Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designeris a home-design simulation game developed and published by Nintendo exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation on April 1, 2015, and debuted in Japan on July 30, 2015, in North America on September 25, 2015, and in Europe on October 2, 2015. The game is described as a spinoff title separate from the core and features a more relaxed play style that allows for enhanced creativity. is also the first title to make use of amiibo cards, Nintendo's latest addition to its line-up of proprietary toys-to-life collectables featuring NFC technology.

Similar to previous entries in the, the game takes place in an animal town and features a small commercial area similar to the city in. The player assumes the role of an employee working for Nook's Homes as an interior designer, taking on thematic design requests from the villagers that walk by in the game's main plaza. To aid in the design process provides an enhanced user interface and item categorization system that allows for the quick lookup and precise placement of items in both interior and exterior spaces. The game draws upon the extensive item catalog established in previous iterations to furnish the homes and introduces new item categories such as carpets with customizable sizes and ceiling decor.

Gameplay
' s visuals share a similar graphical style with and most of the assets brought over from that title remain seemingly unchanged in appearance. However, despite similar visuals, 's core gameplay is vastly different from other games. While previous titles focused on an open-ended playstyle, takes a specific gameplay element, interior design, and expands upon it to create a unique  experience. The game achieves this through its new user interface which turns the bottom screen of the Nintendo 3DS into top-down floor planner where the player can easily manipulate objects in the room using the stylus. An expansive catalog is also included and features a new categorization system that groups together items of a similar theme or function. As the player completes more of the villagers' requests, additional items are unlocked.

In keeping with other titles,  allows the player to customize their character according to their tastes and is the first game in the series to allow the player to permanently set their skin color. In previous titles darker skin could only be obtained by tanning and would fade unless properly maintained. All of the available hair colors and styles from are brought over, although the hairstyles are gender-specific; female players cannot initially choose male-designated hairstyles. The player can also choose their eye shape and color at the beginning of the game. Unlike previous titles, the player's initial suit is permanent and cannot be changed, however, other articles of clothing can be changed and do not conform to the character's gender.

amiibo functionality
Along with the announcement of the game, physical Animal Crossing-themed cards featuring various characters from were revealed. The cards are a more portable form of amiibo that can be used with the game to design a house for the character on the card. The cards can also be used to invite characters to visit homes the player has designed, where the player can watch and take pictures of the villagers interacting with one another. The cards can be scanned directly using the New Nintendo 3DS's built-in NFC reader. For owners of the standard 3DS and 2DS, a separate NFC reader will be released alongside the game and cards to ensure compatibility. is also compatible with the villager amiibo, and when scanned will unlock a gold villager statue, an exclusive furniture item that can be used to decorate villager homes.

Development
was produced by Aya Kyogoku and Hisashi Nogami, with direction credits by Isao Moro, and is the first title to have a female producer, the second title being, also produced by Kyogoku. It is also the first time that Katsuya Eguchi, producer of, , and , and director on all other previous titles, has not played a lead role in development. Co-producer Hisashi Nogami, who has served as director for nearly every title to date, makes his return to the series after his absence during 's development period (during which time he was producing Splatoon).

A hint as to 's development came in March 2014 when when producer Katsuya Eguchi stressed that the next game in the, if developed for a new console, would need to fully integrate its unique features into its design to "create a new way of playing Animal Crossing". While was ultimately released on the 3DS as a spinoff title and not as a continuation of the core, its focus on amiibo cards and the NFC capabilities of the New Nintendo 3DS is no accident. In an interview with USgamer, producer Aya Kyogoku stated that Nintendo's amiibo line played a primary role in the title's development, even going so far as to say that the title was created for the sole purpose of generating a set of  amiibo in the process. "Honestly, we just wanted Animal Crossing amiibo. We wanted the company to make Animal Crossing amiibo, so that's why we made a game that works with them."

According to Kyogoku, the inspiration for the interior design game-play element came from the development team's experience designing villager homes in previous games, imagining how these villagers live out their lives, and thinking about how fun it would be to share that experience with the player. The team also focused on allowing the player to bring their own unique vision into each design, and while a budget limit had been taken into consideration at some point in the development cycle, it was decided that it would be best not to impose any external limitations on the player's design choices.

Announcement
Further details and game play were shown during Nintendo's Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015 presentation on June 16, 2015.

Release
was released in Japan on June 30, 2015 and was released on September 25, 2015 in North America and October 2, 2015 in Europe. It was released on October 3, 2015 in Australia due to time zones.

Bundles, special edition console and faceplates
Nintendo of Japan announced in a May 31, 2015 Nintendo Direct that would be launching in several formats. Game bundles include a special edition New Nintendo 3DS XL with a pre-installed copy of on a 4 GB micro SDHC card at an MSRP of 22,000 yen, and a physical  bundle with NFC Reader accessory included at an MSRP of 5,000 yen. Both bundles would launch alongside the standalone physical release of and special edition New Nintendo 3DS coverplates in Japan on July 30, 2015.

Nintendo of Europe announced their regional bundles on June 27, 2015. In addition to the special edition New Nintendo 3DS XL and NFC bundle released in Japan, Europe is also receiving a white New Nintendo 3DS bundle with coverplates. Pre-orders for the various bundles went live on August 13, 2015. Those ordering from Nintendo Store UK will also receive a Nintendo 3DS Kit which includes a universal system case, three styluses and a microfiber cleaning cloth. Additional "packs" are also available that include Cover Plate 05, Cover Plate 06, the Animal Crossing amiibo cards Collectors Album, or the European-exclusive Cover Plate 27 in addition to one of the console bundles.

Despite rumors of the special edition New Nintendo 3DS console making its way to North America, the only bundle made available for pre-order by retailers thus far is the NFC reader bundle.

Promotion
Nintendo has partnered with Japanese 7-Eleven stores to release exclusive villagers and themed furniture compatible with. On August 18, 2015 a goodbye message from Isabelle was posted to the official Twitter account @Isabelle stating that Lottie would be taking over the account for the time being.

Sales
According to a weekly sales report by Media Create, sold 523,000 units in Japan during its first four days of release, selling through 76.29% of its initial shipment. In comparison, sold over 600,000 units during its launch window with a sell-through rate of 96.09%. topped the weekly charts again in its second and third week of sale, moving an additional 181,377 and 140,235 units respectively before dropping to second place in its fourth and fifth week with sales of 65,904 and 48,978 units respectively. As of the week ending August 30th, 2015 the game had a lifetime total of 959,049 copies sold in Japan. As part of their earnings release statement, Nintendo reported sales of 3.04 million units for during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016.

Reception
Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu rated 35/40. The reviewers felt the new user interface and touch controls enhanced the design experience and the ability to decorate new building types such as a school or hospital was refreshing. However, one reviewer expressed disappointment that designs were not graded and that any design submitted would receive a positive reaction from the villager who requested it, making the design experience less rewarding. IGN's Kallie Plagge praised the game for its "freedom to be creative", giving it an 8.0 "Great" score. She was however, disappointed that the player character lack a house of their own, as well as the experience sometimes feeling unrewarding.