In some ways,Animal Crossinggames have gotten bigger and better over the years in some ways, but fans also miss some of the strengths that were eft by the wayside. One of the biggest changes has been the shift away from villagers' personalities in the older games, which could often be more sarcastic, stuck-up, or even hostile than in more recent entries. While the pleasant conversations ofAnimal Crossing: New Horizonscan be relaxing, they can also be monotonous.
A Reddit post fromJamesumbarahighlights some standout instances of dialogue inAnimal Crosssing: Wild World, ranging from Phyllis’s lament that the town lacks “hot men” to Rocco’s confidence that the Villager is clueless about “basic aesthetics.” Whilea lot of the screencaps reveal catty behavior, there’s also some surprising sincerity, like Lobo’s admission that he’s “a lone wolf who doesn’t want to be alone.”
The comments on Jamesumbara’s post showcase a lot of fondness for the personality found in the older games. SubonicXP sums it up by declaring that “the games lost something magical throughout the yearswith the toning down of the dialogue.”
Classic Animal Crossing Dialogue Didn’t Pull Punches
Villagers in classicAnimal Crossinggames didn’t always care much about the player’s feelings, which could lead to memorable encounters. Appropriately named userVitriolic_Humorcelebrates Snooty characters' ready ability “to kill you with words at the drop of the hat,” calling Monique a “diabolical genius.”
Phyllis, who used to work the night shift at the post office, is a particular target of nostalgic affection.NoLongerNeededdeclares that “Phyllis was really THAT GIRL,” andPale_Palpitationnotes thatNew Horizons' exclusion of Phyllis and fellow mail worker Pete was a missed opportunity. While all the other characters in Jamesumbara’s post are still around inNew Horizons,they generally feature less dynamic personalities, and other memorableNPCs like Resetti, various merchants, and the town guards Booker and Copper have reduced or removed roles.
Animal Crossing Deserves Its Old Personality Back
The lack of biting zingers might make the newAnimal Crossinggames less likely to ruin anyone’s day, but if the comments on Jamesumbara’s post are anything to go by,plenty of fans would like to see the old dialogue return. At any rate, thenextAnimal Crossinggameis in desperate need of more dialogue variety, asNew Horizonsvillagers tend to repeat themselves a lot.
Myfavorite part ofWild Worldwas always chatting with the villagers, so it’s nice to revisit just how entertaining that element could be. I still enjoyedNew Horizons, but I’m more than ready forAnimal Crossingto bring back the flavor that made the franchise so great to begin with.
