Animal Crossing: New Horizons is officially coming to the Switch 2, but that's not all – it's also getting a surprise new update four years after Nintendo's last big patch… although the big news isn't proving so exciting for some fans.
Major Animal Crossing: New Horizons content updates came to a halt in 2021 with 2.0 (not counting bug fixes and more minor patches), with Nintendo explaining at the time that it'd be the final significant release for the cozy sim. That's what makes the upcoming 3.0 update so thrilling – it, as well as the Switch 2 edition of the game arriving alongside the patch, wasn't expected by players. Most (including me, if I'm honest) gave up hope years ago.
While I, and many other hardened Animal Crossing stans, are unsurprisingly overjoyed at the news, there's also a sizeable portion of the community that's understandably been left wanting more. The addition of the resort hotel, run by Kapp'n and his family, does sound fun – but it's also admittedly very reminiscent of the existing Happy Home Paradise DLC. It's all about decorating rooms in the resort to help Kapp'n out and keep guests happy, basically.
I miss when AC wasn't just a decorating simulator from r/AnimalCrossing
As one disappointed player asks on Reddit, "Isn't this just more Happy Home Paradise?" The comments see fellow fans agree. "Yeah, it does share a lot of similarities," reads a response. Another person says, "It really is, just without being able to decorate outside." Others point out, however, that there is a key difference between the update's resort and the DLC: price. "It means people who can't afford the DLC can now play something similar."
Elsewhere, a separate thread shows a fan admit, "I miss when AC wasn't just a decorating simulator." Attached is a meme expressing frustration at getting "more shit to decorate" rather than a more substantial update – one that perhaps could've featured the return of tours. "After you finish the tutorial, there's nothing to do except decorate." Someone amusingly chimes in, "You will take your doll house simulator and you will like it!"
I definitely get where they're coming from as an Animal Crossing lover myself – but if I'm completely honest, I'm just content with the fact that we're getting an update at all. The Switch 2 edition is nice, too, with both dropping next year on January 15.
