LEGO Videogame Tie-Ins - Rumors & Discussion

[Portal Out]

Brick Clicker just confirmed it, looks like this is actually happening! This might be my new most anticipated theme, fingers crossed they’re not going to try to shoehorn an obtrusive play feature into it. 

[Karalora]

23 minutes ago, Portal Out said:

Brick Clicker just confirmed it, looks like this is actually happening! This might be my new most anticipated theme, fingers crossed they’re not going to try to shoehorn an obtrusive play feature into it. 

It's hard to imagine how they would, since building your neighborhood is the focus of an AC game.

[JohnTPT17]

The more I think about it, the more I think that, with an initial investment of some new molds for characters, this series could potentially last a long time, especially with support form a CMF. For example, once you make one cat head mold, you now have access to a huge number of popular characters (Raymond, Rosie, Ankha, etc). Even more specialized mold, like one for the Able Sisters, could still be used more times, or you can give the characters different outfits to justify them being in multiple sets (Isabelle would be a good example, of this, with all of her seasonal outfits). It makes a lot more sense then, say, food costumes that only show up in a single CMF and are never seen again. Heck, I think a blind-box CMF of Animal Crossing characters would do better than the upcoming Marvel one - Nintendo shoppers already buy blind bag Animal Crossing items (Amiibo cards, chocolate eggs, etc), so it's not a shock to them. And, personally, I think there is less "blind bad disappointment" to getting a villager that may not be your dreamy, as opposed to random Marvel superheroes which one probably has a wider range of emotions about.

(Of course, being able to feel the bags would be ideal, but I digress)

29 minutes ago, Karalora said:

It's hard to imagine how they would, since building your neighborhood is the focus of an AC game.

Oh, it's not too hard to imagine... Start off your 120-second day by scanning the tile in front of your house! Make your way down to the beach to try and catch a fish - keep your character steady, and you might be able to catch a big one! Then, scan the tile in front of the tree - see if you get money, an item you can sell, or get stung by bees (and lose some Bells!). Say hello to your villager friends by scanning the tile they are standing by, and see what gifts they give you! Be sure to scan the tile in front of Nook's Cranny before time runs out, and see how many Bells you can get before the end of the day!

Hopefully they don't go the Mario route with this and do something awful like that, but... Well, that's pretty much what the Mario series does. With minifigures seemingly coming, though, I hope we will have dodged that bullet.

[BrickBob Studpants]

This theme has so much potential! Just thinking of all the tools, fruits, furniture, insects, etc they could include here makes me giddy with excitement.

LEGO FROGGY CHAIR LET’S GOOOOOOOOO

Edited August 3, 2023 by BrickBob Studpants

[Borex]

I already told my wife that we’re going to be broke

[Agent Kallus]

I have played a bit of animal crossing but honestly I got bored of it kinda quickly. It's like Stardew if you took out all the best things about Stardew.

I do have a favourite character though so if he was in a cheap set I might be tempted.

[Karalora]

1 hour ago, JohnTPT17 said:

Oh, it's not too hard to imagine... Start off your 120-second day by scanning the tile in front of your house! Make your way down to the beach to try and catch a fish - keep your character steady, and you might be able to catch a big one! Then, scan the tile in front of the tree - see if you get money, an item you can sell, or get stung by bees (and lose some Bells!). Say hello to your villager friends by scanning the tile they are standing by, and see what gifts they give you! Be sure to scan the tile in front of Nook's Cranny before time runs out, and see how many Bells you can get before the end of the day!

That seems unlikely, mainly because that's not what playing AC feels like. Swooping a digi-fig around and bouncing it on enemies and trying to get coins within a time limit is about as close as you can get to playing a Mario game with physical objects, but AC is a completely different video game experience. I think it dovetails with LEGO much better.

I still want my Legend of Zelda sets though. Where's my Great Deku Tree, LEGO? Why haven't you launched a line of Tears of the Kingdom sets revolving around building monster-obliteration vehicles and sticking their horns to sticks to make wicked-looking weapons?

