Animal Crossing: New Heights - Sequel Idea

Animal Crossing – New Heights

A couple years ago, I wrote up a DLC idea for New Horizons called “Beneath the Horizon.” You can find it in my post history. I decided to expand upon my idea and create a pitch for an entirely new game. My hope is that someday, somehow, somebody from Nintendo will see this and use my ideas. If your uncle works for Nintendo, pass this along.

This is only going to be a summary and a list of highlights, as the full game pitch far exceeds Reddit's post limit. You can read the full game pitch here.

Enjoy the read, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Intro to Animal Crossing – New Heights:

The player rides a tram/incline railway that slowly climbs a mountain. Rover rides with you, and explains your role as a Junior Ranger (Rover is the Head Ranger). You are on your way to a sleepy mountain village, the new setting for New Heights. Your role as Junior Ranger is to nurture and revitalize the sleepy mountain village. This is where you get your chance to customize your character and pick your village layout.

Isabelle runs the Rangers HQ in the sleepy mountain village. She hands you your Ranger's Notebook (gone is the Nook Phone!) and explains some of its tabs (app replacement):

Ranger Badges (achievement system similar to Nook Miles)
Critterpedia
Craftables (similar to DIYs)
Custom Designs
Map
Chat Log
Ranger's ID (similar to Passport)
Cartography (new, explained later)

She also hands you a camera and a radio. Radio features:

Radio Friend (similar to Call Resident)
Send Message (chat)
Mayday (similar to Rescue Service)
Radio Villager (similar to the megaphone from New Leaf)
Radio Rover (ask for advice / goals)

Prologue:

Similar to New Horizons, there will be prologue theme that plays throughout the prologue. Time and seasons also pass differently in the initial stages of the game, similar to New Horizons. The official, real-time clock doesn't start until the prologue is complete.

Prologue Progression:

Set up your tent
Introduce yourself to the locals of the sleepy mountain village and complete tasks for them to earn tools
Visit the nearby town to visit Nook's Cranny and speak to Tom Nook
Complete tasks for Tom Nook to unlock his Real Estate side-business
Plant the Village Tree
Take a nap, and wake up that night
Attend a party around the Village Tree, hosted by Isabelle
Sleep again – the next day, the prologue is over, and real-time begins

Map Details:

The main map is about the size of New Horizons. It has the following features and main areas:

West: A road (more on roads later) that leads to Whistle Pass (reference: Pocket Camp). Whistle Pass is similar to the Campground from New Leaf
Harvey runs this campsite. He sells unique furniture that can only be found in Whistle Pass. This unique furniture rotates daily, and the items are Pocket Camp's best uniques!
North: A road that leads to Frosty Peak. Frosty Peak is home to Wendell, who can trade art for fish, and you can also play a sledding mini game for winter materials
If you give him fish that day, Wendell will also let you use his sled to slide back down the mountain, if you'd rather slide down than use the gondola. The slide down is a short mini-game that gives you the chance to collect a few winter-exclusive crafting materials, even when it's not winter time
East: A road that leads to the town. The town has many empty buildings and plots that the player can “invest” in, in order to bring new businesses (more on investing later). Here is the list of businesses that you can bring to the town (more details on each business later)
Leif's Plant Shop
Shampoodle
GracieGrace
The Roost
Police Station
ReTail
Happy Home Hotel
Island Tours
Dr. Shrunk's Shrink
Able Sisters
Secret: Redd's Exotic Creatures
South: There is no road to the south. Instead, the southern part of the village is the Great Lake. This is where you can do a good amount of fishing and swimming. There are quite a few new fish to catch here, but you will not be able to catch any Ocean Fish here. More on Ocean Fish later.
You can also sometimes find trash washed up on the Great Lake's shore. There is a small cave in the middle of the lake that can only be reached by swimming. Sometimes you will find Farley here, who can improve your tools

Roads:

There are 3 available roads leading away from the sleepy mountain village (west, north, east). A road is a short, beautiful path that has plenty of resources (dig spots, fruits, bugs, river or pond fish, rocks). As they are not technically part of the village, you don't have authority as a ranger to tamper with them. This means no chopping trees, breaking rocks, or landscaping (terraforming). Sometimes you will find visitors on the roads, and some bugs/fish can only be found on roads

