The Animal Crossing franchise is largely a success story, with game after game launching to general acclaim. While everyone has their favorites, it’s hard to deny that there’s a considerable level of merit in each of the mainline titles, whether it manifests in the rich atmosphere of Wild World or the expansive custom island planning of New Horizons. That doesn’t mean every game that ever bore the Animal Crossing name has been a hit, however, and there’s one true black sheep of the franchise that doesn’t tend to have many defenders.
As a party game spin-off of the series, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival ended up being the franchise’s sole ambassador on the Wii U, and it’s not likely to have won over many new fans. Like the Mario Party games, Amiibo Festival follows the basic format of a tabletop board game, with player characters marching around a simple layout and facing fortunes that rise and fall largely according to luck. True to its name, the integration of Amiibo figures was a big selling point, and two Amiibo included with the game might have moved more copies than the software itself.
Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Was A Bit Of A Disaster
Party Games Need Energy
The big problem with Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival isn’t the basic format, it’s just that the game isn’t very good. The simplistic gameplay and an unhurried pace are inoffensive, but they’re also unlikely to hold the attention of anyone who isn’t a small child. Although the integration of Amiibo can be fun, building the game around the Amiibo as a selling point made it seem more like a cash grab, and adding that toy-based layer on top of the generally clumsy Wii U resulted in something that feels more Fisher Price than Nintendo.
An Animal Crossing Party Game Could Be Great If Done Right
A Good Concept Executed Poorly
With the right approach, however, there’s no reason that an Animal Crossing party game couldn’t be good. Mario Party has proven time and time again that chaotic minigames and a cosmic sense of unfairness can lead to great times with friends, and Animal Crossing carries a level of innate charm that rivals Nintendo’s iconic leading man. The cruel whims of fate have played a big role in the Animal Crossing series, from ending up with one of Redd’s forgeries to stumbling across pitfall seeds, and properly translating that penchant for mixing lovely heights with unpleasant surprises could pay off.
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Forget Amiibo: Good Luck Getting The Official Animal Crossing Cards Every Fan Needs
Special cards released only in Japan in the 2000s have become some of the most sought-after Animal Crossing merchandise, even more than amiibo cards.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons made the franchise bigger than ever before, and mixing in more spin-offs in the future would make a lot of sense for Nintendo. Happy Home Designer already proved that Animal Crossing spin-offs can do better, but the series doesn’t need to settle for the still-tepid reception that the sandbox decoration game generated. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival could be the perfect template for a great Animal Crossing game, as long as a future take on a casual party title is a lot less Amiibo and a lot more fun.