ACNH Fan Animation Reimagines Animal Crossing As A Game Boy Title

An Animal Crossing: New Horizons player shared a very creative animation they made this week, reimagining the game as it would have looked if it were released for the Game Boy. It’s a perfect collision of old and new gaming, and especially timely with rumors flying about the possibility of Nintendo Switch Online adding Game Boy games to its Expansion Pack. The long-running Animal Crossing series is no stranger to handheld gaming, with iterations on both the Nintendo DS and 3DS, but the Game Boy predates the release of the first title in the series.

The Animal Crossing series has been around since 2001, where it debuted in Japan for the N64 and was called Animal Forest. Soon after, it was ported to the Gamecube and released worldwide. Since then, the Animal Crossing series has had 5 main entries including the original, with titles for the Nintendo DS, Wii, 3DS, and Nintendo Switch being released between then and 2020. The most recent title – Animal Crossing: New Horizons – was released on March 20th, 2020, and quickly became a smash hit – in fact, it may become the best-selling Nintendo Switch game in the console’s history. The Game Boy’s era was before Animal Crossing began, with the handheld first being released in 1989. Arguably one of the most iconic video game devices of all time, it radically changed the portable gaming landscape and sold over 118 million units worldwide.

Reddit user gejospixelart shared a creative crossover between the two this week, with an Animal Crossing animation in the 8-bit style of the Game Boy. Although a Game Boy Animal Crossing title never existed, it looks right at home on the retro handheld and harkens back to the style of older titles in the series. The animation shows a character decked out in one of the most common outfits from the original game – a horned helmet – alongside villager Ankha, a character from the first Animal Crossing that’s still popular today. The user excellently recreated the style of Game Boy-era titles, with the design of the environment reminiscent of titles like Pokemon Red and Blue.

Click here to see the original post on Reddit.

The animation will surely induce a lot of nostalgia from both Game Boy and Animal Crossing fans. The cute and unique 8-bit style is hard to come by in current titles, and while the impressive visuals of modern games are generally regarded as an improvement, it’s not uncommon for gamers who played older consoles to miss their graphical style. The animation is also bound to make some Animal Crossing players nostalgic for older titles. Previous handheld Animal Crossing titles are highly regarded by many veteran players, and although there are some gameplay elements that Animal Crossing: New Horizons does better than previous iterations, many longtime fans still miss a lot of the features from older games that weren’t included in the newest addition.

This throwback animation impressively combines different eras of video games into one image and is bound to spark some sentimentality for gamers who’ve been playing for many generations of technology. It serves as a great reminder of how far both Nintendo’s technology and Animal Crossing have come over the years. This piece of art may even inspire those who still own older consoles and handhelds to take them out for a spin – especially Animal Crossing fans who feel like reminiscing.

Source: gejospixelart/Reddit

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