Visitors:

Like in previous games, various unique NPCs will randomly visit your village. Here is the list:

Wisp: He'll get spooked and hide after you talk to him. Find him to unlock Wispy items (regular items that are transparent / wispy / spooky)
Blanca: Draw a face for her to receive a gift. She can also visit other player's village and bring you gifts from them
CJ: CJ can be found wandering the village. CJ sells connectable aquarium pieces that you can use to build large aquariums for your village or house. Many of them stack, or connect seamlessly into wide tanks or specially shaped tanks. These tanks are empty when placed, but you can place caught fish inside them.
Like in New Horizons, you can also bring CJ 5 of a certain fish to receive a statue of that fish
Flick: Flick can be found wandering the village. Flick sells connectable terrarium pieces that you can use to build large terrariums for your village or house. These work similarly to CJ's connectable aquarium pieces, but instead, you can place caught bugs inside them.
Like in New Horizons, you can also bring Flick 5 of a certain bug to receive a statue of that bug

NOTE: In this game, the Fishing / Bug catching tourneys are hosted by Chip / Nat respectively

Joan: Joan can be found wandering the village on Sunday's. She sells turnips like in previous games. Every 5^th visit will be Daisy Mae instead, and her turnips are always a bit cheaper
Farley: Gnome who can improve your tools
Frillard: Teaches you unique reactions
Gulliver: Shoot down his UFO for alien/space themed gifts
Katrina: Get fortunes / charms
Pascal: Lead him to Tortimer Island for nautical themed gifts
Saharah: Special wall paper / flooring / rugs
Serena: A glimmer can sometimes be seen in twinkling in the main village tree. Interact with it, answer her questions, and earn special hand-helds / cape slot items

Progression:

The game will progress as the player earns Ranger Medals. Ranger Medals are a bigger deal that Ranger Badges, as they are only gifted when you accomplish something great for the village. To become a Forest Ranger, you need 10 Ranger Medals. Every Ranger Medal you acquire will unlock more features. Ranger Medals are gifted not by Isabelle, but by Phineas the Medal Master.

Medal #1: Gifted after opening up the Museum

Unlocks:
Two more plots become available for investment in the town
The vaulting pole becomes available to purchase or craft
Ranger Projects become available (similar to Public Work Projects)

Medal #2: Gifted after creating the sleepy mountain villager campsite

Unlocks:
Two more plots become available for investment in the town
Ranger HQ gets an upgrade, and will be built to look more like Town Hall from the previous games
The portable ladder becomes available to purchase or craft
Celeste moves into the top floor of the Museum (constellation designing + Astrology craftables)

Medal #3: Gifted after at least 3 new shops have been opened in the town + at least 1 new animal has been invited to the village. Isabelle celebrates the growth of the town, which is deserving of a medal!

Unlocks:
Two more plots become available for investment in the town
Whistle Pass becomes available
Swimming becomes available
Inviting villagers visiting town or Whistle Pass becomes available

Medal #4: Gifted after at least 6 new shops have been opened + total villager count is at least 6 + at least 2 Ranger Projects have been completed + at least 40 total items have been donated to the museum. A this point, your tree has grown quite a bit, and you will have another party around the tree. All the new villagers and shop owners will be invited.

Unlocks:
Two more plots become available for investment in the town
The UnderVillage becomes available
Landscaping (terraforming) becomes available

Medals #5-10: Gifted in the UnderVillage (more on the UnderVillage later, after Town Details)

**The UnderVillage unlock is considered the “half-way” point of the game

Town Details:

The town is a vital part of the sleepy mountain village's growth. At the start, only Nook's Cranny is open. Once the prologue is complete, you gain the ability to invest in new businesses. To do this, approach one of the 10 empty plots and interact with the sign.

When you “invest” in a business, you're putting your hard earned bells into these plots. It's only fair that you get something in return. Every week, all businesses you've invested in will pool together your share and send it to you in the mail. The amount per business varies, and is never a substantial amount – but over time, you will make back all your bells, and then it's pure profit from there.

