Animal Crossing players are cosplaying Fire Emblem, Bowsette and more in New Horizons
That's just peachy.
By far the best feature of any Animal Crossing game, in my opinion, is the game's custom designs app - something which has already been causing carnage in New Horizons thanks to a tool allowing players to import photos into their game. But beyond the memes are some genuinely creative and adorable cosplays, which are currently being shared across the internet and (in some cases) made available for download. Yes, that means you too can eventually dress up as Bowsette in Animal Crossing. What a time to be alive.
So far one of the most popular games to cosplay, at least on Reddit, has been Fire Emblem: Three Houses - with players sharing some stunning recreations of their favourite characters. Just check out these fabulous renditions of Byleth, Dimitri, Lorenz, Hilda and Bernie, along with downloadable QR codes for the house leaders and Garreg Mach uniforms. I asked our resident tech expert Thomas Marchant to demo the Edelgard outfit, and it looks fabulous when worn with an axe.
Byleth chooses Animal crossing from r/FireEmblemHeroes
I made a Lorenz outfit in animal crossing from r/fireemblem
Unsurprisingly, that's not the end of the gaming-themed cosplays, with Nintendo princesses Zelda and Peach getting a fair bit of attention. Someone's managed to complete the Bowsette look with a cheeky grin snapped mid-emote. Amongst other outfits you can find Geralt, Link and Cloud, and an attempt at recreating 2B from Nier Automata using a face mask to represent the blindfold. Someone just needs to give that Team Rocket James a rose.
Of course, it wouldn't be a proper cosplay compilation without some anime and manga entries. I'm particularly fond of the two versions of Edward Elric's coat from Full Metal Alchemist (complete with automail), and the use of face paint to create the crown for Sailor Pluto of Sailor Moon. An easier one for beginners is My Hero Academia's Izuku Midoriya - if you add a couple of freckles with face paint, then you're good to go.
FMA Edward Elric TWO VERSIONS! ♥?♥?♥? QR codes will be up in a few days! from r/AnimalCrossing
Today I was supposed to participate in my first cosplay contest ever and dressed as Sailor Pluto. The con of course didn't happen so this'll have to do. Thanks, Animal Crossing! from r/AnimalCrossing
Cosplay in Animal Crossing :) from r/BokuNoHeroAcademia
And although I'm trying my best to forget Rise of Skywalker, I do really appreciate this version of Rey. Relaxing on a deserted island seems like it would have been a better way to end the trilogy than, er, plonking her in a desert.
While players are hard at work on preparing their designs, not everyone is currently able to upload them as QR codes for others to download. That's because you first have to get the Able Sisters to set up shop on your island - a process which can take quite a few days. For those hoping to scan the QR codes that are available, however, you can read our guide on how to do it using the Nintendo Online App.
In the meantime, it's lovely to see some in-game cosplay, particularly from real-life cosplayers who are currently unable to show off outfits at conventions due to the coronavirus outbreak. I guess we can all just live a second life in New Horizons now.