
But now, with Happy Home Paradise, Nintendo has found a perfect solution to the series’ fatal flaw: Attach the side games to the main game. The company tried a few spinoff titles to turn it into a more varied franchise, but nothing stuck.

It was just one example of the way Nintendo has struggled to capitalize on Animal Crossing’s success. It was essentially a little puzzle game about fulfilling home requests that was charming, though didn’t feel robust enough for a stand-alone title. The game was more focused than its freeform mainline counterpart as it only asked players to design houses for villagers. Happy Home Paradise is essentially a spiritual sequel to Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, a stand-alone spinoff title that was released for Nintendo 3DS after Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Introducing Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise
