Hunting for the perfect decorations and villagers for an island has been a favorite pastime forAnimal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH)players ever since the game launched. In a cozy game with very few real challenges or trials other than filling the museum, the idea of creating their perfect island is often a leading goal for people enjoying the experience. Having this kind of objective can transform a casual game likeACNHfrom one that is played for just a few days to one that truly captivates its players for several years.
Thepopularity of certain villagers inACNHis a necessary part of what makes the game thrive. Going to island after island to search for that perfect NPC to join your community can feel tedious at times,but if it wasn’t there, then it could leave the game feeling stale and boring. One character has become a prime example of how this phenomenon works, going from celebrity status to just another cat, seemingly overnight.
Why Raymond Was So Popular - And Why He Isn’t Anymore
Once A New Character Who Was Hard To Get, Now The Thrill Is Gone
Raymond joined theAnimal Crossingroster inNew Horizons, and not only possessed both the looks and attitude but also a was very elusive and coveted villager to locate.Raymond truly had it alland instantly became the most popular character in the game. He inspiredmemes and internet forums devoted to him. Players would spend millions of Bells and Nook Miles Tickets looking for him, and those who were lucky enough enjoyed the bragging rights that came with him.
His adorable character design added to his status, as many players love how cute he is, not to mention the fact that many players have islands featuring all cats.
This leads to a tricky conundrum of whether it is better to allow players who really want to skip the hunt and use an amiibo card to get their coveted villager to have that option.
His fame didn’t last, however, and it is partially the fault of Nintendo.The introduction of amiibo cards made getting Raymond, and any other coveted villager, incredibly easy to get, which therefore also took away the thrill of the chase. Today, players can easily purchase a real, or even fake, amiibo card pretty cheaply and immediately invite any villager, including Raymond, to their island without the need to spend time and Bells hunting them down.
Switch 2 Needs To Avoid A “Raymond Problem”
Is It Better To Have Villagers Easily Found?
This leads to a tricky conundrum of whether it is better to allow players who really want to skip the hunt and use an amiibo card to get their coveted villager to have that option, or if doing sosimply devalues the game by taking away one of the main gameplay mechanics. After all, unless someone isusing Treasure Islands to get all the itemsand money in the game, there are still plenty of other things to seek out, particularly for those players who like to decorate or theme their islands.
It could even be argued that being surrounded by your preferred villager neighbors could make the other aspects of the game more fun. After all, these villagers can become virtual friends who players interact with every day, andit could feel disappointing or even lonely to live on an island with characters you don’t like.
The nextAnimal Crossinggame for the Nintendo Switch 2 has the difficult problem of trying to address this problem. It’s fun for the community to have villagers like Raymond to bring them together, and create some great memes, but perhaps shifting the attention to decorations and other things is just as good.Animal Crossing: New Horizonsfans loved talking about the search for Raymond, but there’s plenty more fun to be had in the game too.
