Island in the Sun (or snow or rain)

The arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons can be considered a perfect example of a product hitting at the r??ight place, right time. Making its debut right as the pandemic upheaved the lives and livelihoods of people around the world, it became an anchor point for millions as something that could help us get through the uncertainty of COVID-19 and keep us connected with those we loved.

There was much fervor for the title in its early days, and Nintendo did well to keep players interested with updates that added some new-but-mostly-returning features to the title over its inaugural year. But by the time it started to celebrate its first anniversary, the updates became less frequent and note-worthy. For a while, New Horizons players were left in a holding pattern as Nintendo remained quiet on what was next for the 30 million+ selling title. After several months, our patience was rewarded with the announcement of Version 2.0 and the Happy Home Paradise paid DLC.

Both provided ample reasons for players to return to their islands. Version 2.0’s introduction of Brewster’s cafe, the gyroids, and original villagers like Ace and Zoe was enough to get me back to caring for my island, but it’s the Happy Home Paradise DLC that’ll keep me playing for weeks to come.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons �Happy Home Paradise (Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Released: November 5, 2021
MSRP: $24.99 or part of Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack ($50/year)

Of course, not everybody is going to see this DLC the same way I do. People played and continue to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons for very different reasons. When Version 2.0 dropped, I chuckled when our own Eric Van Allen admitted he didn’t develop his island enough to have access to some of the new content. As he explained to me on Twitter, he spent most of his time visiting friends�islands and playing the stalk market. In comparison, I rarely did either of those activities as I focused on trying to design a??n island as amazing as those I found plastered all over social media last year. Spoiler alert: it didn’t happen.

Ultimately, I spent most of my time doing what I always do in Animal Crossing games: fidgeting around my house. There are days where I’d log in only to redecorate my bedroom, not bothering to step outside and say hello to my neighbors. There is just something about home renovations and decorating that scratches an itch for me, which is why Happy Home Paradise �and its predecessor, Happy Home Designer �feels like it’s custom-made for me.

When you purchase and download the Happy Home Paradise DLC, you’ll be introduced to Lottie at your island’s airport. Lottie, who made her debut in Happy Home Designer, has a new business venture that she’d like you to be a part of. It’s called "Paradise Planning", where you’ll design fabulous vacation homes for the Animal Crossing one-percenters while getting paid in scrip you can only use at the company store. Each customer will have a rough idea of what it is they’re looking for (a lot of wood in a house, be surrounded by riches) as well as a small handful of items that must be included. Those specific items will be shipped to whatever house location you pick for ??them, and as long as you don’t delete them, you really can’t mess up with your design.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu76c3HCKg4

Don’t come into Happy Home Paradise thinking there are going to be some stringent requirements or actual knowledge of design concepts like feng shui required to succeed here. Much like Animal Crossing proper, the point of this DLC is not to challenge you, but to give you a pleasant and relaxed outlet for your creativity. With each vacation home request you get, you’ll be given access to a growing number of objects you can place inside and outside the house. Some of these objects are suggested for the task as hand, but you can choose to ignore those item??s if they don’t fit into the design you have in mind. In fact, you can have nothing in mind and just do the bare minimum of unwrapping those required items and still get a satisfied customer.

Having such a low barrier to success means you’re only to get out of Happy Home Paradise what you put into it. There are no scores or grades to push you here. This is a supply-your-own-motivation type of experience. If you’re excited about the prospect of designing a house that’s a garden sanctuary or a place to host an elegant tea party, there is a lot of fun to be had. If tha??t doesn’t sound the slightest bit interesting to you, then this DLC is not worth? the money.

For those who do find pleasure in fine-tuning their interior decorating skills, know there is more to this DLC than just vacation homes. Much like with Happy Home Designer, Lottie will ask for your assistance in fixing up old facilities on the island, such as a school, a restaurant, and a hospital. Doing so will unlock further design capabilities, like when Lief comes and gives a lecture at your redesigned school and gives you access to hybrid flowers. Some of the skills and objects you gain in Happy Home Paradise can be transferred back to your home island, such as polishing objects with different effects or setting up partition walls in your house. Disappointingly, these partition walls are only for show as you can't ?hang anything on them.