[Megbricks]

I know they won’t but id love for one of the sets to be based on vidiyoland (from animal crossing). 

[JohnTPT17]

39 minutes ago, Agent Kallus said:

I have played a bit of animal crossing but honestly I got bored of it kinda quickly. It's like Stardew if you took out all the best things about Stardew.

I've played (and really love) both - but for different reasons. For me, Stardew Valley can be played for pretty much as long as you want, since they day cycle is pretty quick and isn't tied to anything in real-time. You can also put the game down and pick it back up a day, week, or year later and not have lost anything. It also has a greater variety of locations with the town, mine, desert, forest, and Ginger Island (whereas in Animal Crossing, you're pretty much always on the same island). The characters are also, for the most part, more three-dimensional than the average villager in Animal Crossing. 

Animal Crossing is a slower burn - it's best played in short spurts every day (probably an hour or less) to get your "daily chores" done, with the possibility of trying to find a rare fish or bug or doing some bigger event (like Toy Day) tied to real-time events. The game can also punish you a little bit for not playing each day (though the punishments aren't near as bad as they have been in past editions). It's also more focused on customization, decoration, and inviting new people to your town than Stardew Valley, which has a more-or-less set town from Day 1.  That customability might be what made it attractive for Lego and Nintendo to develop into a theme.

As far as some other overlaps - like fishing and the museum - there's pros and cons to each one... Nothing worth continuing to go off topic for.

28 minutes ago, Karalora said:

That seems unlikely, mainly because that's not what playing AC feels like. Swooping a digi-fig around and bouncing it on enemies and trying to get coins within a time limit is about as close as you can get to playing a Mario game with physical objects, but AC is a completely different video game experience. I think it dovetails with LEGO much better.

I hope Lego sees it that way as well! I really don't want to be forced to stare into the cold, dead eyes of a Tom Nook or Isabelle digi-fig...

[Agent Kallus]

I had a crazy idea, that might work well for the upcoming animal crossing theme. I doubt they'll go this direction but they might.

Lego Amiibo, either with dimensions like parts, and Amiibo cards with lego-fied villagers.

Also does the Gabby's Dollhouse cat ( I looked it up and the one I mean is called Pandy Paws) look like the cat villager to anyone else?

Edited August 8, 2023 by Agent Kallus

[JohnTPT17]

3 hours ago, Agent Kallus said:

Lego Amiibo, either with dimensions like parts, and Amiibo cards with lego-fied villagers.

If Dimensions was still going, I think this could be really cool. The Bowser and Donkey Kong Skylanders figures worked as both Skylanders and Amiibo, so technically there is precedent. I could have easily seen a two-pack of Tom Nook and Isabelle, with the bi-plane and/or Kapp'n boat or bus as the vehicles. But, those have been dead for years, so I don't think that they will revive those NFC parts for this. A Lego Animal Crossing blind box series (similar to the Amiibo card series) would sell like hotcakes though... especially if they save it for whenever the next Animal Crossing game comes out and have new villagers in that series. Remember how nuts some people went for anything Raymond-related?

(Though now you have me thinking of a Lego-ified Animal Crossing town to explore in Dimensions... Running around in one of those as Gandalf, E. T., and Chell would have been a blast. Imagine characters mistaking Batman, Scoob, Sonic, and the Chima figures for new animal villagers, Abby from Ghostbusters trying to catch Wisp, Robin bonding with Timmy and Tommy over being fellow adopted orphans... The possibilities would have been endless.)

4 hours ago, Agent Kallus said:

Also does the Gabby's Dollhouse cat ( I looked it up and the one I mean is called Pandy Paws) look like the cat villager to anyone else?