The Businesses:

Nook's Cranny

Classic Nook's Cranny, but with several expansions
Expansion 1: NookMart – They now sell 3 tools, 4 furniture items, 1 wallpaper, 1 flooring, 1 rug, and medicine.
Expansion 2: T&T Bazaar – They now sell 4 tools, 5 furniture items, 2 wallpapers, 2 floorings, medicine, and 2 fortune cookies (these are similar to New Leaf – they have items from other Nintendo games inside them). The catalog is also present in the Bazaar, allowing you to order previously owned items. Also, Tom Nook now has his own office for Real Estate related purposes
Expansion 3: Nook's Emporium – They now sell 4 tools, 6 furniture items, 3 wallpapers, 3 floorings, medicine, and 3 fortune cookies. They also restock twice per day, rather than once per day. Also, Tom Nook now offers extravagant exterior additions to your home (lots of customization options) – his office now has its own floor (second story)
Expansion 4: Nook's Shopping Mall – The largest Nook shopping experience yet. There are 5 floors:
1^st floor: Furniture. 10 furniture items that restock twice per day. Timmy runs this floor. There is also an 11^th “featured” furniture item on display, which is more rare/valuable, which only restocks once per week
2^nd floor: Miscellaneous. All tools are for sale here, along with medicine, 5 fortune cookies, and various seasonal items. Tommy runs this floor
3^rd floor: Flooring and wallpaper. There are 5 wallpapers, 5 floorings, and 5 rugs that rotate twice per day. A new NPC runs this floor: Kalaahari, who is Saharah's sister
4^th floor: Backyard. In New Heights, you can now make special back yards for your homes. This includes special fencing with gates, special terrains, special landforms, and special items (lights, swimming pools you can swim in, swings you can swing in, etc.) The 4^th floor is ran by Lyle
5^th / top floor: Real-estate. This is Tom Nook's floor, where he offers a wide variety of customization for you house(s). New Heights has many more customization items than previous titles: lights, roofs, walls, trimming, chimneys, mailboxes, doors, flags, statues, grand entrances, etc.

Leif's Plant Shop

Leif owns his own plant shop! He offers a variety of items and services. He sells flowers, bushes, trees, farmables (carrots, wheat, etc), and a new type of item: hedges. These hedges have many varieties and can connect seamlessly. They can be used as simple décor, as fences, or to create elaborate hedge mazes. As for services, you can pay Lief to pluck all your weeds, water all your flowers, and even pluck all your flowers.

Shampoodle:

Shampoodle's shop is back! Shampoodle can give you unique hair styles, color your hair, and even customize facial hair. Rare hair styles can be found as “Craftables,” which when given to Shampoodle, unlocks the rare hair style.

GracieGrace:

Gracie returns with her vast collection of luxurious furniture sets. The items are very expensive, many times costing over 100k bells each. To allow the player time to save for her goods, the shop only restocks once per week. Also, once per week you have a chance to impress her with your outfits. If she's impressed, she will give you a voucher, which is good for 1 item in her store. Spend it right away, or save your vouchers to redeem a complete furniture set all at once!

The Roost:

The Roost is part of the museum no longer – it now is a standalone coffee shop once again. You can sit and have coffee, talk with town visitors, or visit on Friday nights for an acoustic KK Slider show. If you need some extra bells, Brewster is willing to hire you part time as a barista. This mini game is similar to New Leaf's. Besides bells, you can also earn special Brewster / coffee themed items

Police Station:

Booker and Copper run the police station. Similar to New Leaf, they have a lost-and-found, which can have items ranging from garbage to valuable. If you speak with them, they have plenty of stories to tell about their experience as police dogs. Once per week, they will tell you that a suspicious item has been spotted in the village. If you return this item to them, they will gift you a police-related item in return.

ReTail:

Cyrus and Reese have opened a shop in the town. Similar to New Leaf, you can put up your own items for sale here. Other visiting players can purchase these items, and villagers can also purchase them. Similarly, other visiting players can bring items to your town and put up their own items for sale. Your villagers will also put up items for sale.
If you speak to Cyrus, he offers special customization for certain items. This works similarly to New Horizons, allowing recolors of non-craftable items

Happy Home Hotel:

Lottie has decided to open up a hotel in town, to both attract tourists and give local villagers a place to relax. When the hotel initially opens, there are only 2 rooms, and they are quite drab. Lottie is unsure why nobody is visiting the hotel. Once you mention the rooms are too basic, she asks for help with redesigning them. She will compensate you with bells for each redesigned room
Each room will require a specific theme (space, beach, winter, sakura, etc). The theme Lottie chooses is random, but by the time all rooms are decorated, every theme will be chosen exactly once
Every time you finish decorating all available rooms, the next day, 2 more rooms will be available to decorate. Rooms max out at 30You can still re-decorate a room after reaching 30. However, you must still stick to the given theme
Wardell will join the Hotel staff after completing a certain amount of rooms (15). Like in New Horizons, you can speak with Wardell to pull up a catalog of orderables from themes you have completed**Niko runs the front desk. Speak with him to get updates on tourist activity and hotel growth

Island Tours:

Dodo Airlines (DAL) found a unique business to open up in a sleepy mountain village: plane rides to Tortimer Island. Sometimes villagers need to escape their hometown for luxury and relaxation. Speak to Orville to get a plain ride from Wilbur to Tortimer Island.
Tortimer Island is larger than in New Leaf, with more features. But at its core, it's an always-Summer island where you can catch bugs, catch ocean fish, harvest coconuts, and swim
You can find Tortimer, Grams, Leila, and Leilani on Tortimer island. Grams runs the souvenir shop, Leilani runs the reception, and Leila can be found playing on the beach.
Grams sells special island-themed items in exchange for IsleGems, the reward for winning mini-games
Leila will sell you special sea-shells for insanely large amounts of bells
Leilani will send you out to play mini-games, which are ran by Tortimer. These games are similar to New Leaf's games, with a few additions
You can also find Pelly (day) and Phyllis (night) on Tortimer island in the main building. They allow you to send out one of your items in a bottle into the great, wide ocean. These items will wash up on other player's Tortimer Island. Likewise, you will find bottles from other players on your own island
Once per week, you can find a viking ship floating somewhere in the waters surrounding Tortimer Island. If you swim out to it, you can climb aboard. Characters on the viking ship:
Giovanni – Originally from OK Motors, he now sails the seas as a viking. He is dresses and talks like a viking, and the others on the ship call him “Jarl Giovanni.”
Carlo – Travels with Giovanni. Also dresses and talks like a viking. He sells special viking themed items
Beppe – Travels with Giovanni. Also dresses and talks like a viking.
Gullivarr – Is found on the viking ship...but dresses and talks like a pirate. Is he lost? He is indeed lost, and asks you to help him find his compass, which can be found by swimming around and diving for it. If you bring it to him, he'll send you some pirate-themed treasure in the mail the following day.
Kappn – He is the captain of the ship, who also dresses and talks like a viking. If you speak with him, he'll offer to take you to their next destination. He, of course, sings along the way. The destination island can be one of many themed islands, but each one will always have some foreign island fruit (lychee, banana, etc.) These islands are usually resource heavy, and can have multiple bottles washed up from other players

Dr. Shrunk's Shrink:

There is a new shrink in town, and he'd definitely qualified. Dr. Shrunk's office is small and has 2 doctors
Dr. Shrunk: Speak to Dr. Shrunk. He'll tell you about his problems and you can learn new reactions
Luna: Luna is a dream therapist who heals the mind through dreams. This is where you can setup your dream address, and visit other player's dream addresses.

Able Sisters:

The Able Sisters return with their humble clothing-selling shop. In additional to regular clothes, they also sell hand-held items and cape-slot items (inspired by Pocket Camp). Like previous games, you can also unlock custom design features by speaking with Sable regularly

Redd's Exotic Creatures:

This shop will only unlock once all other shops have been opened. Redd's shop is sketchy looking, but he sells pets
The pets he sells can either be placed in your home or your backyard, or gifted to a villager. You can take them on walks if you purchase a leash. Other villagers will also take their pets on walks. You can also feed your pets, play with them, and they interact with certain pieces of furniture (sleeping on couches, playing with cat trees, playing with toys, etc.)Types of pets (they all come in various breeds / colors):
Cats
Dogs
Raccoons (not Tanukis)
Bearded Dragons
Red Pandas
Bunnies
Fennec Foxes
NOTE: Redd is the only vendor who will not send you any of his profits in the weekly investment pool. Classic Redd

The UnderVillage

Accessing the UnderVillage:

After the announcement (Isabelle states on the radio that there was an earthquake), the player must search their island for a pit. It can be revealed by digging up a random star in the ground. Initially, there will only be one pit, and it cannot be covered up again until the first UnderVillage sequence is complete

Once the pit is revealed, the player must step into it. The player panics for a moment, similar to the pitfall animation, until they fall below.

