tailor in the bottom layer of the village, named the Able Sisters, run by two sisters, Mabel and Sable Able, but at a cost of 350 Bells. These patterns can be used for wallpaper, umbrellas and shirts. Players can also use the Game Boy Advance, hooked up to the GameCube with a GBA-GC link cable to design for free. After a player design patterns, they can put eight of them on display at the tailor, four as shirts, and four as umbrellas. This allows other villagers to wear those patterns. If players put up signs of those patterns around town, they could get more popular. The most popular shirt and umbrella will be said by Mabel Able if one asks.

Happy Room Academy

The Happy Room Academy ("HRA") rates every part of the player's house, except the basement that the player can have built, based on a point system. Each day (Depending if the player changed their interior the previous day), they will send the player a letter informing him or her of the amount of points earned. The HRA will deduct points for the following:

  • If the player mixes different themes or series on the first floor.
  • If the player puts furniture that has a use against a wall or in a place that is inaccessible.
  • If the player puts objects like raffle tickets, tools, or trash on the ground.

The HRA will add points for the following:

  • If the player completes a furniture series, theme, or set.
  • If the wallpaper or carpet matches the series or theme.
  • If the player has the complete necessities of life (a bed, chair, dresser, etc.) from a same or different series.
  • If the player has valuable objects within his home.

Upon earning a certain number of points, two different furniture pieces from the town model set will be received.

Each gyroid in the player's house adds 825 points to the HRA score.

Shopping

While in Animal Crossing, the main way to find new items is via buying them in Tom Nook's shop. When players begin their adventure his store is an unstocked, tiny store, called Nook's Cranny. As players progress through the game Tom Nook expands his store, making it larger, with a greater daily inventory.

Nook's Cranny -

  • 1 piece of furniture
  • 1 outfit
  • 1 tool

Nook 'n' Go -

  • 2 pieces of furniture
  • 2 outfits
  • 2 tools

Nookway -

  • 4 pieces of furniture
  • 3 outfits
  • 4 tools

Nookington's -

  • 8 pieces of furniture
  • 4 outfits
  • 4 tools

Eventually, a department store is opened by the racoon, called the Nookington Department Store, which is staffed by Tom Nook and his two assistants, Tommy and Timmy.

At the end of every month Tom Nook runs a raffle, which players can enter by handing over five raffle tickets won by buying furniture over the course of month. (Items cannot be purchased on Raffle Day.)

Feng Shui

Certain furniture items in the game have the properties of feng shui. If certain coloured items are placed on certain sides of the player's house, the player will have an increased chance of finding rare items, bells, or both. The use of feung shui will also result in a higher Happy Room Academy score. Laws of feng shui that apply to the game include:

  • Orange items placed on the north side of the house, which will result in good luck in finding money and items.
  • Red items placed on the east side of the house, which will result in good luck in finding items.
  • Green items placed on the south side of the house, which will result in good luck in finding money and items.
  • Yellow items placed on the west side of the house, which will result in good luck in finding money and items.

Other items, such as trophies and items received on holidays will provide good luck in money and items regardless of placement or color.

Seasons

As Animal Crossing plays in real-time, the seasons within the game change accordingly. A number of noticeable changes occur during each of the seasons.

Spring

During Spring players can find a number of insects living in their natural habitat. This season includes a fair amount of holidays including the Cherry festival.

Summer

Summer is when players can find the most insects buzzing about. Occasionaly, one can find a tent set up by a villager. If one talks to a villager, the player plays a game with him/her. Sometimes villagers will give the player a summer related item such as a campfire.

Autumn

During Autumn, the leaves start to fall off and the grass starts to become dormant for the year. There are several holidays in this season including Thanksgiving and Halloween.


Winter

During Winter, snow falls and blankets rooftops, trees, and the ground itself. Small snowballs form randomly on the ground, and when these are pushed by players they get larger. This is also when Jingle comes around to give the children their Christmas presents. Several of the villagers also build igloos at this time of year, allowing players to play games with the inhabitants. Sometimes the villager will give the player the infamous "DUMMY" item. (see Secrets-DUMMY below) Also, villagers will give the player a winter related item such as a snow bunny.

Secrets

Magic Rock

One randomly chosen rock in the village will spout money for every time it is hit by either a player's shovel or axe. This can only be done once a day. To find it the player must keep searching for the rocks and hitting them as he or she comes across them. It is a good idea to dig a hole behind one's character to hold them in place as they will naturally be pushed back by the force of the shovel/axe hitting the solid rock. When the correct rock is smacked, Bells start flying out and the rock turns red; the player can keep hitting the rock to get 100 Bell Bags, then 1,000 Bells, and if they're fast enough, 10,000. The red coloring will fade after a little while to indicate that the effect's going dry. The sound one hears when one hits it several times in a row is the 1-Up Mushroom sound from Super Mario Bros.

K.K.'s Hidden Songs

Certain songs can only be accessed by specifically requesting K.K. to play them. To access these songs, ask K.K. to play K.K. Song (the theme to Mario Paint), Two Days Ago, or I Love You. Upper and lower case are significant.

