Nintendo’s mobile adaptation of their cutesy life sim Animal Crossing may have fallen from relevance since release, but that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing new for remaining villagers to explore and meticulously decorate their campers with.
In fact, a collaboration with Sanrio, the company behind famous Japanese pop culture icon Hello Kitty, will introduce a ton of new, exclusive knick-knacks to the game. It’s slated to last from mid-July to sometime in early August, so interested parties still have time to re-download the game and get in on the kawaii action.
The one bummer here is that this stuff isn’t all that simple to collect, especially if you want to get your hands on every last bit of crossover clothing and clutter. It’s also fairly time-sensitive; this crossover is coming in three phases, each lasting for somewhere around the ten-day mark. Also, as is standard fare for events like these, once it’s over, it’s over for good. This means that folks looking for the free Hello Kitty bow may be out of luck.
The first two Sanrio characters introduced in the event were Hello Kitty and her pal Cinnamonroll. Following an update on July 22, they were cycled out for Pompompurin and My Melody. Little Twin Stars and Keroppi will be making an appearance at some point next month.
That said, the Sanrio characters aren’t actually present in the game. Instead, they are represented by a certain animal villager. Right now, Pompompurin is represented by Marty, an adorable bear cub on a self-designated quest to “taste every flavor of pudding in the world,” and Chelsea, a sheep who simply can’t be without her My Melody swag.
There are several different methods for collecting all of this stuff while it’s here. As per usual, you can claim rewards by completing villager requests, and you may be able to scrounge up enough exclusive crafting material during the timed Gyroidite Scavenger Hunt to craft a few of the items. Chiefly, though, most of these pieces will be earned through Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’s loot box mechanics. Referred to in-game as Fortune Cookies, players can purchase these for 50 Leaf Tickets a piece at Timmy and Tommy’s stand at the market.
The most annoying part about all of this is that Pocket Camp allows for duplicates, so collecting every last piece of crossover content may well require either some serious patience - or a few microtransaction purchases. It’s unfortunate that Nintendo wouldn’t just offer these things as micro-DLC packs, but it’s 2019, and loot boxes still rule the roost despite overwhelming player contempt.
One interesting note about this whole affair is that it isn’t the first time Nintendo partnered with Sanrio. Back in 2016, Nintendo released a set of six amiibo cards for use in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Players who got a hold of these were treated to some exclusive character-specific stuff, but, unfortunately for Westerners, while they were widely distributed in Japan, they only saw a fairly limited release in the United States. This means that those still looking for these rare amiibo will likely have to contend with some pretty obnoxious aftermarket mark-ups.
Still, this is a pretty cool bit of cross-promotion for both companies, and it certainly could incentivize those who haven’t played the game in a while to hop back in. While most mobile fans are primarily concerned with the upcoming mobile release Mario Kart Tour, this may serve as a cuddly, heartwarming distraction.