You’ll also be able to buy exclusive new furniture pieces that you can take back home. Each vacation house you design will reward you with Poki you can spend at the Paradise Planning store. Only a handful of items are made available each day, which is actually a good enough reason to take your time with this DLC. When New Horizons first dropped, you had people playing the game for hours at a time, which was never how Animal Crossing was intended to be played. While it is possible to speed run through Happy Home Paradise, doing so will ultimately result in a situation where you’ll need to log back in and fly out to the island day after day just to spend all the Poki you’ve ea?rned.

I enjoyed my time with Happy Home Designer on the Nintendo 3DS, but having that gameplay attached as DLC to a mainline Animal Crossing entry �rather than as its own thing �is ultimately a better use of the concept. Because Happy Home Paradise compliments New Horizons quite well. The two experiences feed into one another. The DLC unlocks new skills and objects you can use on your home island, and in turn, New Horizons provides your island neighbors as potential new customers for Paradise Planning. You can also invite villagers using amiibo and amiibo cards, and this is really the onl??y point of contention I have with this DLC.

Nintendo, despite its origins as a playing card company, cannot be relied upon these days to produce amiibo cards in large enough quantities to reach all of its potential customers. Happy Home Paradise is compatible with every Animal Crossing amiibo card released so far, but the first four series of those cards that were produced initially for Happy Home Designer, Animal Crossing amiibo Festival, and Animal Crossing: New Leaf �Welcome amiibo are out of print. Series 5, which was announced the same day as the DLC, has been nearly impossible to get your hands on if you rely on online shopping. I know a large part of this has to do with the current collector's climate that Nintendo has no control over, but that didn't spring up in the past few weeks. It's been going on for months and it's disappointing that the production of these cards wasn't adjusted to combat a marketplace made hostile by aggressive resellers. I'm lucky to still have about 30 - 40 cards from the Happy Home Designer sets, so when I run out of customers to help in Happy Home Paradise, I can keep the fun going a little bit longer.

And I do intend to keep the fun going for as long as I can because I truly enjoy what it is I'm doing as an employee of Paradise Planning. As I said above, there is nothing I like more in Animal Crossing than fidgeting around my house and changing the layout on a whim. That's all you're going to do in Happy Home Paradise, and for me, that??'s more than enough to keep me logging in every single day.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the DLC purchased by the reviewer.]}

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You can keep those airports open again

Animal Crossing players have been at it, designing homes, farming, and opening coffee shops. Meanwhile, Nintendo has confirmed it's squashed one pesky Animal Crossing: New Horizons bug it had previously warned players to avoid.

On Nov. 5, Nintendo tweeted out that players who owned the Happy Home Paradise DLC for Animal Crossing: New Horizons might e?xperience gameplay bugs if they ask to remodel a reside?nt's home while their airport gate is open.

As long as the gates were closed, remodeling should have been fine. And today, Nintendo released Ver. 2.0.1 of Animal Crossing: New Horizons to fix the gameplay bugs mentioned.

//twitter.com/Nintend??oAmerica/status/1459219285016866816

So, if you'r??e looking forward to having some company over, you don't have to worry about remodeling or not while the gates are open.

I imagine the discovery happened quick, as it seemed like everyone was logging on last week to play Animal Crossing when the 2.0 update dropped early. I've since been steadily working my way through the DLC, and it's pretty much exactly what I wanted. Because I missed out on the Happy Home Designer standalone, it's been cool to see firsthand why that particular Animal Crossing game garnered a fervent following.

But really, it's been fun just logging back on each day. No need to stress about speeding through anything, because I can just enjoy what seems like it'll be the last major update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons. At least now I know I can safely leave my airport gate open when my turnip prices are popping, and not worry about any bugs putting a stop to my remo??delin?g.

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The island moves at your pace

So we've had a weekend with the new update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its accompanying DLC, Happy Home Paradise. Some people, myself i?ncluded, probably spent their weekend happily designing s??ome new homes and gathering up all the new content.

Some parts, I feel like I'm only scratching the surface. Others, I've barely even started on, or have yet to even see. At fi??rst, I was seeing social media posts from people assembling new, fantastic islands and quickly unlocking all the new additions. I was worried I'd fall behind.

Then I realized, why bother? Animal Crossing is a game about taking life at your own pace. And? with this most recent, and last, batch of updates, why should that change now?

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu76c3HCKg4

Granted, this is not a wholly original take on how to play Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The name of the game has always been to, first and foremost, enjoy yourself. Even in the face of beautiful, resplendent islands that seem impossibly dense and involved, the best way to play Animal Crossing has always been at your own pace.