DUMMY

Around Winter, villagers will start to make igloos around town. Sometimes villagers will make bets with the player. If a villager asks the player to pick a bag and they are able to buy the item inside, sometimes the villager gives an item called "DUMMY". It is a white triangle that has "dummy" written on it in katakana. It can only be obtained in this manner and it counts as furniture. The "DUMMY" is worth no HRA points, and it is said that if one places it outside one's house or inventory, things may start to vanish in one's town. The item was most likely used in early alpha or beta testing to check if the user was able to correctly interact with objects and the environment, and was (mostly) removed from the game once the testing was complete.

Golden Tools

When one completes certain objectives, one can receive special versions of the four tools in the game.

  • Golden Rod: catch all fish. It makes rare fish, such as the coelacanth appear more often. It also makes catching any fish much easier.
  • Golden Net. catch all insects. The golden net makes rare bugs appear more often. The net's opening is also much larger, making it easier to catch insects.
  • Golden Shovel: buy two shovels, and bury one in a glowing patch of dirt. A tree with golden leaves will sprout and, when fully grown, a golden shovel will fall out of it if it is shaken. It will allow the player to sometimes find money bags when digging holes.
  • Golden Axe: keep the town perfect (according to the Wishing Well) for two weeks and a day, then go and see the Wishing Well again. The spirit at the well will give the player this axe. It will never break.

Multiplayer

There are several types of multiplayer gameplay in Animal Crossing.

In the first, up to four players can create their own houses in a single village. No two players can play at the same time, but by taking turns they can each affect the village in their own ways, communicate with each other via the town board and mail, and share in the experiences of the village.

In the second, by connecting two memory cards with Animal Crossing save data to a GameCube, a player can use his or her character to visit another player's village. Because no two villages are exactly alike, this allows players to visit different villagers and collect more items.

In the third, two players can play NES games together. All that this requires is two controllers and a compatible NES game (keep in mind that not all of the NES games have the two-player option). Once the controllers are in the players are able to select the NES game they want to play. Once the game is started, players can select the two-player option and start playing multiplayer.

A fourth type of multiplayer play consists of trading items with another player using a system of codes. By specifying the name of another player and the name of their village, a player can "trade" an item, generating a code which the other player can input to retrieve the item.

Private Island

In Animal Crossing, each town has its own tropical island. One can access it by plugging in one's Gameboy Advance to Gamecube Link Cable and going to the southeastern part of town where the dock is. Players will meet a kappa known as Kapp'n (take off on captain and a Japanese imp called a kappa) there, waiting for the player inside a tiny little row boat. Speak with him and he will ask the player if he or she would like to take a trip to the island. By saying yes he will row the player off to the island while singing love songs and songs about cucumbers. Arriving at the island one will see a new animal roaming the tiny island and can become friends with him/her. One can even knock down coconuts, decorate one's own little beach house and fish at the shores. By staying there for a long period of time, players will get a tan. With an Action Replay and a copy of the NTSC American version of the game, it is possible to access it without the Gameboy Advance with the cheat that enables one to jump.

Item Trading

Animal Crossing features a popular Offline Item Send & Receive feature. Through the use of codes customised by Player and Town name, players can transfer certain items to each other. It is also possible to get special gifts from Nintendo with special Universal codes.

Important Figures in the Village

  • Tom Nook: (racoon)the shopkeeper.
  • Tommy and Timmy: Tom Nook's helpers who work at his shop when he upgrades his shop to Nookington's department store.
  • Tortimer: (tortoise)the mayor.
  • Copper: (dog) the police man who keeps an eye out on the village by telling the player about special guests before they arrive and, when visiting another village, he gives the player a map of the village they are visiting. He also teaches aerobics for the sports fairs from July 25 to August 31 from 6 AM to 7 AM.
  • Booker: (pug dog)the policeman who is in charge of lost items.
  • Pelly: (pelican)the friendly daytime (7:00 AM to 7:00 PM) clerk of the post office.
  • Phyllis: (pelican)the grumpy nighttime (7:00 PM to 7:00 AM) clerk of the post office.
  • Pete: the mail delivery pelican. At 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, the player can talk to him in front of the town bulletin board.
  • Blathers: (owl)the sleepy, museum curator.
  • Blanca: can be seen riding on the train. When she asks to sit with the player, he or she ends up telling her that her face is washed off, therefore drawing her another face.
  • Kapp'n: the kappa who operates the boat to the island.
  • Sable and Mabel:(hedgehogs) the owners of the Able Sisters tailor shop.
  • Sow Joan: the pig who comes around every Sunday morning to sell turnips, which can be sold to Tom Nook for more or less than the player paid. (Turnip speculation is one of the most profitable ways to make money in Animal Crossing.)
  • K.K. Slider (Totakeke): the singing musician who comes around every Saturday night to play music in front of the train station. The player can have him play for him or her. They can also request any one of his 55 songs. His name is reminiscent of the Animal Crossing music composer, Kazumi Totaka.
  • Gulliver: a seagull who washes up on shore once a week and gives the player an item, usually a model of an item from a foreign country.
  • Crazy Redd: a fox, owner of the black market which comes around town occasionally. He usually sells things one can find at Tom Nook's shop, but has rare items for sale once in a while.
  • Wendell: a hungry walrus who gives out rare wallpaper if the player gives him a fish.
  • Gracie: a giraffe who is known for fashion. If the player cleans her car well, he or she can receive a rare piece of clothing.
  • Saharah: a camel who sells rare carpets.
  • Katrina: a fortune teller who gives readings for the price of 50 Bells. The readings have 24-hour effects, such as love (animals of the opposite gender will fall in love with the player) or bad luck (the player will trip and fall occasionally while running).
  • Wisp: a ghost who comes out during the night from 12 AM to 4 AM. He gives the player furniture, gets rid of all the weeds in the player's village, or repaints the roof of the player's house.
  • Mr. Resetti: a mole who comes if the player resets Animal Crossing and tells him or her to refrain from resetting. He is also the town "groundhog," who is used during the Groundhog Day festivities. Speculation suggests his name comes from the term reset, Mr. Resetti.
  • Don Resetti: Mr. Resetti's brother. He is calmer than his brother and appears after one resets a few times. Like his brother, he wears a hardhat and holds a pick-axe. His name possibly takes after "Don't Reset", similar to his brother.
  • Chip: the beaver who hosts the summer and fall fishing tourneys.
  • Porter: the monkey who is the train conductor and train driver.
  • The villagers: ranging from a wide variety of animal species and personality types. For male animals, there are three, generally described as "jock," "grumpy," and "sleepy," and for female animals, there are also three, generally described as "nice," "hyper," and "snobby."

