Animal Crossing: New Leaf

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, 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, 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
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 Japenese 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, 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.

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 or statues, they also can alter store prices and hours.

New Features
New Leaf introduces many new features for the, some of them are:


 * The player is now the Mayor, and as such, can customize the town's appearance, build various structures and set different regulations.
 * 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.
 * House exteriors can now be customized to reflect various styles.
 * Certain pieces of furniture can now be placed onto walls.
 * The player is able to go swimming in the ocean and dive for coral.
 * Several new villagers and special characters are introduced, as are several new species, such as hamsters, deer, and Alapcas.
 * Several new clothes, hairstyles accessories and pieces of furniture have been added.
 * Flowers (and presumably other plants) 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.
 * There is also a larger variety of faces that that can be selected for the player.

The Mall And New Buildings
Among the new features, are some shops and buildings,


 * New characters, Lisa and Kaizo run R. Parkers where the player can sell items, customize furniture, and recycle items into new creations.
 * Kicks, a minor character in now runs his own store, Shoe Shank where the player can buy shoes and socks.
 * A sloth named Lazy runs a gardening shop that sells flower seeds and tree saplings.
 * Tom Nook now runs the Real Estate Agency, where the player can alter the appearance of their home, and can buy a variety of designs and objects for their home.
 * The town's museum now offers along with a wider range of fossils and fish to exhibit, an exhibition room and a museum shop.
 * K.K. Slider now works daily as a DJ, at Club 444, while still having traditional performances on Saturday nights.
 * At the relaxation saloon, the player is able to dream of other towns, if they have the dream codes of other players.
 * At the StreetPass Plaza, the player can see the houses of the people they have StreetPassed.

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.

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

June 2012 Nintendo Direct
During a Nintendo Direct on June 21st 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.

This video translates all the Text in the Game.

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

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