Nintendo should let you play the classic games in Animal Crossing: New Horizons for free

One of the coolest new features in Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ 3.0.0 update is a blast from the past in the best way, but also one of the most unnecessarily restrictive.

Animal Crossing on GameCube let you purchase NES consoles, each with a game you could play—games within the game, in other words. There were 19 NES consoles to find, most of them carrying some of the best games from the NES library: Balloon Fight, Donkey Kong, Excitebike, even the who’s-who of the 8-bit system’s early library such as Super Mario Bros. The Legend of Zelda, and Punch-Out!!. 

In Animal Crossing New Horizons 3.0.0, classic game consoles are back. While there are fewer games to play, being able to display a Game Boy, Super NES, NES, Famicom Disk System, and other systems is a surefire way to tout your status as an elite collector of the game’s many items.

The problem, however, is that unlocking and purchasing these consoles isn’t enough. To play them, you must subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online.

This is an unnecessary and overprotective step by Nintendo. None of the classic games available in New Horizons are lengthy adventures like The Legend of Zelda or Super Mario Bros. Clu-Clu Land, Dr. Mario, F-Zero, and the rest are meant to be played in short bursts. Does Nintendo really think it would lose out on money by making Clu-Clu Land free to play? You’ve already purchased Animal Crossing New Horizons. Why should you have to pay for NSO on top of that to play golden oldies that most players will only take for a spin once or twice for the novelty and then forget about?

Diehard New Horizons players waited almost six years for a feature that was in the original Animal Crossing for free. Since that’s not the case, why limit each classic console to a single game? Nintendo should let me access the entire online catalog of NES, Game Boy, and Super NES through New Horizons. Imagine being able to play through the entirety of Donkey Kong Country 2 from the comfort of my in-game game room.

Hey, I’m paying for the internet service anyway. If you’re going to force that, what’s the difference between one NES game and the entire NSO catalog?

David Craddock

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.