And this isn't necessarily shunning the time-travellers and content-bingers of Animal Crossing, either. Your own pace might be to speedily unlock everything,?? so you can spend more time basking in the aesthetic. The appeal might be designing those lavish landscapes you see on social media, and speeding your way there to get the assets you need ??is part of the appeal. That's all good!

There's no wrong way to play, but there's no anxiety you need to feel about playing differently from anyone else too. Not just because Animal Crossing is supposed to be relaxing, but because this is the last big batch of Animal Crossing: New Horizons we're going to get.

It's been confirmed that Animal Crossing: New Horizons has received its final major free and paid content updates. Essentially, this is the last big DLC or content dump we're going to see for Animal Crossing.

And it's a big one, at that. I'm still barely grazing the surface of what Ver. 2.0 holds. I'm still building up towards opening up all the shops on Harv's Island, so I can start to fill out my catalog and museum. I've yet to enact any Ordinance with Isabelle. Heck, farming? I've got some wheat starters just sitting in my storage right now. I don't even know what to do with them, much less cook anything or turn them into something appetizing.

Because while I'm doing all the free updates??, I'm also venturing over to Paradise Planning every day to work my job as a vacation home planner. There are adorable animal villagers who need their perfect escape made, and I'm the one to do it. Which means plotting out their little piece of paradise, filling it with decorations, and specifying it to their exact wants and needs.

For some characters, this is easy. For others, you get to have a little fun with i??t. But it takes time. It all takes time. So why take it at anyone else's pace?

I was stressing for a few days that other people were surging ahead of me. But now, sitting here on Monday morning, I'm just happy to log in and see what's new. I stop by Nook's Cranny to see if anything new is ?in, and then I jet on over to Paradise Planning to see what's in their shop. I de-weed my island and tend my flower garden,? then go arrange a house for a new client.

And through it all, I'm doing my own real-life work stuff. Like, oddly enough, writing this blog about taking your time. Becaus??e at the end of the d??ay, it's a vacation. It's a game about doing what you want to, not what you have to.

So yes, I'm grinding for some things, and trying to plan out a big Turnip buy so I can finance more shop purchases and re-arranging my town. But that's a project I'm content to take some time with, because in the here and now, I want to just design some homes. I want to take cool pictures of me and my friends with the new camera options. I'd like to just poke aw??ay at this for days, even weeks?? on end.

Yes, the major content updates for Animal Crossing: New Horizons are seemingly done. But the nice part is, knowing that means knowing I won't have to rush to finish anything before another big content drop. This is the Animal Crossing I'll be playing from now on. The seasons may change and villagers might come and go, but my island isn't going anywhere. So I??'m free to take my run to the end at any pace I?'d like.

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A heartwarming sight to see

It's Friday, and we're about to head into another weekend. As the news machine winds on down and many of us settle in for a cozy weekend of Happy Home planning in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I wanted to share this sweet little thread that I've been following on the ACNH subreddit all day long, where users have been gifting each other the Animal Crossing DLC.

It all started with user MoopDaDoop, who had picked up the Happy Home Paradise DLC and was enjoying it. They had an extra $35 card for the Nintendo ??eShop, and decided to gift it to someone who wasn't able to pick the DLC up yet for money reasons.

Another user chimed in to say they weren't able to afford it, and MoopDaDoop sent it on over. It was a nice little donatio??n, with lots of users commenting about what a sweet thing it was to do for someone else.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu76c3HCKg4

And soon, others were following MoopDaDoop's lead. Throughout the day, other users have been offering to buy the Animal Crossing DLC for anyone who can't afford it. To be clear, it's not for anyone who's on ??the fence, or just wants a f??ree copy; just folks who have had tough times, maybe some extra bills or they've been squeezed for rent.

It's been a neat thread to follow throughout the day. As so many Animal Crossing fans have been sharing what they've been doing with the new camera options and cool, sometimes spooky décor, other users are contributing some of their good fortune for others down on theirs. (Also, if you see this and think about sliding in when you know darn well yo?u can afford the DLC: don't screw this up, you dinguses.)

Anyways, that's the energy I'll send y'all out on the weekend with. Put good back ?out there into the world, and have fun planning out all those houses for v?acation-seeking villagers.

