So, the Animal Crossing 25th anniversary is here, and what did we get to celebrate the big 2-5? Barely anything. Fans (it's me, I'm fans) are disappointed with the singular little gift awaiting us in our mailbox.
I didn't expect a shadow drop of Dobutsu No Mori on Nintendo Switch Online, or a reboot of any old games, but what we got is a 'leaf statue' item. It's a green, glowing leaf that - sadly - doesn't match with my autumnal, cottagecore island, so it'll be going right into storage.
Along with the commemorative item, you can listen to 158 tracks from the original GameCube game via Nintendo Music. To match this, an official custom design based on the Dobutsu No Mori packaging is available through Nintendo's own account.
Five years ago, when the 20th anniversary happened, we also got surprisingly little. We got a cute wallpaper, but that's about it. I can't be too mad, after all, the 3.0 update earlier this year added a lot more content than I expected, such as an entire hotel and more visitors to my island.
2025 marks another year where I hope that we'll get the original Animal Crossing game on NSO, so I can properly play it without having to set up my crusty old Wii U. For now, I'll just stare at my new, neon green leaf-shaped lamp.