The player lands in a pile of glowing moss, underground, in a clearing surrounded by dark gray walls made of earth. Don Resetti (Mr. Resetti's big brother) approaches you, surprised. He asks the player if they're okay, and then explains what is happening beneath the village.

After the shifting, large caverns opened underneath the village. Mr. Resetti was the first to investigate, but ended up lost in the tunnels, only able to communicate via radio. Don needs your help to find his little brother by digging tunnels, excavating clearings, and mapping discovered locations until Mr. Resetti is found.

Digging Tunnels:

From the initial clearing, the player can use Don Resetti's bulldozer to dig tunnels in any direction, as the initial clearing is placed in the center of the (new) map. Initially, the entire map is dark, except for the clearing. The bulldozer is slow moving, and works similarly to destroying walls using landscaping. It clears 3x2 spaces at once, rather than 1x1

Excavating Clearings:

After digging for a while, you may stumble across an unstable wall of rocks. It is too dangerous to use Don Resetti's bulldozer on these, meaning you must dig it out by hand using a shovel. After a short minigame of clearing out randomly placed rocks, the wall collapses, revealing a new clearing.

Mapping (Cartography):

Use the Cartography tab to draw a crude map of your progress. Once this mapping segment is complete, your mini map / UnderVillage map is updated with your newly discovered clearings and tunnels. Also, any mapped clearings and tunnels can be decorated in the same way that your island can be decorated (more on this later).

Finishing the Opening Sequence:

Mr. Resetti will always be found once you've mapped 2 clearings (not counting the starting area). The player, Don Resetti, and Mr. Resetti celebrate, and the two brothers thank you for your help. Mr. Resetti then parts ways with you, stating he is going to start up operations for a new business he thought of while trapped in the tunnels (more on this later). The player and Don Resetii head back to the initial clearing, where Don puts forth a request. He wants the player's help to map the entirety of the underground. He is confident that there are riches to be found, and mysteries to discover. Once you agree, the Opening Sequence is over. Don Resetti awards you a rope ladder, which can be placed in any dug hole on your island. There is only one rope ladder, and it always leads to the center of the UnderVillage where Don Resetti is (more on this later).

Once you leave the UnderVillage, Isabelle will be waiting for you at the pit. You tell her everything, and celebrates your success and the safety of Mr. Resetti. Back at Ranger HQ, you both meet up with Phineas, and contact Rover on the radio. After a quick rundown, you're award Ranger Medal #5, and given the title “Rescue Ranger.”

More Features of the UnderVillage:

Tunnels:

After a tunnel is mapped, there are several resources that can spawn within that tunnel, similar to how resources spawn in your village. They spawn when the tunnel is first mapped, and every day afterwards

--Gemstone Veins – mined with a pickaxe
Emerald
Sapphire
Ruby
Topaz
Amethyst
Quartz (appears clear, like crystal)
Dragonstone (appears rainbow – very rare)
--Ore Veins – mined with a pickaxe
Gold
Silver
Rose Gold
--Rocks
Standard (iron/clay/stone, rare chance of ore)IsleGemsIronClayStoneOre (all random ore, extremely rare)Gem (all random gems, extremely rare)
--Buried items
Fossil
Geodoid fragment (more on these later)
Glowing roots (used for growing glowing flora, more on this later)
Gem DIY (new furniture, tool variants, clothes, etc that can be crafted using gems)
Ore DIY (new furniture, tool variants, clothes, etc that can be crafted using gold/silver/rose gold)

Clearings:

After a clearing is mapped, there are several resources/surprises than can spawn within that clearing, similar to tunnels. These spawn when the clearing is first mapped, and then every day afterwards

