Nintendo is following Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ January update with another free content update in March. The company has shared very few details about that patch as of yet, other than confirming it will introduce some Mario content to the game, but here’s what we can generally expect.
Although Nintendo hasn’t shared much information about Animal Crossing’s March update, the company had previously announced that a line of Mario-themed furniture will be added to the game that month. We don’t know exactly how many pieces of furniture will be added or just what they’ll look like, but Mario items have been a staple of the Animal Crossing series since the beginning. Previous entries have featured wallpaper and flooring inspired by the original Super Mario Bros., as well as furniture based on the Super Mushroom, Super Star, fire bar, and other iconic Mario items. There were also Mario clothing and accessories, including the plumber’s signature cap and mustache.
Given that Nintendo has been redesigning many of Animal Crossing’s older furniture sets for New Horizons, it’s possible the developer could take the same approach with the Mario line and redesign existing items or even introduce completely new ones. In either case, it seems likely that some of the aforementioned Mario items could be added as part of March’s update (the tease at the end of the game’s latest trailer featured the Super Mushroom and Super Star, so it seems safe to say furniture based on those power-ups will at the very least be added). How players will be able to obtain them remains to be seen, however; it’s possible that Nintendo could introduce the items as part of an in-game event, or implement them as DIY recipes and have players craft the items themselves.
Mario isn’t the only Nintendo series that has a history with Animal Crossing. Every main Animal Crossing to date aside from New Horizons has featured a variety of Nintendo-themed items and furniture, from replica Master Swords and Arwings to Pikmin hats and Metroid clothes. The original Animal Crossing even contained a handful of classic NES games (including Super Mario Bros.) that could be placed in players’ homes and played.
In the past, these Nintendo items were typically distributed through special means, primarily as part of events or promotions. In New Leaf for 3DS, however, players could acquire them through Fortune Cookies, which could be purchased at Timmy and Tommy’s shop using Play Coins accumulated while walking around with the system in sleep mode.
New Leaf took the Nintendo collaborations further than most other Animal Crossing games; following the title’s big Welcome Amiibo update, players could use Amiibo to invite a handful of Splatoon- and Zelda-themed villagers such as Epona and Ganon to live in their town. These villagers aren’t currently available in New Horizons, although it wouldn’t be surprising to see them re-introduced down the line.
In the meantime, Animal Crossing’s January update arrives this Thursday, January 28. It introduces the Festivale event, which takes place on February 15 and is hosted by Pave the dancing peacock. The update will also add an assortment of new seasonal items, as well as new reactions to go along with Festivale.
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