Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release date(s)	November 8th, 2012 / June 9, 2013 June 14, 2013 February 7, 2013 June 15, 2013
Genre(s)	Life simulation
Ratings	CERO: A ESRB: RP PEGI: TBA
Media	3DS Game Card and eShop download
Input methods	Nintendo 3DS circle pad and control pad

Animal Crossing: New Leaf (とびだせどうぶつの森, Tobidase Doubutsu no Mori) is the upcoming sixth installment in the Animal Crossing series, being developed by Nintendo and being released exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS.

While retaining much of the gameplay from older titles, Animal Crossing: New Leaf marks a large change in the series, as the player now takes on the role of the mayor. With the help of the townsfolk and "one eager secretary" it is now the player's job to make the town a better place to live. New Leaf also has a change of art style, with the players and the villagers having more human-like shapes, rather than the shorter ones seen in previous games, as well as the trees, flowers, and houses taking on a more realistic appearance.

Development and Unveiling

Concept art for the Animal Crossing: New Leaf town, telling what is on the map.

The game was originally unveiled at E3 2010, though very little was shown. A trailer was shown showing off featuring the updated features, and little new features were shown. Shortly after, there was news that the player could be the mayor of the town, with the goal being to make the town a better place to live. A non-playable demo was also available on the show floor at Nintendo's booth as an example of the 3DS's 3D effects. Due to it not being given much detail, fans speculated that it might have not been an actual game but just an example and that another Animal Crossing game would be developed later.

At E3 2011, the rumors were proven false. During Nintendo's press conference, the Animal Crossing logo, among others, appeared on-screen as a list of upcoming 3DS games. Additionally, a new trailer was released. The trailer showed off a new feature in the game: swimming and diving in the ocean. Also, a player was shown changing not only his shirt, but also his shoes and pants. A player was also shown coming out of what appeared to be his tent-house. Throughout the town, benches and a beehive were shown, with a villager and later a player sitting on the bench. A new character was also shown, a yellow dog following the player. Fans quickly assumed she was the 'eager secretary' that helps the player mayor the town.

In an interview with Kotaku editor Stephen Totilo, the creator of Animal Crossing, Katsuya Eguchi, revealed that Animal Crossing 3DS will allow players to arrange their furniture in any way they like, and will also feature new networking experiences.

The title was confirmed at the Nintendo World Report on April 21, 2012.

Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed Animal Crossing: New Leaf is still in development on Monday June 11, 2012 for 3DS.

In the June direct conference it was confirmed that 4 people can live in the same village like the last 3 games. On another note, in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, they will reintroduce the train and Porter.

In early October, an Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS XL bundle was announced in Japan for when the game releases. In addition, another Japanese Nintendo Direct episode regarding Animal Crossing was scheduled for Friday, October 5. During the 47 minute video, highlights included K.K. Slider now performing as a DJ at a comedy club known as Club lol, customized road designs, megaphones for getting villagers' attention, diving for coral, new multiplayer games hosted on islands, meeting other players through the 3DS's StreetPass feature, and more.

In early 2013, to promote the new game, Nintendo launched an official Animal Crossing: New Leaf website, containing information and trailers regarding the game.

Nintendo later announced in April 2013 that the Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS XL bundle will also be released in North America and Europe, which includes a copy of New Leaf on its SD card at a total price of $219.99.

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  The Japanese Version Animal Crossing: New Leaf 3DS XL bundle

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  The bundled 3DS XL design

Gameplay

Gameplay in New Leaf follows the same pattern as previous games in the series, though with a greater diversity in activities, characters, venues, and more.

Role As the Mayor

Unlike the last few installments in the series, where the player became a resident of their town, the player is now the mayor of the town. While the player is still able to relax and engage in activities such as fishing and bug catching, they now have the responsibility of regulating the town and improving it. The player can build new features for the town, such as bridges, statues, or shrubs. they also can alter store prices and hours. Only the first player to start up the game is the mayor.

Tortimer Island

The dock from which Kapp'n will take the player to the island from.

