Animal Crossing (universe)

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The Animal Crossing universe refers to the Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that hail from the popular Animal Crossing series of colorful life-simulation games for recent Nintendo systems. Its only representation thus far is in the from of trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee and a stage, an item, and a few trophies, songs, and stickers in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Franchise description

April 2001 saw the Japanese-exclusive release of a game called Animal Forest (どうぶつの森, Dōbutsu no Mori) for the Nintendo 64. It is life-simulation software classified by Nintendo as a "communication game". Eight months later in December, an enhanced version called Dōbutsu no Mori Plus (Animal Forest Plus) was released in Japan on GameCube. Nintendo of America decided to translate it for a Western release, and in undergoing the immense translation job of the game's text, the American version was also given a lot of new content. This further-enhanced version was titled Animal Crossing and it was a breakout hit with American audiences and critics in December 2002, and Nintendo of Japan was impressed enough by the new version that it was translated back into Japanese and released for essentially the third time in that country (as Dōbutsu no Mori e-Plus).

Animal Crossing, like its eventual two sequels for the Nintendo DS (Animal Crossing: Wild World) and Wii (Animal Crossing: City Folk), is an open-ended social simulator game where the player's little avatar moves to a randomly generated woodland town that he or she provides the name to, and the town is inhabited by all manner of anthropomorphic, cartoony animals. There is minimal plot; the player's general goals include taking part in all sorts of activities such as planting, collecting fish and insects, shopping, running errands for townspeople, and decorating and furnishing the player's personal house. The most tangible overall goal is to pay off the mortgage of your house (with currency called "Bells") as it gets routinely expanded in size by prominent businessman and real-estate agent Tom Nook, a raccoon who is one of the more recognizable characters in the series. Play the first Animal Crossing long enough and you may acquire one of the main reasons for the series' popularity: perfectly emulated ports of classic NES titles such as Donkey Kong Jr., Ice Climber, Excitebike, and Balloon Fight.

Parts of what helps define Animal Crossing as its own notable franchise are its various staple characters and emphasis on structuring events based on the internal clock of the system the game's being played on. Characters that can be easily associated with Animal Crossing, like Tom Nook, include K.K. Slider (aka Totakeke), a canine guitarist that performs music for the town every Saturday night, so that playing the game at that time will allow your avatar to see the event, and Mr. Resetti, a short-tempered mole who will actually punish and yell at you if you turn off or reset the game without saving first. The games observe the four seasons as well as various holidays, so that when the game is turned on and the system's internal clock and calendar register certain times, the environment of the town will reflect that time; snow will be shown covering the town white if the calendar is in the Winter period, and townspeople will adopt a Halloween aesthetic if the internal clock registers October 31st.

Animal Crossing games also encourage various unique forms of multiplayer. In the GameCube game, your avatar from your memory card can book a train trip to the town of another player's Animal Crossing memory card inserted into the system, and you can explore the other town and do much of what you can do in your own town, such as shop around and pick that town's native fruit. Your avatar's visit may prompt the animal townspeople of the other town to decide to move over to your town. Also, it is possible for two players to share the same memory card and live in houses side-by-side, though only one player can act at a time. Lastly, two players can play Animal Crossing's NES games together on the GameCube (depending on the game). There are no emulated games in Wild World for DS, however.

It is likely that part of what contributed to Animal Crossing's success was its cameoing promotion in the Super Smash Bros. series; Super Smash Bros. Melee was released a year before Animal Crossing, but featured collectible trophies depicting some of the characters. More recently, Animal Crossing-series properties were confirmed to make appearances in 2008's Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It remains one of Nintendo's "cutest" franchises.

The third installment to the game, Animal Crossing City, is still being developed and will be released in November this year.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

The Animal Crossing franchise was anonymously introduced to Western gamers through Super Smash Bros. Melee, a full year before Animal Crossing's actual release, but not as an established universe.

Full Trophy List

The only appearances of the franchise in the fighting game are as three collectible trophies, each depicting one of Animal Crossing's staple characters.

• Totakeke (trophy)
• Tom Nook (trophy)
• Mr. Resetti (trophy)

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Animal Crossing is recognized as its own universe by Super Smash Bros. Brawl, but there are no playable characters to hail from it.

