Summary
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the latest installment in theAnimal Crossingseries, was undoubtedly a significant milestone for the franchise when it was released in 2020. While it’s true that Nintendo had already established a loyal following,ACNHpropelled the series into the mainstream spotlight. However, there’s still room for improvement, and delving into the backstories and motivations ofAnimal Crossing’s characters could be the key to unlocking this potential.
To create a more interactive in-game world, Nintendo could introduce deepernarrative elements in the nextAnimal Crossing. Though there are plenty of characters that could benefit from this change, there’s one mysterious personality that the developer could finally begin to explore. The player’s parents aren’t mentioned much and, interestingly, the father only appears in rare circumstances.
The Player’s Parents Are Hardly Ever Mentioned in the Animal Crossing Franchise
The player’s parents, often referred to as Mom and Dad, are brought up so infrequently that it can be easy to forget that they do exist. Since the pair never actually physically appear in any of theAnimal Crossinggames, it can only be assumed that they are human, since their child is human. If they are human, this would make the couple one of the fewhumans in theAnimal Crossinguniverse. There are only four known humans, the player, the parents, and an implied fourth since the player mentions inACNHthat the man-faced stink bug reminds them of their uncle.
What little there is to be gleaned about the player’s dad mostly comes from information in the mom’s letters. The dad, for unknown reasons, typically only writes on Father’s Day, though inNew Leafhe will send letters a bit more frequently. The mom, however, is far more consistent, sending letters sharing updates on her life alongside celebrating milestones such astheAnimal Crossingplayer’s birthday. This includes sending gifts on days such as, but not limited to:
The mom will only send a gift for becoming the town mayor inAnimal Crossing: New Leaf.
Based on the limited information about the dad, it’s clear that this particularAnimal CrossingNPC could use an update. For example, the nextAnimal Crossingcould fill in information as to why the parents are such a small part of the player’s life. This could include a backstory as to why the mom appears to be closer to their child.
Perhaps a hidden rift or past trauma is the reason behind the player’s distant relationship with their dad. Of course, it’s entirely plausible that the father just isn’t much for writing letters. This may be closer to the truth considering that on one Father’s Day, he wrote: “See? Your Mom isn’t the only writer in the family”, indicating that he simply doesn’t do it often. This is further solidified by the fact that the mom mentions the dad is too “old-fashioned” to tell the player that they are always welcome home.
While Nintendo might not be keen on delving deeper into the dad’s story, there are plenty of existingACNHvillagers who could fill the “substitute dad” voidwith open arms. Still, the idea of parents playing a bigger role in a futureAnimal Crossinggame is enticing. After all, a future with parents who can visit the island and share heartwarming moments could be a unique feature in the next installment.
Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing is a Nintendo-exclusive life sim franchise spread across numerous Nintendo consoles. Featuring anthropomorphic villagers, strong customization, and a real-time day cycle, the Animal Crossing series offers unique and varied gameplay.
