My experience with Animal Crossing started on the DS with Wild World, as I’m sure it did with many others. The game drew me in with its colorful villagers, daily routine, and slice-of-life feel. Years later I got back into the series with New Leaf on the 3DS, putting hundreds of hours into it. The progression system felt just right, and the level of customization for my villager was a real treat. However, when I finally got a hold of New Horizons on my switch, I couldn’t help but feel let down. Rather than a town that felt like it moved on when I didn’t play, I felt like I was in total control. Villagers would have to beg me to let them move out, rather than just leaving on their own. Everything felt a bit too… Doll-house in its design?
All that to say I started a town on the original gamecube Animal Crossing with the Deluxe mod released in 2025 by Cuyler and what a treat it is for a player like me! The town feels alive in so many ways my island felt lacking in. Villagers have more personality than ever, they don’t just worship my villager but express themselves as real neighbors. Some I get along with, some I try to avoid in hopes they leave me alone.
There aren’t a million incentives from Nook Miles driving me to play, I just think of what I’d like to do that day and do it. What the game lacks in progression it makes up for in a sense of community, and not competing to hold my attention for 4+ hours a day. The game is more than happy with me checking in 30 minutes a day, talking to my neighbors, catching some fish, decorating my house, and ending for the day.
If you’re burned out of New Horizons, or just want to try out a more old-school laid back life simulator, I highly recommend checking out this game & mod! I got it working super easily on my steam deck, and the portability helps the game a ton. Some features Deluxe adds include allowing fossils to be identified at the museum, a free-moving camera, widescreen support, skin tones, many many exclusive E+ features that haven’t been in an AC game outside of Japan, and general fixes to bugs in the original game.
This post is gonna make me get some more emulators when I get back home, isn’t it?
As for my village, here are some highlights!
- Favorite villager is Cousteau, a frog with a curly mustache who says “Oui Oui” and is a night owl like me.
- Villager I most avoid is Candi, a mouse with a screeching greeting noise. Trying to get her to move out ASAP.
- Mayor Tortimer is on Vacation at the moment, so I’ve been turning on the lighthouse for him at night, so fun to hear the mechanism spin up.
- Mailing Fossils to identify them threw me for a loop, but with only 25 fossils in the game it’s not that big of a deal. The mod allows Blathers to identify once you have 15 fossils donated too.
I’m happy to see this post. NH was my first one so I had no comparison, but I felt it bored with it.
I just picked up the 3ds version and want to give it a try as people always talk so highly of that version.
I’ve been really busy lately, so I have even put 2 hours into it yet.
Hoping I’ll have some time today too but a house in the game.
My experience with Animal Crossing started on the DS with Wild World, as I’m sure it did with many others. The game drew me in with its colorful villagers, daily routine, and slice-of-life feel. Years later I got back into the series with New Leaf on the 3DS, putting hundreds of hours into it. The progression system felt just right, and the level of customization for my villager was a real treat. However, when I finally got a hold of New Horizons on my switch, I couldn’t help but feel let down. Rather than a town that felt like it moved on when I didn’t play, I felt like I was in total control. Villagers would have to beg me to let them move out, rather than just leaving on their own. Everything felt a bit too… Doll-house in its design?
Are you me? No, wait, I started with the gamecube game back in the day, but for the rest… are you me?
I got new horizons expecting it to be just a better new leaf and it was a huge let down. I spent hundreds of hours in new leaf, I barely made 40 on new horizons and only because I had friends to “play” with (if you can call it play, the game was so empty of everything!). Even the upgrades to shops and the house were a letdown.
I will definitely try the mod, because I miss the old animal crossing a lot!
Seriously, I can’t believe how bad ACNH fumbled the bag with progression and upgrades. Unlocking the various stores in New Leaf was so fun to experience over a long period of time. Then in New Horizons I got the singular Nook shop upgrade and… that’s it? One update added the Roost but… that’s it? Such a letdown to feel like I was playing a stripped down version of New Leaf.
Hope you enjoy the mod! There’s also a City Folk Deluxe mod that removes Grass Degredation & adds a lot more stuff if that’s more your jam
