Animal Crossing (series)

File:Animal-Crossing-(logo).png

The Animal Crossing series logo

This article is about the Animal Crossing series. For the game of the same name, see Animal Crossing (GCN).

The Animal Crossing (どうぶつの森, Dōbutsu no Mori, lit. Animal Forest) video game series is a series of communication adventure games exclusively for Nintendo consoles. The game progresses in real time in a nonlinear format. All of the games are rated 'E' for Everyone by the ESRB and 3+ by PEGI. The player takes the role of a human in a village of animals and may take on tasks from villagers, pay off their mortgage, garden, fish, catch insects, and more.

Objectives

As an open-ended life simulation game, the Animal Crossing series does not have a set objective. As such, after an introductory sequence at the beginning of the games, players are free to do as they like. The only 'objective' in the game, if any, is to pay off the mortgage placed upon the player's house—but, like most activities within the game, this is entirely optional and does not incur any consequences, other than having less space to store items.

Villagers

In every town in the Animal Crossing series, the village itself is populated entirely by animals (excluding the player, who is the only human shown in the entire series). Villagers are anthropomorphic, and as such, are able to speak, walk in a humanoid manner, use tools, and wear clothes. They serve as interactive characters who are assigned personalities and traits, and this affects the way they communicate with you and among themselves. Villagers are capable of conversation, have unique interests and catchphrases, and live in their own domains within the town.

Villagers will often ask the player to perform tasks for them (ranging from delivering presents to sending messages to another human player). Players can incur a reward if tasks are executed in the set time. In later games, they are also capable of playing games with the player, such as hide-and-seek. Villagers move in and out of the town regularly due to certain factors (e.g. because the player has exchanged animals with another village over Wi-Fi), or simply because they are not satisfied with their current life). It is said that they enjoy receiving letters, and if sent a gift, they will usually send one in return.

Customization

Although earlier games offered few options in terms of customization, more recent games feature the ability to not only customize appearance, but also wallpapers, carpets and furniture in their home, as well as the home's exterior. It is also possible to decorate the ground outdoors with designs.

Activities

Despite being an open-ended game, Animal Crossing does provide some activities to pass the time and help "complete" certain aspects of the gameplay (such as completing exhibits within the museum). Some of these activities include bug-catching, fishing, fossil-hunting, and even item-collecting (the latter an objective to complete the player's catalog). Players can also interact in games of hide-and-seek with villagers, participate in festivals and town events, and generally do as they like within the game.

Games

Mainline series

Boxart	English title	Japanese title	Platform	Release date(s)	Notes
First Generation
100px	Dōbutsu no Mori	どうぶつの森 Dōbutsu no Mori lit. Animal Forest	Nintendo 64	File:Flag of Japan small.png JP April 14, 2001	The first game of the series. Released exclusively in Japan.
100px	Dōbutsu no Mori+	どうぶつの森+ Dōbutsu no Mori+ lit. Animal Forest+	Nintendo GameCube	File:Flag of Japan small.png JP December 14, 2001	GameCube port of the first game. Released exclusively in Japan.
	Animal Crossing	どうぶつの森+ Dōbutsu no Mori+ lit. Animal Forest+	Nintendo GameCube	File:Flag of the United States small.png NA September 16, 2002 File:Flag of Australia small.png AU October 17, 2003 File:Flag of Europe small.png EU September 24, 2004	Localized version of Dōbutsu no Mori+ with numerous aesthetic and gameplay changes and regional events.
100px	Dōbutsu no Mori e+	どうぶつの森e+ Dōbutsu no Mori e+ lit. Animal Forest e+	Nintendo GameCube	File:Flag of Japan small.png JP June 27, 2003	Japanese version of localized Animal Crossing with additional changes and updates, including new villagers and enhanced e-Reader support. Released exclusively in Japan.
Second Generation
100px	Animal Crossing: Wild World	おいでよどうぶつの森 Oideyo Dōbutsu no Mori lit. Animal Forest: Come Here	Nintendo DS	File:Flag of Japan small.png JP November 23, 2005 File:Flag of the United States small.png NA December 5, 2005 File:Flag of Australia small.png AU December 8, 2005 File:Flag of Europe small.png EU March 31, 2006	First game released on a handheld console, first to be released worldwide, first to feature online multiplayer (via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection)
100px	Animal Crossing: City Folk	街へいこうよどうぶつの森 Machi e ikouyo: Dōbutsu no Mori lit. Let's Go to the City: Animal Forest	Wii	File:Flag of the United States small.png NA November 16, 2008 File:Flag of Japan small.png JP November 17, 2008 File:Flag of Australia small.png AU December 4, 2008 File:Flag of Europe small.png EU December 5, 2008 File:Flag of South Korea small.png KR January 28, 2010	First game to be released in South Korea. Some copies of the game were bundled with Wii Speak.
Third Generation
100px	Animal Crossing: New Leaf	とびだせどうぶつの森 Tobidase Dōbutsu no Mori lit. Jump Out Animal Forest	Nintendo 3DS	File:Flag of Japan small.png JP November 8, 2012 File:Flag of South Korea small.png KR February 8, 2013 File:Flag of the United States small.png NA June 9, 2013 File:Flag of Europe small.png EU June 14, 2013 File:Flag of Australia small.png AU June 15, 2013	First game to utilise stereoscopic 3D visuals.
	Animal Crossing: New Leaf Welcome amiibo	とびだせ どうぶつの森 amiibo+ Tobidase Dōbutsu no Mori amiibo+ lit. Jump Out Animal Forest amiibo+	Nintendo 3DS	File:Flag of Japan small.png JP November 23, 2016 File:Flag of the United States small.png NA November 25, 2016 File:Flag of Europe small.png EU December 2, 2016	Expansion pack for New Leaf, adding new villagers, furniture, areas and amiibo functionality. Also released as a standalone updated version of the game.
Fourth Generation
100px	Animal Crossing: New Horizons	Unknown	Nintendo Switch	File:Flag of Japan small.png JP March 20, 2020 File:Flag of the United States small.png NA March 20, 2020 File:Flag of Europe small.png EU March 20, 2020	Upcoming installment in the Animal Crossing series, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. The player will live on a tropical island.

Spin-off titles

Boxart	English title	Japanese title	Platform	Release date(s)	Notes
	Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer	どうぶつの森：ハッピーホームデザイナ Dōbutsu no Mori: Happī Hōmu Dezainā	Nintendo 3DS	File:Flag of Japan small.png JP July 30, 2015 File:Flag of the United States small.png NA September 25, 2015 File:Flag of Europe small.png EU October 2, 2015 File:Flag of Australia small.png AU October 3, 2015	Based on New Leaf, this spin-off focuses on designing homes and gardens. First game in the series to use Amiibo.
100px	Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival	どうぶつの森amiiboフェスティバル Dōbutsu no Mori: amiibo Fesutibaru	Wii U	File:Flag of the United States small.png NA November 13, 2015 File:Flag of Europe small.png EU November 20, 2015 File:Flag of Japan small.png JP November 21, 2015 File:Flag of Australia small.png AU November 21, 2015	A multiplayer party game that utilises amiibo.
	Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp	どうぶつの森 ポケットキャンプ Dōbutsu no Mori: Poketo Kyanpu	iOS Android	File:Flag of Australia small.png AU October 25, 2017 (Beta) File:Flag of Japan small.png JP November 21, 2017 File:Flag of the United States small.png NA November 21, 2017 File:Flag of Europe small.png EU November 21, 2017	First game to be released on mobile devices. Receives regular content updates.

External links

Official website