One of the most requested features of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the reintroduction of Brewster and The Roost, a coffee shop featured in previous series titles. The feature has yet to be added to New Horizons, but that hasn't stopped fans from concocting theories about its possible return. What would Animal Crossing do differently if The Roost was brought back to the series?

In previous games, The Roost has largely served as an opportunity to experience new forms of gameplay. For example, players could store gyroids, a unique piece of Animal Crossing item furniture that could be dug out of the ground and used to add musical sounds to the player's home. It also served as the location for K.K. Slider's concerts for the market were used in New Horizons. In Animal Crossing: New Horizon, players could even work at The Roost and deliver coffee to the villagers and special guests who walked into the coffee shop. The more time you spent with Brewster, the more features were unlocked, further encouraging you to make friends with him throughout the game.

Despite how much the community has been asking for The Roost and Brewster to return in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it's yet to roll out a year or more after the game's initial release. New Horizons has had some major updates already, but lately Nintendo seems to be less and less focused on the game - especially as this year's E3 Expo came and went with no acknowledgment of New Horizons' future. While there have been a few leaks regarding possible upcoming changes such as island expansions, nothing has come out so far, leaving plenty of room for speculation about what future new features might look like.

What New Horizons Can Do With Brewster's Roost

In other Animal Crossing titles, the cafe was located below the museum and it seems likely it would have been added to New Horizons as well. Given how long the game has been inaccessible and how meticulous some players are with island customization and over-terraforming, it seems unlikely they'll find room for an entirely new building - unless, of course, The Roost comes out after this alleged Animal Crossing Island update- extension. Since K.K. Slider has a new concert zone, New Horizons probably won't add a spot to it in The Roost either, meaning the cafe could be small enough to easily fit into the existing museum structure.

The addition of the ability to play as a barista could be a unique way to introduce returning characters from a series yet to appear in New Horizons. NPCs such as Joan and Pelly who are no longer featured in the latest title of the series can be reinstated as customers of The Roost. New Horizons can also make the coffee shop more of a minigame by adding extra variation in the gameplay to keep New Horizons fresh. Alternatively, it can simply be used to allow players to forge their relationship with the villagers on their island. Regardless of how they choose to approach it, it looks like Brewster and The Roost returning to Animal Crossing: New Horizons would be a good step forward for the game.

Jul-02-2021