I saw one of those sets in Wal-mart today while I was looking for Batman '92 polybags and had the same thought. It does look like it would might fit, and does fit with what leakers were saying about "molded heads," but I really think that Animal Crossing characters would look way better as minifigs based on the proportions. Also:

• It would be odd to try to fit a larger head, like an elephant, gorilla, or Tom Nook, on a body that small.
• It doesn't quite fit the vibe of "Fabuland," which is what the initial leak suggested. I think that "minidolls" would have come up from the leakers if they saw something in that vein.
• Animal Crossing cats have heads that are almost spherical - Pandy Paws' head looks much more flat.
• These sets does make one torso that would work for cats and maybe dogs, but you would need a different body mold (and head mold) for pretty much any other character who doesn't have a long tail - even the regular microdoll mold doesn't quite do is justice, with all of the height differences within the villager types. If they were minifigures, you have a much larger pool of parts to pull from (tails, wings, different sized legs, etc) and mostly just need to focus on new head molds.
•  The characters couldn't hold most tools if they used microdoll, which is a part of the charm of Animal Crossing. Imagine a KK Slider figure that can't hold a guitar, or Brewster without a coffee cup.
•  Microdolls themselves are fairly static, and doesn't have much room for "customization," which is the going theory for the appeal of this series. Heck, digi-fig Mario had more customization options than Pandy Paws, since he can change both his outfit and his hat. I imagine the Animal Crossing figures would have pinholes in the top of their head for accessories (hat, bows, etc) or for parts like horns. Pandy Paws doesn't have that. And, if they are minifigures, it would be easier for them to have different outfits to change into. (Or even buy from a theoretical Able Sister's shop in the style of the Harry Potter  "trunk" sets with lots of accessories/outfits- I personally think that could be really cool and even be appealing to those not interested in Animal Crossing sets).
• I imagine the Animal Crossing stuff has been in development for awhile now, and was probably kept separate from this (possibly one-off?) series. So, while it might share ideas, new molds were probably made in isolation - especially since they are both liscenced and might even be required to stay exclusive for a bit. 

That was a bit longer than I though it was going to be... Anyways, while it could maybe happen, I personally don't think (and really hope) that Lego doesn't use micro-minidolls for the Animal Crossing theme, even if they could possibly double-dip on a few microdoll molds. 

 

[Karalora]

It will be interesting to see which characters get included in the Animal Crossing line--there are far more potential neighbors than even an evergreen theme can put in actual sets, as well as several "standard" NPCs that will appear in every game. Tom Nook, Isabelle, and K.K. Slider are probably shoe-ins, but I'm wondering whether there are any neighbors that are considered especially iconic.

[Agent Kallus]

2 hours ago, Karalora said:

 I'm wondering whether there are any neighbors that are considered especially iconic.

Jambette.

[Borex]

3 hours ago, Karalora said:

It will be interesting to see which characters get included in the Animal Crossing line--there are far more potential neighbors than even an evergreen theme can put in actual sets, as well as several "standard" NPCs that will appear in every game. Tom Nook, Isabelle, and K.K. Slider are probably shoe-ins, but I'm wondering whether there are any neighbors that are considered especially iconic.

To me it’s Flurry. I always want Flurry in my village. 
 

and i’d like to see Saharah seling carpets and wallpaper :-)

plus how cool would it be if they made all kind of insects and fish molds like the spider, ant and butterfly to catch and collect

[Karalora]

1 hour ago, Borex said:

and i’d like to see Saharah seling carpets and wallpaper :-)

Harv's Hippie Commune Island might make a good set, with all the fun vendor NPCs and their individual trailers and stalls.

[JohnTPT17]

If I got to pick one villager that I think has a less-likely chance of making it? Dobie, hands-down. He's the one villager that I refuse to let move from my New Horizons island. I just think that other wolves will get made before he does. I could name several other of my favorites, though.

Based on this website, the "top-tier villagers" are:

Top 15:

Spoiler

Marlo, Raymond, Shino, Marshal, Sherb, Lolly, Ankha, Bob, Molly, Sasha, Maple, Stitches, Zucker, Lucky and Ketchup.

