A longtimeAnimal Crossingplayer used their creative skills to host anAnimal Crossing: New Horizons-themed murder-mystery party. The storyline for the party was completely created by the fan, who identified writing murder mysteries as one of their favorite pastimes.
The fan, going byPolaroid-rage, took to Reddit to share the details about their party. The player explained that they wanted to combine their love of murder mysteries with a theme they are passionate about, andAnimal Crossingwas the perfect subject for their latest work. As explained by Polaroid-rage,the event kicked off with a performance by the legendary K.K. Slider, and, during the concert, Tom Nook went missing and fell victim to the murderer.
While Polaroid-rage is unable to sell the materials made for their murder mystery story thanks to copyright laws,they are planning on making the materials they made for the party available as a free download, allowing others to put on their own event.
How The Animal Crossing Murder Mystery Party Worked
Handmade Details, Impressive Costumes, and Good Old Detective Work
Polaroid-rage poured a ton of detail into their work for the murder mystery event.Pictures from the party show guests dressed in game-accurateNew Horizonsislander costumes, with one notable guest dressed asmusician K.K. Sliderwhile standing in front of a keyboard. The party invitations were hand-drawn to look like concert tickets, listing the name of Polaroid-rage’s island as the location and sent to guests in stunning wax-sealed envelopes. Clues and initiatives were also handwritten by the host, who decorated their space withAnimal Crossing-themed posters depicting each murder suspect.
Other fans were astounded by Polaroid-rage’s level of creativity. One player, going bycoralynncora, commented,“Not just the quantity, but the quality? How do you have 20 [party attendees] who all put that much dedication and effort into the theme?“Numerous other commenters shared the same sentiments, with many jokingly asking why they weren’t invited to the event.
As the mystery unfolded and the party came to an end, Polaroid-rage said that five out of their 20 guests were able to correctly identify the murderer, though the criminal wasn’t revealed in the comments.
A New Way To “Play” Animal Crossing
Take Your Love For Your Favorite Games Offline
Given Nintendo’s silence onAnimal Crossingregarding the series' future, many people now considerACNHto be “dead,” which has left fans searching for ways to keep their love of the game alive. Polaroid-rage’s impressive party has proved thatengaging with a game through creative projects, rather than repeated gameplay, helps keep fans in touch with their favorite franchises, even if they’ve been ignored by developers.
Some Animal Crossing Fans Feel Abandoned After Switch 2 Direct, While Others Aren’t Surprised
Nintendo hasn’t revealed any future plans for the popular Animal Crossing franchise despite emphasizing many first-party games during Switch 2 Direct.
What’s more, Polaroid-rage turned their love for a game into a new game entirely, which not only affected the people invited to the event, but countless others who will get to experience the murder-mystery game through Polaroid-rage’s downloads when they become available. This model of creative storytelling and bonding among fans can certainly be repeated with other neglected games, especially as players prepare to facerising game and console costs. If the reactions to thisAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsparty are anything to go off of, fans are excited to have both offline and online experiences to celebrate the games they love.