The tropical island from Animal Crossing returns in New Leaf as Tortimer Island, which can be accessed from the dock after certain conditions have been met. Kapp'n can take up to four players to the island on his motorboat for 1000 Bells, and the location is accessible to Wi-Fi visitors. No items can be taken to Tortimer Island, and all items in every players' pockets will kept in storage until they return.

Villagers

Many villagers from the previous games make their re-appearance, in addition to a number of new ones. The number of villagers able to live in each town is 12. New species of villagers have also been introduced, including the hamster and the deer. Two new personality types, smug and uchi, have been added to the game in addition to the returning six, making for a total of eight different possible personalities.

Other New Features

New Leaf introduces many other new features for the Animal Crossing series, some of the most notable being:

• New insects and fish have been introduced for catching.
• New fruits have been added to the game.
• The player can now customize their pants and shoes, reflecting the taller character designs seen in the game's art style.
• The player can now pick the town map on the train when the game is started, rather than be assigned a random map.
• House exteriors can now be customized to reflect various styles.
• Certain pieces of furniture can now be placed onto walls.
• The player can now go swimming in the ocean and dive for coral and Seafood, a new type of collectible.
• Several new villagers, and special characters are introduced, as are several new species, such as hamsters, deer, and alpacas.
• Flowers now drip with water once they have the watering can used on them, allowing the player to know whether they've watered it or not.
• A new tool, the Megaphone, can be used for getting villagers' attention.
• Furniture is now fully customizable using different designs.
• The player can communicate with another player even if they are in a different town.
• New multiplayer games hosted on islands accessible by boat. Medals are awarded to winners that can be traded for prizes. The minigames are hosted by Tortimer, and he seems happy with his new job.
• There is more interaction with the villagers meaning the player can now see them fishing, going in and out of buildings, and shaking trees.

New Buildings

New Leaf features a new Main Street, a shopping district located to the north of every player's town. The shopping district features a wide array of shops and venues, many of which are new to the series:

• Timmy and Tommy's store - Formerly run by Tom Nook in previous games, Timmy and Tommy now run the general store in New Leaf.
• Able Sisters - The Able Sisters offer clothing a in past games, in addition to now offering the ability to share and obtain created patterns through QR codes.
• Post Office - The postal service returns as an independent building on Main Street.
• Nook's Homes - Players can alter the appearance of their home and buy a variety of designs and decorative objects from Tom Nook.
• Kicks - A shop that sells shoes and socks, run by Kicks, a minor character who first appeared in Animal Crossing: City Folk.
• Garden Center - A shop that sells flower seeds and tree saplings, run by a sloth named Leif.
  • Labelle also returns, and is connected to the Able Sisters selling hats, umbrellas, and other accessories.
• Shampoodle - Located upstairs to the Able Sisters, offering hair and eye color styling. Like previous games, the store is once again run by Harriet.
• Museum - Blathers continues to run the town's museum, which now offers a wider range of fossils and fish to exhibit, an exhibition room, and a museum shop that is run by Celeste.
• Club LOL - A club run by K.K. Slider and Dr. Shrunk. K.K Slider works daily as a DJ, while still holding traditional performances on Saturday nights.
• Photo Booth - A booth that allows the player to take a picture for their I.D. card.
• Dream Suite - Run by Luna, allowing players to visit other towns by inputting that town's dream address. The visit is set in a dream world, so no alterations can be made to that town.
• Happy Home Showcase - A showcase that stores houses of other players who have exchanged data via StreetPass. The homes may be viewed, and furniture from the houses can be ordered for purchase.
• Fortune Shop - After receiving 20 fortunes from Katrina during her visits, she will open a permanent Fortune Shop.

Other buildings found in the town include:

• Re-Tail - A shop run by Reese and Cyrus, where the player can sell items, customize furniture, and recycle items into new creations.
• Police Station - The police station returns as a public works project for the town. There are two different styles the player can choose from:
  • Classic, which run by Booker and appears as square wooden building.
  • Modern, which is run by Copper and resembles the rounded building seen in previous games.
• Resetti Surveillance Center - The surveillance center returns as a public works project, which is designed as a manhole cover the player may enter after rainy days.
• The Roost - This coffee shop also makes a return as a standalone building that can be built through a public works project. Brewster makes his return in the Roost, who the player can now work part-time for, and take coffee to-go outside of the Roost.
• Campground - A campground can be constructed as a public works project. Depending on the season, Tents and Igloos will periodically appear with animal visitors. Players can play games with them, and occasionally encourage, or discourage them to move into their town.

