I grew up in a sleepy Texas town, dreaming of brighter lights and streets that actually had people on them. Strangely enough, it wasn’t real-life travel that first planted this dream in my mind — it was Animal Crossing: City Folk.
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With nothing more than a bus ticket and a handful of Bells, I could hop between a quaint little town and a city filled with silly characters and new experiences. I spent countless hours exploring GracieGrace, hoping to afford its overpriced designer furniture, bidding on rare items at Lloid’s auction house, and watching Dr. Shrunk’s performances at the Marquee, collecting new ways to express myself. City Folk made me feel like the world was bigger than my own.
I Moved To A Real City, But I Miss My Fake One
Years later (okay, many, many years), I now live in Chicago, a city that City Folk helped inspire me to move to. The idea that there was always something exciting waiting beyond the horizon shaped my perspective on where I could live. Just like in the game, where a simple bus ride could transport me to a place filled with new people and experiences, I found myself longing for that same feeling in my own life.
But while I love real-life city living, I miss City Folk’s take on it. New Horizons gave us an island retreat, but that’s just it — it felt isolating, separated from the rest of the world. Unlike the island life of New Horizons, City Folk made me feel connected to something larger than myself. It was a much-needed reminder that adventure was just a ride away.
Bring Back The Bus, Nintendo!
What set City Folk apart was its ability to blend the charm of small-town living with the excitement of an urban environment. The bus system made travel between the town and city feel dynamic and real, like I was really setting off on a day out.
GracieGrace, the high-end boutique, offered extravagant furniture and fashion, making every purchase feel like an accomplishment. Lloid’s auction house functioned as an online marketplace ahead of its time, allowing you to bid on rare items from around the world. The Marquee, a charming little theater, gave you a place to learn new emotions from Dr. Shrunk, adding depth to learning character interactions from outside your own pocket of life.
Each of these elements made City Folk feel like more than just a life sim. It was like getting a golden shovel and digging up possibilities at every turn.
Let Me Live My Best City Life
New Horizons was fun, but after a while, my island felt more like a fishbowl than a paradise. It lacked the movement, the sense that beyond my home, there was a whole city of characters living their own lives. City Folk made the world feel expansive, and the next Animal Crossing needs to bring that feeling back.
I’m imagining a new cityscape — one with multiple districts, hidden alleyways, new storefronts, and quirky NPCs going about their routines. Bring back Gracie, Lloid, and Shrunk, and let me stumble across new, unexpected encounters. Give me the excitement of stepping off a subway into an unexplored part of town, not just another beach.
The Switch 2 doesn’t need to dangle 4K visuals or ray-tracing in front of me. Just give me a City Folk successor. A city to explore, a world to feel a part of, and a reason to hop on that bus again. Until then, I’ll keep riding the CTA, staring out the window, and remembering when my first taste of city life came in the form of a bus ride to GracieGrace.
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