Gemstone veins
Ore Veins
Rocks
Buried items
NPCs – There are new NPCs to meet in the UnderVillage! Some NPCs you will meet as soon as a clearing is mapped. These NPC's have important roles within the UnderVillage. There will be mandatory dialogue and activities with these NPCs, as they stick around. Other times, visiting NPCs can be found wandering the clearing and surrounding tunnels, which visit with a similar frequency to NPCs like Flick, CJ, and Saharah (more on this later)
Underground ponds

Decorating:

After a tunnel or clearing is mapped, it can be decorated the same way your village can be decorated. Regular flora such as flowers, weeds, bushes, trees, and vines cannot be planted in the UnderVillage. Only glowing flora can be planted, which is created using glowing roots (more on this later)

Villagers:

One of the player's villagers can be randomly found wandering the UnderVillage. Some of their dialogue will be unique to their exploration of the UnderVillage. Talking to them is beneficial, as they will sometimes gift the player with items they found while exploring, such as gemstones, ore, DIYs, or glowing roots.

NPCS:

There are many new NPCs to meet in the UnderVillage! Many are new, but you will also meet some familiar faces as you explore underground. NPC's marked with “essential” are ones you will stumble upon randomly as you map clearings. The order you meet them is random, but you will meet all of them before all clearings have been mapped.

Lance (Essential)

Lance is a dragon NPC looking for a place to open his unique blacksmith shop and service. He will ask if he can open up shop in your UnderVillage. Once you agree, Lance will leave his shop's location up to you. Report this news to Don Resetti, and he will provide you with a “cave shop construction kit.” These can be placed on any wall within any clearing, except for Don Resetti's central clearing. Lloid will help you with collecting needed funds to open the shop, as Don won't build it for free. The following day after the shop is fully funded, Lance's shop will be open for business. It is accessed through the glowing cave entrance that appears where the construction kit was placed. A sign above the cave reads “Lance's Gem Forge.”

Lance's Shop Details

Gem-related items
Gem-forge to craft/customize rarer gem related items

Dryaddia (Essential)

Dryaddia is a Dryad NPC who looks like a walking tree. Her shop sign reads “Glowing Hollow.”

Dryaddia's Shop Details

Dryaddia doesn't sell furniture, but offers a free service to anybody who brings her glowing roots. Glowing Roots can be found buried around the UnderVillage
To create glowing flora, the player must bring any standard flora and glowing roots to Dryaddia in a 1:1 ratio (1 glowing root per piece of flora). Using magic, she will combine the two items, creating a glowing piece of flora. These can be planted throughout the underground to create a glowing paradise. The following flora can be turned into glowing flora:
Pine Tree → Glowing Pine
Hardwood Tree → Glowing Hardwood
Fruit Tree → Glowing Fruit Tree (all fruit trees work)
Money Tree → Glowing Money Tree
Bamboo → Glowing Bamboo
Flowers → Glowing Flowers (all flower types can be glowing, but colors/hybrids will be removed and turned into a glowing flower of that type)
Bushes → Glowing Bushes (bushes don't bloom in the underground)
Vines → Glowing Vines
Weeds → Glowing Moss Weeds
Farm Produce → Glowing Farm Produce (glowing produce will yield glowing materials, which can be used to create glowing versions of familiar recipes)
The player can also find several unique glowing trees within Dryddia's shop that allow the player to customize their flora to new colors: Green, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Red, Pink, White

Floid (Essential)

Floid is a Geodoid NPC who looks similar to Loid, but made out of stone/crystals. After meeting him, Floid will open up the Sound Caverns.

What is a Geodoid? It is similar to a Gyroid, but they're only found in the UnderVillage. Instead of being made of “clay,” they are made of “stone.”

Floid Shop Details

Floid doesn't run a shop, but instead is the steward of the Sound Caverns. The Sound Caverns is like a Museum for Gyroids and Geodoids
The Gyroids/Geodoids will interact with the concert music (more on this later) if the the player visits the Sound Caverns during a concert

Miz Resetti (Essential)

Miz. Resetti is Mr. Resetti and Don Resetti's aunt. Her shop sign reads “Resetti Construction Co.”

