Animal Island

Animal Island is a resort that appears in, and. It is a small island inhabited by a sole inhabitant known as an Islander, and also contains an empty bungalow which can be freely used by the player. Upon the first visit, the player will be asked by Kapp'n to name the island. The island will generate in one of a few different layouts, and it contains its own flag post, allowing for some degree of customisation. In Doubutsu no Mori+ and Animal Crossing, the island must be shared by all players in town. In Doubutsu no Mori e+, each player can acquire their own personal island, and travel between the different islands.

In all three games, the island is can be reached by riding across the sea on Kapp'n's boat. The island is implied to be located far to the south of the town, as the climate is always summer. Upon returning to the mainland, the island can be sent to a Game Boy Advance where the player may continue to interact with their islander, or trade islands with another town's player.

Travelling
The island can be reached by talking to Kapp'n at the town's dock, who will offer a boat ride to the island. Upon the very first visit, Kapp'n will ask the player for the name of the island they wish to travel to. This name will become the island's permanent name, which cannot be changed. Additionally, the game will append "Island" to the end of the player's chosen name e.g. "Animal" becomes "Animal Island".

In Dōbutsu no Mori + and Animal Crossing, a Game Boy Advance must be connected via a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable in order for Kapp'n to appear, but the system can be turned off once Kapp'n begins his sea shanty. In Dōbutsu no Mori e+, Kapp'n will always appear, but each player can only travel to their own island once they repay their entire mortgage to Tom Nook.

Climate and Geography
Upon the first visit, the island's layout will be randomly chosen between two different formations; small islets connected by a small wooden bridge, or a single landmass. The island contains two bungalows, one belonging to the islander, and the larger bungalow serving as a shared house for all the town's players. As there is no gyroid outside the bungalow, it is not possible to save on the island. A flagpole is located near the dock, and the flag can be customized with a design by interacting with it. The island's exterior contains multiple flowers and coconut trees, and shells will commonly appear along the beach.

The weather is always summer on the island, regardless of what season the town is experiencing, and therefore summer-season fish and insects are always available. The island also experiences clear weather or rainfall independently of the weather in the town. The player can tan when outside in the sunny weather, however overexposure to the sun can cause a sunburn. Sunburns can be prevented if an umbrella is equipped.

Islanders
Each island has a single villager. In and, it can be one of 18 villagers unique to the island and they will be randomly chosen upon the first visit. In, an additional 18 new islanders are included, making a total of 36 available. Unlike the previous games, the island is initially uninhabited and an islander's e-card must be scanned using the e-Reader. This will cause the islander to wash up on the island's beach in a similar fashion to Gulliver. Once rescued by the player, they will move into the smaller bungalow.

The islander will often request items from the mainland, such as clothing and furniture for their bungalow. Once an appropriate item is brought to the islander, they will offer to buy it. Declining the offer will prompt them to increase their offer, but further refusals will make them angry and rescind their offer.

Exclusive items
Several pieces of furniture and clothing can only be acquired from the island.

Game Boy Advance
The player can leave the island and return to the mainland by speaking to Kapp'n, who will ask if the island should be saved to the Game Boy Advance. Once the island is loaded onto the Game Boy Advance, the player can interact with the villager on the island, helping them catch fish, eat fruits or coconuts left on the ground, dig up buried items, chop down trees, or catch flying presents. Any changes made to the island on the Game Boy Advance can be uploaded to the Nintendo GameCube the next time island is visited. This can be a useful tactic for making Bells, as the island villagers can drop slowly increasing amounts of Bells every time they are interacted with. The NES games Wario's Woods and Baseball are only obtainable through this feature.