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It's a whole new world

Both Animal Crossing: New Horizons Ver. 2.0 and the Happy Home Paradise DLC are live now. There's a veritable smorgasbord of new content to get through, from designing homes for other villagers to sprucing up my own. But one of my favorite updates isn't necessarily part of the content itself, but a new way of seeing Animal Crossing through the new Pro Camera.

The Pro Camera upgrade, which you can pick up at the Nook Miles machine in the Town Center, adds a few new options to your phone's Camera app. Most notably, it lets you zip down to a first-person perspective, through the handheld mode. By itself, this is already a pretty interesting perspective shift: rather than? top-down angles, you can see directly what your avatar sees.

But the Animal Crossing Pro Camera really excels when you realize you can move around. While it's a little limited in some ways, being able to move through your island in first-person is a game-changer, in a way that onl?y vi?suals can really get across.

I mean, just look at this image I took from the night the Animal Crossing update suddenly went live. We were on a friend's island, looking around and marveling at how different the game looks in first-person view, when we went into one of the houses. Turns out, it was Pietro's house. And suddenly, our cheerful island adventure turned into scrapped Resident Evil Village DLC.

On your main island??, it suddenly alters the way you look at everything. I was already a huge fan of Blathers and his museum, to the point of not skipping any explanations he offers. Especially as the COVID-19 pandemic kicked up, being able to visit a virtual museum has been a joy. And now, you can wa?lk through it all in first-person mode.

//twitter.com/SaffronIsle/st??atus/1456103204??081455106

//twitter??.com/??carefreejules15/status/1456428676363415559

And in Happy Home Paradise, I can snap close-up photos of my clients. Here's the super-sick gamer room I made for Claude, complete with streamer desk, head-to-head fighting cab set-up, and neon lights behind the monitors. Being able t?o explore a space I had just meticulously laid out and see what it looked like in first-person is phenomenal.

Everything has changed with this update. Even forced-perspective islands, a popular aesthetic among the more creative Animal Crossing players, have become even cooler with a new outlo??ok on isla??nd life.

And the tripod option adds even more use, as it's so much easier now to take group shots and selfies, or even set up some really bizarre angles. From island entrances to brand-new angles for appreciating art, the addition of Pro Camera to Animal Crossing has r?eally opened up new ways of looking at my island.

Now, I'll be re-designing with first-person potential in mind. A hedge maze just became that much cooler, and I can't wait to see what the Animal Crossing: New Horizons community does with all of this. Will I probably just end up taking a lot of fisheye photos of random villagers? Yes, most definitely. But over the last year, I've also seen just how creative the community for Animal Crossing can get, and I'm looking for??ward to whatever they do with this new angle on island l??iving.

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Turn EVERYBODY into the Original Odd Couple

So, you've already filled up your Animal Crossing: New Horizons island, and although you may be living in total squalor, why not share that disarray with your fellow villagers? As part of this morning's Animal Crossing Direct, Nintendo announced Happy Home Paradise �a paid DLC update for the cutesy Swi??tch social sim �launching November ?5.

Happy Home Paradise gives players the opportunity to share their design ideas with a menagerie of residents, all looking for their own piece of island nirvana. By taking on clients, players will be given full editing privileges to design and construct the client's home. From choosing a suitable island and location, to conceiving and building the home's interior and exterior, the player will be fully responsible for providing a home that? perfectly suits the given client's aesthetic and lifestyle.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu76c3HCKg4

Decide the homestead's shape and size, add partitions and countertops, decorate the walls, floors, and ceiling, before polishing off the look with a wide variety of matching furniture. Once the interior is complete, move outside to create a beautiful yard for the client, lavishly daubed in plants, fences, and water features. Do an excellent job, and you'll soon find your Rolodex full of new clients, eager to capitalize on your wild 'n' wacky design ideas. Cute. You'll be paid for your services in in-game currency Poki, which can be used to buy exclusive furniture and decorations for your own humble abode. You can also invite new clients to your business via amiibo car??ds.

Once you've mastered homes, you can go on to build amenities for the town, including schoolhouses, restaurants, and hospitals. I have to admit, the idea of Animal Crossing characters getting that sick almost moves me to tears... couldn't it have been, I don't know, a car dealership or something? Regardless, the Happy Home Paradise DLC hopes to add hours upon hours of extra gameplay, as the player continues to create stylish new pads for Animal Crossing's cast of ?fuzzy f?riends.

Happy Homes Paradise will launch on November 5, priced at around $25.

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