Tier 2 (16-40):

Spoiler

Judy, Coco, Fuchsia, Ione, Marina, Roald, Audie, Beau, Fauna, Cherry, Poppy, Erik, Merengue, Dom, Punchy, Tangy, Rosie, Sterling, Lily, Cookie, and Phil.

Tier 3 (41-70):

Spoiler

Apollo, Tia, Bam, Pietro, Apple, Merry, Diana, Flora, Fang, Hornsby, Bones, Filbert, Dobie, Kabuki, Pekoe, Gayle, Whitney, Pashmina, Ellie, Julian, Roscoe, Flurry, Skye, Sprinkle, Cephalobot, Zell, Mitzi, Rudy, Melba, and Shep.

And, if you want the top 100, it would also include:

Spoiler

Bluebear, Wolfgang, Dotty, Dizzy, Alfonso, Biskit, Cherve, Kid Cat, Static, Agnes, Hazel, Jeremiah, Genji, Joey, Chief, Scoot, Kidd, Katt, Muffy, Antonio, Billy, Clay, Bianca, Drago, Teddy, Henry, Vesta, Lobo, and Puddles.

It's not a perfect list (how Hazel is there and not Peanut baffles me), but I think that generally covers most of the more popular ones.

Now, for who I think will actually get made.. I think it as much depends on the species (longwinded, slightly biased overanalysis here):

Spoiler

If an animal/species is going to get made, it's going to need a new head mold. Some of them will be easier to make than others, and some species are more popular than others. This ranking is also probably a bit harsh, since the first wave will need to use several molds for the NPC characters.

Alligators: Assuming their mouth is closed, the shape itself probably wouldn't be too hard to make. Sadly, the list only has a three alligators: Galye, Alfonso, and Drago. I'd say it's "50/50."

Anteaters: Another fairly simple shape, but only one anteater was in the top 100 (Antonio). "Less likely."

Bears: Also known as "Cubs, but Tall." Teddy is the only bear in the top 100, but I'll put them as "50/50" since they could reuse the heads that cubs would use (just, please don't make Beardo).

Birds: The first species not in the top 100, that already put them in the "less likely" category. The only reason they're not "unlikely" is because their head shape is simple, and I personally think there are still iconic birds that would make sense in sets (Piper, Anchovy, Jitters, Jay, etc)

Bulls: The first species to have different designs between boys and girls, none are in the top 100. The fact that they don't seem to be as popular, and that their mold is more limited, makes them my first "unlikely" critter.

Cat: Making up 14 of the top 100 (Raymond, Lolly, Ankha, Bob, Punchy, Tangy, Rosie, Kiki, Merry, Kabuki, Mitzi, Rudy, Kid Cat, and Katt), plus having a fairly basic design, I would put money on us getting some cats. As an added bonus, the cat mold can also be used for the reoccurring NPC Rover (who I really hopes get made)! "Almost guaranteed."

Chicken: Pretty much the same case as "Birds:" none in the top 100, but might have enough pull to get made. "Less likely."

Cow: Same case as the bulls. "Unlikely."

Cub: Fairly well represented in the top 100 at 6 (Maple, Stitches, Judy, Marty, Pekoe, and Bluebear), and with a basic design, cubs will probably be coming. "Almost guaranteed."

Deer: This one is tricky, because while they are well represented in the top 100 (7: Shino, Fuchsia, Beau, Fauna, Erik, Bam, and Zell), several of them have different horns, which means either 1), making several molds, or 2),  having a pin-in accessory that can be used for those with different horns, similar to the CMF Reindeer. Still, I'm okay with calling them "more likely," due to their popularity, and the fact that not all would need horns/some horns exist. Bonus points to possibly being able to get a Jingle mold out of this (Imagine an Animal Crossing Advent Calendar! That would freshen up some of the getting-stale other licenses.)

Dog: Another popular species with 8 representatives (Bones, Cherry, Cookie, Daisy, Goldie, Bones, Shep, and Biskit) and a smiple design, they're probably a shoe-in for the series. "Almost guaranteed."