Stage

• 
  Smashville: This stage is essentially a woodland town in the style of towns generated by Animal Crossing games in general and given a name undoubtedly appropriate to a Smash Bros. game. It takes place on a simply-laid-out pair of platforms that may be floating around above town, with several characters standing and walking around in the background of the lower platform. In homage to the Animal Crossing tradition of environmental effects based on time of the day, the stage will display its background based on the time of the day it is when a match is fought on it, such as battles at night looking dark. If the stage is played at 8:00 Saturday night, a concert-style performance by K.K. Slider will be playing in the background while the brawl is on.

Item

• Pitfall: In both Animal Crossing games to date (Called Pitfall Seed in Animal Crossing: Wild World), villagers would occasionally dig a trap called the Pitfall with a shovel. If they took the Pitfall and buried it, neighbors that walked over that part of the ground would fall into a hole and be temporarily trapped. This item has the same effect in Brawl, and translates to the Smash Bros. universe as a combination of Donkey Kong's Headbutt attack and the Motion-sensor Bomb from Melee.

Assist Trophy

• Mr. Resetti: Seems to be the Assist Trophy parallel to the Poké Ball's Goldeen. He lectures the players endlessly, much like his role in the Animal Crossing series, but otherwise has no effect on the battle whatsoever (aside from blowing up occasionally and covering abouut half the screen).

Music

• Title (Animal Crossing) - A complete redoing of the title screen music from the DS title Animal Crossing: Wild World. It is used on the Smashville stage.
• Go K.K. Rider! - A rocking remix of the song of the same name from both Animal Crossing titles. It is used on the Smashville stage.
• 2:00 a.m. - A remix of the song of the same name from the original Animal Crossing. It is used on the Smashville stage.
• Town Hall and Tom Nook's Store - A medley of both the Town Hall background music as well as the music that plays in any of the variations of Tom Nooks store, both from both Animal Crossing titles. It is used on the Smashville stage.
• The Roost - A soothing remix of the music track heard in The Roost in Animal Crossing: Wild World. It is used on the Smashville stage.
• K.K. Cruisin' - One of K.K. Slider's songs taken directly from the Animal Crossing games, it only plays during one of his Saturday night concerts on the Smashville stage.
• K.K. Condor - One of K.K. Slider's songs taken directly from the Animal Crossing games, it only plays during one of his Saturday night concerts on the Smashville stage.
• K.K. Western - One of K.K. Slider's songs taken directly from the Animal Crossing games, it only plays during one of his Saturday night concerts on the Smashville stage.
• K.K. Gumbo - One of K.K. Slider's songs taken directly from the Animal Crossing games, it only plays during one of his Saturday night concerts on the Smashville stage.
• Rockin' K.K. - One of K.K. Slider's songs taken directly from the Animal Crossing games, it only plays during one of his Saturday night concerts on the Smashville stage.
• DJ K.K. - One of K.K. Slider's songs taken directly from the Animal Crossing games, it only plays during one of his Saturday night concerts on the Smashville stage.

Trophies

• Animal Crossing Boy
• Sable & Mabel
• Tom Nook
• Tortimer
• Blathers & Celeste
• Pelly & Phyllis
• Pascal
• Brewster
• Dr. Shrunk
• Katrina
• Blanca
• Copper & Booker
• Joan
• Saharah
• K.K. Slider
• Crazy Redd
• Tommy & Timmy Nook
• Katie & Kaitlin
• Wendell
• Kapp'n
• Gulliver
• Mr. Resetti (Feet)
• Pitfall
• Mr. Resetti

Stickers

• K.K. Slider
• Dr. Shrunk
• Boy
• Girl
• Wendell
• Crazy Redd
• Saharah
• Tom Nook
• Blathers
• Brewster
• Celeste
• Copper
• Gracie
• Harriet
• Katrina
• Lyle
• Mabel
• Mr. Resetti
• Pete
• Pascal
• Pelly
• Rosie
• Rover
• Sable
• Tortimer
• Cornimer
• Phyllis
• Joan