Animal Crossing: New Leaf is based on the real-world calendar – no two days in the game are the same – and includes features new to the series like customizing specific pieces of furniture, visiting a tropical island, swimming in the ocean and even sharing personalized homes with friends.

As mayors of their towns, players make decisions that will directly affect how their towns grow and function. Players can set ordinances, such as keeping their shops open later if they find themselves playing the game mostly at night, and also select public works projects to build, including bridges, benches, streetlamps and clocks. In addition to being mayor, players are also residents, and can earn money to spend at local businesses on Main Street, get to know their neighbors and collect myriad items like insects, fish, fossils and fruit, some of which can be donated to the town museum for visitors to admire.

Once players get accustomed to their new life in the town, Tortimer, the town's former mayor, will visit and invite them to the tropical island where he now lives. The tropical island is a new feature in Animal Crossing: New Leaf that lets players search for unique items and take mini-vacations with up to three other friends who also own the game. While visiting the island, they can participate in a tour featuring a fun mini-game. They can even rent a wetsuit and dive into the ocean to catch underwater creatures or just leisurely swim around and enjoy the sights.

The free downloadable software update for the Animal Crossing: New Leaf launched this morning, and will also launch as part of a packaged version with the full game called Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo exclusively for the 3DS family of systems in December.

This updated version of the classic Animal Crossing: New Leaf game adds amiibo functionality, which opens up a whole neighborhood of fun new possibilities. By tapping the new Welcome amiibo cards for Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo launching Dec. 2 and the 16 previously released Animal Crossing amiibo figures, you can welcome villagers in their very own RVs to a special new RV campground.

“This new update will appeal to people who never picked up the original game, and all its new features will excite fans of the Animal Crossing franchise,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “The update breathes new life into Animal Crossing: New Leaf and offers more fun compatibility for your amiibo figures and cards.”

Here’s a list of the new features:

Work with amiibo!

• New Life for Animal Crossing amiibo Figures!: The 16 Animal Crossing series amiibo figures let you invite special guests into your game with their own RVs, where you can interact with them on their day off from daily duties in town. These characters will also offer players an in-game Wii U console item or New Nintendo 3DS XL and New Nintendo 3DS items, which give players access to new games Desert Island Escape and Animal Crossing Puzzle League, which are almost like new games in themselves!
• Wisp’s Wishes: By finding the magic lamp in the main game, you will unlock amiibo functionality. Once acquired, you can use the lamp once a day to summon the ghostly Wisp, tap a compatible amiibo and invite that respective amiibo character to your village. Do you want to live in a village full of ducks? Or cows? By using specific amiibo, you can make that wish come true!
• New Welcome amiibo Cards: 50 new amiibo cards for Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo launch on Dec. 2, the same day as the new packaged edition of the game. These cards not only include cool new villagers from past Animal Crossing games, but also their RVs as well! And speaking of those RVs…
• New RV Campground: After updating the game, you will notice a new area in your town. This new campground offers different interactions with special villagers and new shopping opportunities, as well as Harvey, a hilarious new character that will assist with all your campground needs. By tapping certain amiibo figures or cards, a character will show up in her or his custom and stylish RV. This even applies to some non-Animal Crossing amiibo like the Inklings from Splatoon and Wolf Link from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD.
• More to Play!: The in-game Wii U console item unlocks the Desert Island Escape game, while Animal Crossing Puzzle League can be accessed with the in-game New Nintendo 3DS XL and New Nintendo 3DS items. The Wii U and New Nintendo 3DS XL and New Nintendo 3DS items can be obtained via fortune cookies at the Nooklings’ shop, but it’s much easier to obtain these items when you scan any of the 16 Animal Crossing amiibo figures.

No amiibo needed!

• MEOW Coupons: By earning new MEOW (Mutual Exchange of Wealth) Coupons, you can obtain unique in-game items at the campground or from your visiting animal friends. To earn these coupons, you must complete new daily or weekly Town Initiatives, like pulling a set amount of weeds or gathering certain seashells.
• Say Cheese!: With the new amiibo Camera mode, you can take the coolest in-game selfies ever. By gathering your favorite villagers, you can snap a photo and save it to view whenever you like! You can even share with friends using the 3DS Image Share tool. No amiibo are needed for this mode, but by tapping an amiibo you can take photos of your new villager friends!
• What Do you Do With a New Storeroom?: Store things, of course! With the Animal Crossing: New Leaf update, you can use your Bells to obtain a new storeroom for your house at Nook’s Homes. You can access this storeroom from anywhere in your house and it stores tons of collectibles. Maybe you can even hide a dusty old umbrella in there. Isn’t that where all dusty old umbrellas are stored?
• Decorating is Easier Than Ever!: Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo lets you customize your home by moving around your furniture and items using the Nintendo 3DS touch screen. This makes setting up a perfectly styled room easier than ever.
• Happy Home, Happy Transfer: If you have save data from the Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer game, you can link your save data and unlock 20 giant furniture items to spend your Bells on in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. What do we mean by giant furniture? Well, just that. This new furniture is HUGE and will definitely make an impression in any home.

 

Animal Crossing: New Leaf expands on the remarkably deep customization that fans love. Like previous Animal Crossing games, players can customize almost everything in the game, including their homes' interior design and clothes, as well as patterns for clothing, wallpaper and carpets. But in this game, players can also adjust the specific look of thousands of individual pieces of furniture, including new types of wall items like clocks, shelves and lamps, and decorate the exterior of their houses with new mailboxes, doors, façades and stepping stones. Players can even create custom fashion designs at the Able Sisters' Tailor that can be turned into QR Code patterns to be shared with others. The amount of customizable options is nearly endless.

Players can play locally with other Animal Crossing: New Leaf fans who also own the game, share Friend Codes to travel to other players' towns, go on a tropical island tour via a wireless broadband Internet connection with friends or up to three other random players from all over the world, or tag fellow players using the StreetPass feature to add their personalized houses to the Happy Home Showcase.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is constantly evolving and changing. Certain items can only be found at a certain time of day, and certain events can only be experienced during special in-game holidays on the calendar. There's something new to do every day in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.