Miz. Resetti's Shop Details

Sells mining items
Sells more Rope Ladders
Can build minecarts (fast travel system for the UnderVillage)
There is also a machine in her shop called the Deconstructor – deconstructed crafted items to refund materials

Mr. Resetti (Essential)

Mr. Resetti can be found a second time, and this time it is similar to finding other essential NPCs. He thanks you again, and then pitches his new idea to you. His shop sign reads “Resetti's Rad Games.”

Mr. Resetti's Shop Details:

Mr. Resetti doesn't sell furniture, but instead trades prizes for Resetti Bucks. He offers mini games that can be played 5 times per day total

The Games:

Resetti Treasure Hunt – Resetti has hidden treasure all throughout the UnderVillage. He provides you with a shovel, a vaulting pole, and a time limit. Most of the time, digging up treasure is a game of chance since there are no stars to dig up, but there is a lot of treasure hidden. If you feel the joycon vibrating, you can follow the vibrations to find rarer treasure. Once the round is over, you can either keep the treasure, or trade it all in for Resetti Bucks
Resetti Bot – Resetti lets loose his personal creation, the Resetti Bot, into the UnderVillage. You are provided with a hammer that you must use to hit the bot as many times as possible within the given time frame. This game is similar to the island tour mini game. The more hits, the more Resetti Bucks are won. If the player manages to hit the bot enough times, it will explode, leaving behind extra Resetti Bucks
Resetti Race – The player is dropped in a random spot of the UnderVillage, and the goal is placed in whatever spot is furthest away from the player. Obstacles such as pit falls, creeks, and breakable rocks will be placed in tunnels. The player races to the finish. The quicker the goal, the more Resetti Bucks are won
Resetti Bug Attack – Resetti releases tarantulas and scorpions into the UnderVillage, and gives the player a time limit to catch as many as they can. Each catch earns Resetti Bucks, and each time the player gets knocked out by a bug, they lose some extra time to play
Resetti Hide and Seek – Resetti and several villagers hide in the UnderVillage. Each find grants Resetti Bucks. Find them all within the time limit for maximum bucks

Types of prizes traded for Resetti Bucks:

Rare underground themed furniture
Resetti themed furniture
Materials
Dragonstones (most expensive prize)

Robert (Essential)

Robert is a bobcat who specializes in trapping exotic creatures (more on this later). Meeting him is similar to meeting other essential NPCs. When you meet Robert, he will explain how trapping works, and will ask to set up a base of operations. His shop sign reads “The Trapper Camp.”

Wisp

The player can sometimes find Wisp wandering the UnderVillage. Unlike on the village surface, Wisp is not scared of the player when underground, as the dark gives him confidence. Instead of getting spooked, he plays a game, which is similar to the wisp hunt from New Horizons. You can keep these wisps to place as funirture

Booker and Copper

The player can sometimes find either Booker or Copper wandering the underground (the other will remain at the Police Station). Sometimes the dogs take a break from police work to pursue their true passion: bones. Booker will take any completed fossil (all pieces needed) and turn it into a one-piece miniature fossil. This is free, and will be delivered the next day. Copper will take any completed fossil (all pieces needed) and turn it into a one-piece miniature fossil as well, but his service costs bells. However, his work will be delivered immediately.

Bluee

The player can sometimes find Bluee wandering the UnderVillage. He is a badger, and considers himself to be Redd's rival. Bluee always sells 1 piece of art, which is always statue / figure related. The art it genuine, but expensive

Katie

The player can sometimes find Katie wandering the UnderVillage. She is scared of the dark, and wants to find her mother, who is somewhere on the surface. If you reunite them, they will thank you, and have some unique dialogue. Katie will send you a unique gift in the mail the next day.

Don Resetti

Don can always be found in the center of the UnderVillage, in the starting area. Don Resetti has the following features:

Excavate – The player will need to speak with him to borrow his bulldozer to dig tunnels
Customize the bulldozer – As the player progresses, more free customization options open up for the bulldozer
Ask for help – Don Resetti will give you advice on the current objective. Once the UnderVillage is “complete,” he will give randomized information about post game activities (more on these later)
Purchase Cartography stickers and stamps – As the player progresses, more free Cartography designing tools become available
UnderVillage Radio – More on this later
Building Bridges – Landscaping permit needed
Building/customizing the UnderVillage Campsite – More on this later
Building/customizing the Subway – More on this later
Moving UnderVillage Shops – More on this later
Underground Ranger Management – More on this later

Trapping

A new form of creature collection is a large part of UnderVillage. Once Robert the bobcat is discovered, the player will be able to start harmlessly trapping small, exotic creatures. Traps are boxes that the player sets in various places to lure exotic creatures. After Robert's base is purchased, the player must speak with Blathers to open up a new exhibit in the museum to display the creatures.