Image Gallery

The following are official press images distributed to Animal Crossing sites. Most of the images were taken directly from the trailers, but some new character art was also provided for players, Bill, Rosie, Bob, Filbert and Curt.

• E3 2010
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  A player near a rock. Notice how realistic the trees are.

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  A player with Curt in front of a bench. Notice the new lampposts and the return of the bedhead.

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  A player with Bob on a beach. Notice the new beaches on the sides of the town.

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  A player in Filbert's house

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  A player with a shovel Notice that the flowers come in fours instead of threes.

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  A player in their house

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  A player in Rosie's house

• E3 2011
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  A player jumping into the ocean (Players may only swim while wearing proper attire)

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  A player about to catch a yellow butterfly

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  A player picking mushrooms

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  A player near bushes

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  A player near a street lamp in the snow

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  A player outside a tent

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  A player swimming

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  A player in Bunnie's house

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  A player in a house

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  A player with Isabelle.

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  A player on a bench with Punchy

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  A player after changing their pants and shoes

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  The beta logo

• Tokyo Game Show 2011
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  A player sitting inside a house

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  A player next to a well

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  Tom Nook following the player

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  Two players swimming in the ocean

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  Players gathered inside a house

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  Two villagers and a player in a house

• Nintendo Direct 2012, April
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  A player in a shoe store run by Kicks

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  A player in the recycle shop run by Reese

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  A player in their office with Isabelle

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  A player standing under a structure with Chas the cat nearby

• Nintendo Direct 2012, October
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  A player standing at a house

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  A player running by some shops

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  Kicks' shop

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  The Sloth character, Lazy, in his gardening shop.

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  Reese

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  A railroad crossing beneath a rainbow

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  A player next to a snowman

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  Redd in a booth near a player

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  The player running past some lemon trees

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  A player in a maze minigame

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  Kapp'n on his motorboat, ready to board multiple players

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  The Island shop where you can trade medals for items.

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  "Break Out! Southern Labyrinth Tour" is a tour that 4 players can cooperatively play on the Island.

• Magazine Scans
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  An August 2012 magazine scan translated to English.

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  Another August 2012 magazine scan translated to English.

• Characters
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  Artwork of a boy player

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  Artwork of a girl player

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  Artwork of Isabelle

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  Artwork of Bill

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  Artwork of Curt

Video Gallery

Developer Roundtable

Nintendo has released this roundtable with the developers of the latest Animal Crossing game.

December 2011 Roundtable

June 2012 Nintendo Direct

During a Nintendo Direct on June 21^st 2012, gameplay footage of the new Animal Crossing was shown that reveals a wealth of new information. The following video is a translation of the footage into English.

June 2012 Nintendo Direct

This video translates all the Text in the Game.

June 2012 Nintendo Direct

The following video breaks down the trailer and goes more in depth noticing the new features and items in the New Game.

June 2012 Nintendo Direct

Trailers

The following videos are trailers for Animal Crossing: New Leaf revealed at E3 conferences.

E3 2010 trailer

E3 2011 trailer

3DS Event 2011 trailer

Satoru Iwata Ustream

AC New Leaf 2012 Trailer

Nintendo Direct Feb 14 Trailer

2013 AC New Leaf Tourism Trailer 1

2013 AC New Leaf Tourism Trailer 2

2013 AC New Leaf Tourism Trailer 3

External Links

Official Site (English) Official Site (Japanese)

Animal Crossing series
Video games Dōbutsu no Mori · Dōbutsu no Mori + · Animal Crossing · Dōbutsu no Mori e+ · Animal Crossing: Wild World · Animal Crossing: City Folk · Animal Crossing: New Leaf DSiWare applications Clock · Calculator Related games Nintendo Land (Sweet Day) · Super Smash Bros. Brawl · Super Smash Bros. Melee Films Dōbutsu no Mori (film)