Beta refers to a stage in the development of a game. Today, we will take a look at the most interesting beta changes the game has undergone to make it to the point, including early Animal Crossing New Horizons beta screenshots as well as the very first New Horizons trailer that has some very interesting details.
New Horizons Beta Changes for Animal Crossing
1. The Early Graphics of The Game
At present, this screenshot is fascinating because it shows a very different and early New Horizons, the graphics resemble something much closer to Animal Crossing New Leaf, although it does seem to resemble some of the main models such as the character of the player, villages, trees, and some ACNH items, mostly what we have in the final game. Some of the structures, such as the town hall, almost have a deliberately basic vibe. This screenshot depicts an incredibly different New Horizons, one that might have ended up looking a lot more like the New Leaf Port of Animal Crossing. If, thankfully, the style had continued from that game, the graphics received so many overhauls and ACNH looks so much better for it.
2. User Interface Elements
ACNH was originally going to go through a much more traditional clock design in this screenshot, which was similar to the one in New Leaf. It's pretty much exactly the same in the final game, actually. We have a much simpler design that fits together with some of the other elements of the game, this New Leaf clock design and the amount of personality and connection it has with previous AC games. This was most likely just a place holder until they figured out what kind of look the game was going for them. So it's probably never meant to be in the final game again. You might say the same thing about the mini map at the bottom, which is very different from the final game as well. As you can see from this mini map, it seems like the island that the team is playing on to take these screenshots is really unfinished, most likely just filled with a bunch of test objects to help the development of the game forward. It would be fascinating to know what other new features, particularly large ones such as terraforming, were thought of early on. We can see from this scene that at this point, which makes sense as this was introduced and used in happy home designer and also pocket camp, the furniture outdoors was already thought of, the team probably took inspiration from those games and wanted it in a mainline game of Animal Crossing.