Creating Traps:

Traps can be purchased from Robert
Traps can be crafted using DIY recipes that are sold by Robert

Types of Traps:

Water Traps
Cave Traps
Tree Traps
Earth Traps

Placing Traps:

Water traps are placed in UnderVillage ponds. They generally attract water-loving amphibians and reptiles
Cave Traps are placed on cavern walls. They generally attract bats and wall-clinging reptiles
Tree Traps are placed in glowing trees. They generally attract birds and tree-climbing creatures
Earth Traps are placed on the ground. They generally attract creatures that crawl along the ground or bury in the earth

Collecting Creatures:

A maximum of 3 traps per type can be placed a day, for a total of 12 traps per day. They cannot be collected until the following day

Creature Examples:

Water Traps – Various frogs, toads, and water snakes
Cave Traps – Various bats and lizards
Tree Traps – Various birds, owls, and mammals such as squirrels
Earth Traps – Various lizards, snakes, and underground creatures such as moles

More Details on Robert the bobcat:

Robert sells traps and trap DIYs

Releasing Creatures

Similar to how bugs can be released in yards (feature from HHP in New Horizons), captured creatures can be released into tunnels and clearings in the UnderVillage. The player can simply release the creature from their inventory, and it will roam whatever clearing or tunnel it was released in. Creatures won't leave the tunnel/clearing they were released in unless caught with a net

Progression

As the underground is excavated and mapped, new events will occur

--20% mapped – UnderVillage campsite unlocked
Ranger Medal #6 is awarded
--40% mapped – UnderVillage radio unlocked (change hourly music)
Ranger Medal #7 is awarded
--60% mapped – Subway ran by Digby unlocked
The player can take the Subway to 1 Mystery Cavern every day. Mystery Caverns are randomized clearings separate from the player's UnderVillage. Mysterious weather can happen in these caverns, which are sights to behold. Mystery Caverns have random materials, seasonal materials, gyroids, and flora, depending on the type of cavern. Example types of caverns are:
Standard – Random materials
Snowing + Raining
Raining + Fall Leaves
Fall Leaves + Cherry Blossom Leaves
Cherry Blossom Leaves + Fog
Glowing Rain
Glowing SnowRanger Medal #8 is awarded
--80% mapped – Unlocks a junior ranger helper
Function: The junior ranger can be recruited from either the village campsite, underground campsite, Whistle Pass, or through Amiibo. The ranger can only perform one “order” at a time
Orders:
Gather – The junior ranger gathers random materials throughout the day. The player can collect the materials from a shed at the ranger's rest area
Water – The ranger waters all flowers and weeds throughout the day
Recruit – The junior ranger will bring additional villagers from the player's Village each day to the UnderVillage, increases odds of receiving a valuable gift and making the UnderVillage more lively
Collect – The junior ranger collects all placed traps for the following day, removing the need to manually collect them all **Some traps will fail, as the junior ranger is too slow to catch the creatures that make a run for it
Ranger Badge #9 awarded

After 100% of the UnderVillage has been mapped, the following post-game activities open up:

The final scripted activity will be a KK Concert put on by his new persona, KK Holo
This concert takes place in the center of the UnderVillage. All villagers and NPCs, both above ground and below, will take part. Even Rover, the Head Ranger, will attendKK Holo is a large hologram of KK. He has an electric guitar, sings, and dancesThe show is a laser show with lots of glowing elementsThe concert will happen once a week in the future, but not on any day KK Slider is playing at the Roost
Ranger Badge #10 is awarded. Isabelle and Rover congratulate you for all of your hard work, from cultivating the Village, to growing a Town, to saving Mr. Resetii and creating a bustling UnderVillage. You receive your own ranger title: Village Ranger

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