Much of the Animal Crossing series is beloved by its fans, save for one notable exception. While there is one Animal Crossing game that is so hated that most AC devotees probably already know which one I'm talking about, I don't think it's a lost cause. In fact, with a few tweaks, I think it could work pretty well on the Switch 2.

It's hard not to speculate what kinds of games could work well on the Switch 2, especially given its new features. Nintendo usually does a good job creating games tailored specifically to their hardware, and I could see this Animal Crossing spin-off working well. While it likely wouldn't get as much hype as something like the Switch 2 launch title Mario Kart World, I would be intersted to see how Nintendo could fix this mistake.

Why Everyone Hates Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival

Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival Was Boring And Had Disappointing Timing

There are three main reasons most people disliked Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival when it first came out, two fair reasons, and one reason that it was a little less fair. Perhaps the best reason, in my opinion, to dislike the game is that it was pretty boring. Its board game mode reminds me of the game Life where you basically just travel around a board and things happen to you with very little input from you. While some of the mini-games were okay, they didn't justify buying the game or its tie-in Amiibos.

The Amiibos were another fair reason to dislike Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival. There were eight Animal Crossing Amiibos released alongside the game which all had no functionality outside of it. This, coupled with how shallow and boring the gameplay was, made the game feel like a cheap attempt to hawk Amiibos more than a full game.

A little less fair was the fact that many people hated Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival because they had gotten their hopes up that a new mainline Animal Crossing game was being announced, and they got it instead. While I can understand the disappointment (looking at you, Persona 5: The Phantom X), it still doesn't mean a game is necessarily bad just because it's not the one you expected. Of course, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival did turn out to be pretty bad, which didn't help with the disappointment.

It's Unlikely, But Amiibo Festival 2 Could Work Great On Switch 2

A Switch 2 Sequel Could Correct The Mistakes Of The Original

Now it's hard to ignore the fact that releasing a sequel to Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival now would risk repeating history. After all, fans are once again hoping for an announcement of a new full Animal Crossing game, and would likely be unhappy with this alternative. I also think for the game to work, it would need to ditch the Amiibo gimmick. However, I see some potential in an Animal Crossing board game. If the Mario Party franchise could turn things around by listening to criticism, I don't see why Animal Crossing couldn't do the same.

I think a cozy alternative to the cutthroat Mario Party franchise would be appealing to a lot of players. I've found myself gravitating away from playing competitive games with my friends and towards cooperative games, or at least games that are so casual it's more about the experience than winning. Animal Crossing's relaxing vibes would be the perfect set dressing for this style of low-stakes game. It could also incorporate some of the Switch 2's unique new features, like chat functionality and the mouse-like Joy-Cons, to design unique new mini-games.