By
Steven Garrard
Published 44 minutes ago
Steven is a seasoned writer specializing in the video game and technological fields, with years of experience creating reviews, features, and industry analysis. Passionate about the gaming world and its evolving culture, Steven always wanted to combine his enjoyment of writing and love for gaming in a way that can provide insightful coverage for players and enthusiasts alike, striving to provide this since he joined Screenrant in 2024.
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After years since the last update introducing Happy Homer Paradise back in 2021, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is getting an even more exciting addition with the launch of its 3.0 update to reignite interest in the series. While there was plenty of hope and rumors that we might be getting a new Animal Crossing game with the release of the Switch 2, the update is a great way to pass the time until then.
Easily one of the most interesting aspects of the New Horizons 3.0 update is its inclusion of several crossover characters with The Legend of Zelda series, potentially opening the door for even more to come in the future. With the Animal Crossing series growing more comfortable with references and other meta jokes as time goes by, it's the perfect chance to make one unexpected but long-in-the-making crossover a reality.
Animal Crossing & DOOM Have Had A Unique Relationship Over The Years
A Bond Forged Over Half A Decade Ago
Having both been released on March 20, 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons and DOOM Eternal have been linked ever since, with countless memes and fan-made content celebrating the two iconic franchises. Out of all the headcannons and even a music video by The Chalkeaters with over 77 million views, the most popular aspect was easily any collaborative fan projects featuring Isabelle and The Slayer himself.
Although the memes of the unconventional pair have died down significantly over the years, the phenomenon has still had a lasting impact on both franchises, with in-jokes and fan creations persisting to this very day. Despite being complete tonal opposites, the differences between the two franchises are exactly what made them such a great pair with their surprisingly wholesome fan art.
While a similar shared release date connection also repeated itself with the release of Oppenheimer and Barbie on the same day, it still didn't have as much collaborative embracement from both sides of its fanbases as Animal Crossing and DOOM did, making it easily one of the most iconic mashups in recent years.
Even if it's unlikely that Nintendo would ever go so far as to open a direct collaboration with ID Software and its DOOM franchise, that doesn't mean there isn't potential for plenty of Easter eggs and subtle nods that could delight both sides of their respective communities.
Animal Crossing Is Already Opening The Door To More Crossover Content
Zelda Could Open The Floodgates For More Creative Collaborations
Having already leaned more heavily on in-house collaborations with Mario, Splatoon, Metroid, and the upcoming Legend of Zelda content arriving in the free 3.0 update, it's not too much of a stretch to reach out to other franchises outside of Nintendo's control. New Horizons even features Animal Crossing-themed parodies of existing works and bands, such as Red's museum items and K.K. Slider's various albums.
Although the reintroduction of crossover villagers with Tulin, Mineru, Cece, and Viche from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Splatoon 3 is an exciting prospect on its own, it's unfortunately hard to believe that Nintendo would ever add an entirely new character based on another equally established franchise that it didn't already own.
Previous Animal Crossing games have had their own character crossovers as well, with several Splatoon and Zelda characters appearing in Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Animal Crossing: Welcome Amiibo.
Even if we won't be able to invite the Doom Slayer over to our own islands to hang out with Isabelle anytime soon, that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other creative ways to host a cross-dimensional collaboration in the future. Whether it's themed clothes, decorations, Gyroids playing DOOM's iconic soundtrack, or even a few tongue-in-cheek lines of dialogue, there are plenty of ways to incorporate DOOM into Animal Crossing's tone without being overly intrusive.
With Animal Crossing thriving on hidden references like The Da Vinci Code's key behind a fake painting, or riding the line between paying homage and straight-up borrowing from franchises like Godzilla and Gundam with its in-game decorations, the next Animal Crossing game could take this even further with more pop-culture references that acknowledge its passionate fanbase.
Unique Dialogue Would Go A Long Way To Improving Animal Crossing's Daily Life
Spicing Up Character Interactions Is An Easy Way To Win Over Fans
Given that one of the biggest complaints about New Horizons to this day is easily its lack of interesting or unique villager dialogue, characters often have very little to say or do after talking to them a handful of times.
With the more abrasive and unique personalities of Animal Crossing's characters having been watered down with each following entry, adding in even a few dialogue references through updates or from the ground up in a full-blown sequel would be an excellent start to addressing this issue.
Whether it's Isabelle making jokes about having a friend that loves heavy metal, slaying her daily tasks, or other characters mentioning seeing her next to a scary-looking villager with an affinity for rabbits, there are plenty of creative ways to reference other games like DOOM without ruining its immersion.
Rather than breaking the cozy vibe that games like New Horizons have going for them, these small nods would help to enhance the overall experience by giving its characters more flavor and reasons to check in with them each day, with even more iconic franchises like Stardew Valley and anything from Studio Ghibli being welcome additions as well.
This isn't to say that Animal Crossing: New Horizons needs anything like a full-blown crossover with DOOM Eternal or any other non-Nintendo franchise, but the series deserves, and could easily benefit from clever Easter-eggs that pay homage to some of the most influential and heartwarming moments in the franchise's history moving forward.
animal-crossing-new-horizons.jpg
11
9.2/10
9/10
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Simulation
OpenCritic Reviews
Top Critic Avg:
90/100
Critics Rec:
99%
Released
March 20, 2020
ESRB
E for Everyone: Comic Mischief
Developer(s)
Nintendo EPD
Publisher(s)
Nintendo
Engine
Havok
10 Images
Animal Crossing New Horizons character resting on a beach towel
Planting a tree in Animal Crossing New Horizons.
animal crossing new horizons bridge party
Talking to Tom Nook in his tent in the plaza at the start of Animal Crossing New Horizons
A player character sitting at the bank of the river in Animal Crossing New Horizons
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