Thank you to Nintendo for showing us a preview of the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 update and Happy Home Paradise DLC. We love both the free and paid new content and cannot wait to dive in further. #sponsored
The folks at Nintendo heard you, loud and clear. You wanted more. More tasks, more characters, more crops, more building options, more chances to travel, more ways to design in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The new 2.0 update is a free update available to all, and for those who want even more, there’s also a paid Happy Home Paradise DLC update as well.
Animal Crossing: 2 huge updates
I love Animal Crossing, and I have for over a decade through various Nintendo devices. When I found Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Switch, I was obsessed. I played it constantly, harvesting this and that, visiting random islands, and building up my island to the 5-star rating.
And, even after that I played pretty frequently, trying to create every flower hybrid and find every creature. But, then it got to the place that I didn’t really have much to do on my island, so I’d visit my kiddo’s island and bring them items and trade {we have two Switches and therefore, two islands}. So, my island was largely abandoned, with weeds growing everywhere and cockroaches running around. Oh, and did I mention the flowers that were threatening to take over large parts of my island?
So, when Nintendo announced that they were planning to release a huge Animal Crossing update this November, I was so incredibly excited. I needed something fresh to look forward to, something to get me excited about my island again. This new 2.0 update is all that and more.
Nintendo Switch Animal Crossing 2.0 Update
The New Horizons 2.0 update is the last major free content update for the game. The update consists of many of the items players have been complaining about and a return of some of the most beloved characters in the Animal Crossing franchise.
This includes the return of Brewster, who will open a museum café and the sea shanty singing Kapp’n, who will take you to different islands with his boat. Harv’s Island will get a much-needed update, which will now include a shop area. You will also see the introduction of cooking and the option of growing more vegetables, as well as a bunch of other smaller features that make game play feel new again.
You will also get an upgraded camera app, being able to permanently place ladders and other items for accessibility, and all new storage sheds/lockers to keep tools where you need them. There’s more customization options for your island, including new bridges and inclines, as well as a bunch of new items to spend all your Nook Miles on to beautify your island.
My favorite part of the update? Town Ordinances. I tend to play on the Switch pretty late at night after the kiddos go to bed, and it was really, really frustrating to miss out on Nooks Cranny and the Able Sisters by just a few minutes day after day. Now I get extra time in the shop, even if it was at a hefty price tag of $20,000. You can choose between 4 different ordinances, which all alter the island slightly and allow you to customize your village.
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Paradise DLC
In addition to the free content update, Nintendo also released a new Happy Home Paradise DLC for Animal Crossing update on the same day. Now you can help design buildings in a more detailed way, working with clients to design dream vacation homes in new resort area located in an archipelago, This area is made up of several different islands, which makes it easy to find the perfect getaway for each resident. Find out the details of your client’s requests for a vacation home and then make their dreams a reality.
If you love to love to design and customize your towns down to every single detail, the paid Happy Home Paradise DLC is for you. With it, Animal Crossing: New Horizons becomes more like The Sims, which I couldn’t be happier about. Designing my island was incredibly fun, but I’m still pretty happy with it and not ready to change things up too much. The new DLC upgrade allows me to leave my island as-is and still be continuously creating new spaces and designing homes.
Really, it’s the best of all worlds…. I mean, islands.
Want to see what else is new for Nintendo this holiday season? Check out our Nintendo gift guide for more great ideas.