Duck: Four are in the top 100 (Molly, Ketchup, Joey, Scoot), but I'll still put them as "more likely" just because they might be seen as a bit more "cute" than some other species.

Eagle: Sterling and Apollo are the only two in the top 100, but I'll still put the species as "less likely" because I want the mold to get made and the repurposed for Sam the Eagle from the Muppets. Not biased at all.

Elephant: In the top 100 we have Tia, Ellie, and Dizzy. The head mold might be a little more complicated, though, so I'll just barely slide them down to "50/50."

Frog: I feel about the same way about frogs as I do about ducks: four representatives (Lily, Jeremiah, Henry, and Puddles), but they might have a few more unique designs to pull from. "More likely."

Goat: Another tricky one, because this is another species with different designs between genders (boys have beards). Sherb, Kidd, and Billy are in the top 100. I'll put them as "50/50" by a hair, mostly because of how popular Sherb is in the Animal Crossing community.

Gorilla: Not a very popular species overall - in the ranking, I didn't see any gorillas until #262. Not very cute, either. "Unlikely."

Hamster: The hamster Marlo occupies the #1 spot on the tier list, while Apple, Flurry, and Clay add an additional three picks to the top 100. They looks pretty similar face-wise to cubs, though, which might lead to some visual confusion over them and cause hamsters to not be picked. I'll still call them "50/50" though, but just be a hair.

Hippo: Basically the same as alligators, but with larger noses. None in the top 100. "Less Likely"

Horse: Only two representatives in the top 10 (Julian and Roscoe). "50/50" only because I've been playing a lot of Pocket Card Jockey recently.

Kangaroo: If any animal doesn't get made, I think it will probably be the kangaroo. The girls have a "baby" in a pouch that mimics the mother's movements - a fact I've found creepy since the Gamecube. That would be a difficult part to make for a species that isn't very popular. Easy "unlikely."

Koala: Only one koala in the top 100 (Melba), though I feel like they would be a popular species if made. Due to the list, though, I'll put them as "50/50," but only by a hair.

Lion: Another less popular critter (none in the top 100), but nothing particularly bad about them. "Less Likely."

Monkey: I've always felt weird about the monkeys (and gorillas) in Animal Crossing - I want to be the only primate in this town! Once again, none in the top 100, but I'll put them as "Less Likely."

Mouse: For the third animal in a row, none are in the top 100. I'm running out of things to say.. Another "Less Likely, " I guess.

Octopus: This is one of the hardest ones to call. Even though there's only 4 Octopus villagers, three (Zucker, Marina, and Cephalobot) are in the top 100. The issue, though, is that they might need a second mold for their tentacle legs. Due to this caveat, I'll barely put them as "50/50."

Ostrich: The general catch-all for "big birds," this is another one that has some inter-species variety that might make them a bit tricky (though they might be able to get away with some of this with printing). Three (Phil, Flora, and Phoebe) are in the top 100, though, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and let them be "50/50." Slight edge due to the fact you might be able to reuse the head for Pave or Franklin.

Penguin: Like the ducks, another "cute" species that have two (Roald and Sprinkle) in the top 100. I'll give them a slight edge and call them "More likely," mostly because I haven't used that for awhile.

Pig: Agnes is the only pig representative in the top 100 - which surprised me, since I've always liked the pigs. I guess I'll go with the crowd and call them "Less Likely" though.

Rabbit: The first species in awhile that feels like a success: four in the top 100 (Sasha, Coco, Dotty, and Genji), with a lot of other "cute" ones that could also use the mold. Easy "More Likely."

Rhino: Another segregated species, with the girls having one horn and the boys with two. Two rhinos (Megengue and Hornsby) in the top 100. "50-50," though they are close to being less likely due to the horn differences.

Sheep: Represented by Dom, Pietro, Muffy, and Vesta, their head mold might be a little more complicated then some others due to the large, colorful horns. I'll still call them "More Likely" due to their popularity, with a few personal doubts.