Using the Game Boy Advance

Game Boy Advance connectivity can play a role in Animal Crossing for those who own one. To link the two, one needs a Game Boy Advance-GameCube cable.

The island

When the two systems are linked, Kapp'n can be found at the dock and will row the player to the island, where a villager has taken up residence. The player can give the villager items in return for money and other commodities. Also on the island are coconut trees, and this is the only place they can be found. It is always summer on the island, and only summer fish and insects can be caught there. When the player leaves the island, he or she can choose the option of transferring the island to his or her Game Boy Advance and interact with the islander as a minigame for in-game rewards.

e-Reader compatibility

Animal Crossing is compatible with the e-Reader. One can use e-Reader cards to get new items, including NES games, a new town tune, or a shirt design.

Controversy

An issue regarding the game which has aroused concern in some is that a code which, in effect, says "Peach gave Mario a nice blow job", can be used at Tom Nook's shop to get a free item. It is unlikely, however, that the head designers of the game knew of the code's existance.

Other Animal Crossing games

Animal Forest e+

This game is an improved version of Animal Forest +, adding many features from the English version, Animal Crossing, and some new features found only in this version. Some of the new features include:

  • New town monuments, fish, insects, and villagers.
  • The ability to hold flowers.
  • Villagers' tasks have been re-designed.
  • Medicine which can cure bee stings, or can be given to ill villagers.
  • New furniture and themes.
  • The ability to use Animal Forest + (Dōbutsu no Mori +) and Animal Forest e+ (Dōbutsu no Mori e+) e-Reader cards at the Wishing Well to control which villagers appear in the town.
  • The ability to shop at night.
  • A way to visit Mr. Resetti.

Animal Crossing: Wild World

A Nintendo DS sequel, Animal Crossing: Wild World borrows many of the same characteristics of its predecessor on the Gamecube, with slight improvements. Most notable, however, is the game's ability to utilize the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for online play. It has many of the features of Animal Forest e+.

Animal Crossing Revolution

An untitled Animal Crossing game is in development for the Nintendo Revolution. It is unknown if this game will be able to connect to Wild World.

Trivia

  • One of the rarest fish in the game, the coelacanth, is also one of the rarest fish on Earth.
  • Three Animal Crossing game trophies are available in Super Smash Bros. Melee: Tom Nook, Totakeke, and Mr. Resetti. The characters were listed as being from a future release, as Super Smash Bros. Melee was released before Animal Crossing in the United States.
  • Elements from Animal Crossing also appear in Daigasso! Band Brothers, WarioWare: Twisted! and Pikmin 2.
  • Because the game file is very small, the entire game is loaded into memory from the very start of the game. One can open the disc cover and take out the Animal Crossing disc while playing the game without experiencing any gameplay issues.
  • The European release was significantly delayed. Translation issues are one reason for the delays, as Animal Crossing was translated into 7 additional languages. Nintendo later promised Europe that "we are not going to be two years late, as we were with Animal Crossing on GameCube, on any other products."1
  • The Australian release of the game is the only PAL version to have e-Reader support as it is a direct port of the U.S version and was released much earlier than its European counterpart.
  • There is absolutely no connection between these games and the anime and manga series Animal Yokocho, although the title "Animal Crossing" was used for that series in some early English-languages articles.
  • In the Japanese version of the game, "gyroids" are called haniwa, after a kind of archeological artifact native to Japan.
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