A gamer of Animal Crossing realised they might invite Blanca to The Roost, indicating that the 2.0 update includes additional amiibo NPCs. A player of Animal Crossing: New Horizons discovered that with an amiibo card, they could bring back iconic Animal Crossing character Blanca from prior series games. Since the game’s release, gamers have been able to invite villagers to their town using amiibo cards. However, this latest character discovery demonstrates that with the recent release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 2.0 update, new amiibo cards become playable.
Animal Crossing amiibo cards were first released in 2015 and were initially used in the Wii U title Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, which allowed players to invite and play minigames with their favourite villagers. Nintendo has continued to release amiibo card sets since then, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched with amiibo features. Both games allow players to use the cards to bring villagers to a campsite in the player’s town, where they can invite them to move in. The latest 2.0 update, as well as the DLC Happy Home Paradise, provides additional uses for ACNH amiibo cards. They can be used to invite a villager or non-player character to the game’s new café, The Roost, or to commission the design of a holiday home in the DLC.
This week, Reddit user lbcordell575 revealed the reappearance of a particular character from prior games: Blanca, the cat. Blanca was well-known to many long-time series fans due to her unusual appearance – she has a completely blank face devoid of any features. The user was able to summon her to the café using an earlier amiibo card that previously did not operate in-game. Blanca jokes in the player’s picture that she has an “unbeatable game face,” referring to her appearance in previous games, in which she would visit players’ towns with a blank face and request that they sketch one on for her, allowing them to design it any way they pleased.
Blanca was previously one of the numerous non-playable characters from prior Animal Crossing titles, which could not be recruited into the game via amiibo cards. Certain new character additions, such as brand new Animal Crossing residents and NPCs on Harv’s Island, were already known to be included in the 2.0 update. Now it appears as though the number of character additions is greater than previously believed. According to Polygon, amiibo cards now include over 15 characters from past games, including classics like Gracie, Wendell, and Dr Shrunk.
This recent discovery expands the number of enjoyable new ways to use amiibo in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Although Animal Crossing’s amiibo card lineup already includes several new characters, bringing back villagers and NPCs from previous games for cups of coffee and vacation homes is an interesting development. Numerous players have expressed a desire to see characters from previous games, and this new update is a welcome and sentimental addition for longstanding fans of the game series.