Squirrel: They are in the same boat as the Octopi: Popular (6: Marshall, Ione, Poppy, Filbert, Static, and Hazel), but needing a new mold to do them justice (the tail). That tail is the only think sinking them to "More Likely."

Tiger: Visually similar to lions, but with three hair "floofs" on each side as opposed to four. Only one (Bianca) in the top 100. "Less Likely."

Wolf: Another one I'm torn on. The molds might be tricky, since a lot of wolves dye their hair tips, and they also might need a tail mold (though they could probably get away without one). 8 in the top 100 (Audie, Fang, Dobie, Whitney, Skye, Wolfgang, Chief, and Lobo), though make me think they might be popular enough to get in. I'll put them just off of almost guarantied and call them "More Likely," But that's only out of an abundance of caution.

(I think that covers everyone - hopefully I didn't miss anything important or that I haven't condemned any of your dreamies!)

My TLDR Rankings of Possible Species:

• Almost Guarantied: Cat, Cub, Dog.
• More Likely: Deer, Duck, Frog, Penguin, Rabbit, Sheep, Squirrel, Wolf.
• 50/50: Alligator, Bear, Elephant, Goat, Hamster, Horse, Koala, Octopus, Ostrich, Rhino.
• Less Likely: Anteater, Bird, Chicken, Eagle, Hippo, Lion, Monkey, Mouse, Pig, Tiger.
• Unlikely: Bull, Cow, Gorilla, Kangaroo. 

 

Edit: It looks like there are two Animal Crossing Brickheads coming according to Brick Clicker - set numbers 40666 and 40667. I think Isabelle and Tom Nook are safe bets. The question is: Will Isabelle get the "666" number as a subtle Doom reference, or will Tom Nook get it for being a supposed loan shark (an argument I've never gotten)? 

Edited August 11, 2023 by JohnTPT17

[BrickBob Studpants]

4 hours ago, JohnTPT17 said:

[…] or will Tom Nook get it for being a supposed loan shark (an argument I've never gotten)? 

Yeah, that argument is nonsense. You don‘t pay interest, and Tom never comes to hound you about it

But you‘re right, those two BrickHeadz are most likely Tom and Isabelle  Finally, our first Nintendo BrickHeadz!

[Agent Kallus]

On 8/4/2023 at 12:57 AM, JohnTPT17 said:

I've played (and really love) both - but for different reasons. For me, Stardew Valley can be played for pretty much as long as you want, since they day cycle is pretty quick and isn't tied to anything in real-time. You can also put the game down and pick it back up a day, week, or year later and not have lost anything. It also has a greater variety of locations with the town, mine, desert, forest, and Ginger Island (whereas in Animal Crossing, you're pretty much always on the same island). The characters are also, for the most part, more three-dimensional than the average villager in Animal Crossing. 

Animal Crossing is a slower burn - it's best played in short spurts every day (probably an hour or less) to get your "daily chores" done, with the possibility of trying to find a rare fish or bug or doing some bigger event (like Toy Day) tied to real-time events. The game can also punish you a little bit for not playing each day (though the punishments aren't near as bad as they have been in past editions). It's also more focused on customization, decoration, and inviting new people to your town than Stardew Valley, which has a more-or-less set town from Day 1.  That customability might be what made it attractive for Lego and Nintendo to develop into a theme.

As far as some other overlaps - like fishing and the museum - there's pros and cons to each one... Nothing worth continuing to go off topic for.

I hope Lego sees it that way as well! I really don't want to be forced to stare into the cold, dead eyes of a Tom Nook or Isabelle digi-fig...

I guess I like a game I can sink my teeth into, Animal crossings 'do a little everyday' approach really doesn't work for me. And new horizons specifically just feels very small, like the island is small, and there are only like 8 villager types and each of the same personality type is the exact same, ( and they run out of new things to say pretty quick), I like some of the special seasonal events though and the museum is pretty much the best part. But the worst part is having to wait literal months for the in gme seasons to change and events to happen. So I'm not saying it's overall an inferior version of Stardew just that with how I like to do things ( including enjoying the mines and combat in Stardew) that to me personally it's a worse version of Stardew. I understand that people get different things out of it ( like collecting villagers and designing the island/village) but I'm happy to sacrifice that control for fleshed out characters and locations.

