TheAnimal Crossingfranchise does a great job of giving its adorable characters individual personalities and stories that players get invested in.Animal Crossing: New Horizonscontinues this with unique events, likeReese and Cyrus' wedding event.
InAnimal Crossing: New Leaf, Reese and Cyrus are married alpacas working at Re-Tail. Reese buys items off players and buys turnips according to the stalk market prices, while Cyrus alters furniture and creates unique items. The couple appear again inAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsduring wedding season in June, where players are tasked to take photos of them in Harv’s Island for their anniversary. The romantic task is only limited to snapping Reese and Cyrus in their wedding attire, but this could open the doors to one activity that needs to be added in futureAnimal Crossinggames.
It’s Time For Weddings to Happen in Animal Crossing
Animal Crossingis well-known as a life and farming simulation game, but it does not include romance options. Apart from Reese and Cyrus,New Horizons’wedding season doesn’t let players hold actual ceremonies, but they are able to dress up and stage wedding shoots with their significant others on Harv’s Island. The only relationship-building mechanic thatAnimal Crossinghas is gathering Friendship Points and maxing out Favor Levels through various activities, from greeting villagers to giving them gifts, until they become Best Friends.
Reese and Cyrus are the only canon couple inAnimal Crossing, while other pairings are fanmade ships. Many players also speculate that CJ and Flick could be a gay couple, butAnimal Crossinghas never confirmed it.
Reese and Cyrus' wedding, albeit staged for their anniversary photo shoot,inspired manyAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsfansto recreate their special day with their virtual avatars. Likewise, the popularity of the wedding season event could signal an opportunity forAnimal Crossingto finally include a romance and marriage mechanic.
FutureAnimal Crossinggamescould do this by either letting players marry NPC villagers or other players. The former could be achieved by pinpointing romanceable NPCs and adding another relationship level above Best Friend. As for the ceremony,Animal Crossingshould make wedding ceremonies and wedding-themed items available all year round. There’s also an opportunity to customize these items and the cake to match players' preferred motif. It could make it more fun by letting Reese and Cyrus come back to attend or even officiate the wedding, and, of course, invite their friends to celebrate with them. It would also be interesting if players could pair up two NPCs and help them organize their wedding as well.
How Animal Crossing’s Romance Can Stand Out From Others
Just like otherpopular farming and life sims likeStardew ValleyandHarvest Moon, theAnimal Crossingfranchise gives players the power to personalize their virtual worlds and interact with interesting characters along the way. While it’s true that players can enjoyAnimal Crossingalone or with a friend without the need for romance options, it’s about time it introduces this new mechanic in the next game to further emphasize the life sim aspect.
Animal Crossingplayers could be paired up with villagers, which, in itself, is already groundbreaking considering that the NPCs are humanoid animals. Marrying them could give players special perks, like discounts at stores or special items, if they choose to marry any of the villagers.Animal Crossingdefinitely has the freedom to lean into its whimsicality if it decides to add romance options and a marriage mechanic. This could add more depth to the next game, especially the characters' stories, and potentially give players more reasons to invest more time and effort on their islands.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
WHERE TO PLAY
Escape to a deserted island and create your own paradise as you explore, create, and customize in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game. Your island getaway has a wealth of natural resources that can be used to craft everything from tools to creature comforts. You can hunt down insects at the crack of dawn, decorate your paradise throughout the day, or enjoy sunset on the beach while fishing in the ocean. The time of day and season match real life, so each day on your island is a chance to check in and find new surprises all year round.Show off your island utopia to family and friends—or pack your bags and visit theirs. Whether playing online** or with others beside you***, island living is even better when you can share it. Even without hopping on a flight, you’ll meet a cast of charming animal residents bursting with personality. Friendly faces like Tom Nook and Isabelle will lend their services and happily help you grow your budding community. Escape to your island getaway—however, whenever, and wherever you want.