On 8/3/2023 at 11:45 PM, Agent Kallus said:

I do have a favourite character though so if he was in a cheap set I might be tempted.

Surprised no-one has mentioned him yet, but it's Blathers. He could even share his head part with Celeste. Jambette is another favourite just because I wanted a frog and she was the first frog I got.

[PGBQW]

11 hours ago, JohnTPT17 said:

This is one of the hardest ones to call. Even though there's only 4 Octopus villagers, three (Zucker, Marina, and Cephalobot) are in the top 100.

TIL most people don't care about the best Octopus villager

[Karalora]

12 hours ago, JohnTPT17 said:

Edit: It looks like there are two Animal Crossing Brickheads coming according to Brick Clicker - set numbers 40666 and 40667. I think Isabelle and Tom Nook are safe bets. The question is: Will Isabelle get the "666" number as a subtle Doom reference, or will Tom Nook get it for being a supposed loan shark (an argument I've never gotten)? 

The other very strong possibility is that they'll do the male and female versions of the player character.

[BrickBob Studpants]

9 minutes ago, Karalora said:

The other very strong possibility is that they'll do the male and female versions of the player character.

As far as we know, there are only two AC BrickHeadz at the moment. I doubt they‘ll start with human characters for a theme called Animal Crossing  

[Karalora]

Presumably the intended market is fans of the game who would expect to see their own player character represented. Besides, "Male Villager" and "Female Villager" are considered iconic enough to appear in Nintendo crossover games like Mario Kart.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Karalora

[JohnTPT17]

39 minutes ago, Karalora said:

the male and female versions of the player character

I think Villager Brickheads might work, but I think they would work better in the same vein as the "Go Brick Me" Brickheads. Sure, you could have a more generic "Boy" and "Girl," but they're not necessarily going to look exactly like "your" Villager. Either way, in the Brickheads style, you're probably just making a fairly generic-looking person who might not be recognizable as an Animal Crossing character. Isabelle and Tom Nook (or maybe some other NPCs) would look more visually distinct, and would be more recognizable to the masses.

 

3 hours ago, Agent Kallus said:

Blathers

I haven't mentioned him yet, only because I feel fairly confident he's coming. The museum is one of the reoccurring buildings in the series that makes sense as a set, and you can't have the museum without Blathers! I think there's a high chance we get Isabelle and Tom Nook somewhere in the theme, with Blathers/Celeste, the Able Sisters, Timmy and Tommy Nook, K.K. Slider, and Kapp'n just behind them, depending on which buildings/builds we get. Any other NPC's (Redd, Saharah, Tortimer, Joan, Rover, etc) are also in the runnings (and I'd love to get them as well), but I won't put money on anything until we know more about what sets are coming.

[Karalora]

Before I get too far into speculation I should probably note that the only Animal Crossing game I'm familiar with is New Horizon. That said, here's what I would expect for a proper theme:

• The player-character's house (maybe as a Creator-type set so we can choose the style) with a customizable minifig of the human villager
• The town square and Resident Services building with Tom Nook and Isabelle, maybe K.K. Slider holding his concert out front
• The museum with Blathers (and a variety of small builds representing the exhibits)
• The general store and/or the clothing store with the appropriate shopkeeper character(s)
• At least two neighbor houses, as separate sets or together in one, with the neighbor minifigs
• The airport with a plane and the two Dodos
• A small "wild" island landscape
• At least one CMF wave to supply alternate neighbors

That's kind of your minimum to really recreate the ACNH experience in LEGO form--not your bare minimum, but enough to make you feel like you can build a satisfying little village and then customize it.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Karalora

[SamVimes]

Time to make a Doom Slayer!