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Tear Jerker / Animal Crossing

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Though Animal Crossing generally is a positive game, life in the forest/island also has its downs...


  • This comic chronicles the author's relationship with his deceased mother and the game Animal Crossing. It's hard not to comprehend how touching a simple game like Animal Crossing can be.
  • In Wild World, sometimes when visiting the cafe, you'll see Rover from the first game sitting at the counter. Hearing him fondly reminisce about traveling the world and meeting so many faces, and how he misses those days. It's easy for players of the first game to get a pang of nostalgia from it...
  • Any time a villager you've really grown to like moves out. Doubly so if you did try to convince the villager to stay but failed for one reason or another, or didn't realize that said character was leaving until it was too late thanks to none of the villagers telling you (the latter was what happened to Ai in the anime movie). It really hits you when continuing your town file that a character finally tells you your favorite villager is one day away from moving. You can get them back using amiibo cards in New Leaf: Welcome amiibo and New Horizons (unless it's a new one introduced in the latter, until amiibo cards for those villagers were announced), but good luck finding an affordable price of the card of your favorite villager.
    • Even worse if it's the first Animal Crossing, where you cannot get their portraits to remember them. City Folk also removes the villager pics.
    • Taken even further in the DLC to New Horizons where it's possible to see them again on the Happy Home Paradise, but they don't seem to recognize you.
  • The villagers' panicked reactions when you consider deleting a town, and their resignation should you choose to.
    • In New Leaf, Isabelle panics over your decision and goes to double-check with you, hammering it in that everything - including the residents of the town - will be completely gone. It's somewhat lightened because, if you confirm the deletion, she relaxes and accepts your choice with a smile, saying she hopes to see you again.
    • Though it's not as heavy as deleting a town, deleting your character's data in New Horizons incites a self-induced Ret-Gone. Their house or tent is gone, their relationships with their neighbors are gone, nobody will remember who they were.
  • Try playing the game years after you've long since forgotten about it. The villagers all remember how long it has been since they last saw you. Watch the tears fly. In New Leaf, Isabelle will note that she tried her best to keep the town running while you were away for a year.
    • Even worse, some say the number of weeks instead of months. Their reason for this is because the larger week number makes it look more significant than the smaller month number.
  • When you become friends with Sable, she'll tell you at one point of how she had to give up her normal life to take care of Mabel, due to their parents' early death.
    • One of the stories Sable tells you is of how she and Tom Nook used to be best friends in their youth. But after leaving for the big city as a Wide-Eyed Idealist and promptly being broken there, Tom returned as a different person, and their friendship never really recovered. Sometimes both Sable and Tom will express sadness about it. Thankfully, New Leaf at least hints that they're on the road to rebuilding it.
    • Another is that they had a third sister, Label. Not long after the tragic accident, Label and Sable had a heated argument, which resulted in Label leaving town to become a fashion designer. During the events of City Folk, she tries to mail her sisters to try and put the pieces together, which causes Mabel to get depressed about the situation. The player's help can soften things up, but even in the end, Mabel wishes her sisters would get along again. Fortunately, they do by the time New Leaf kicks in, as evidenced by Label working at the same shop as her sisters.
  • Tom Nook, the guy that many players love to portray as an evil mafia boss who traps the player in indentured servitude (especially in the first game, becomes a lot more sympathetic once you hear his backstory. He wanted to strike it rich by becoming a successful businessman in the city, only for everything to go wrong, prompting him to return far less enthusiastic and trusting of people. He couldn't get a loan from the bank, he kept losing his assets to alleged business partners, and he never got paid back the money he was owed. He ended up damaging his friendships by distancing himself from them, because he's that distrusting of people. (The game getting rid of that mechanic entirely by New Leaf probably doesn't hurt, mind you.)
  • Lyle used to play in the snow with his daughters, but stopped, with the implication being that he abandoned them.
    • Or even worse, they abandoned him, have grown up and moved out.
  • Deny a Cranky villager his medicine in Wild World when he's sick, and suddenly that animal who's normally a Jerkass begins having flashbacks and crying for his mother. It's absolutely heartbreaking. Give them the medicine, and they will get upset, saying that they owe you for the kindness and that they should never have insulted you.
  • Some of Kapp'n's shanties. Not a dry eye in the room when he sings some surprisingly deep, inspirational songs.
    • Don't cry about dreams that don't come true today. Sometimes ya needs ta try another way!
    • Whene'er I'm sad, that's when me wife'll say, "The sun will rise and warm you today!"
    • Oh, this ain't good-bye. I will see you again. That's how it goes whene'er yer my friend.
    • Sometimes your heart tells you when you're in love. Your tummy too. Both can sure make you sick.
    • One time I cried till no more tears would flow. When your heart's broke, that's just how you're gonna know!
  • In the film, Margie's letter admitting she didn't tell Ai she was moving away, as she knew it'd make both of them cry.
  • The film also implies something of a romantic nature happened between Whitney and Apollo, and it didn't end well.
  • Aika Village, arguably the most famous dream address in New Leaf, is an equal mix of horror and this. There are many theories behind the true story behind it, but no matter the exact structure, it typically revolves around a young girl whose life has somehow gone horribly, horribly wrong. The town is laid out so that a fixed path of travel is mandatory; the first area is beautifully tended and cheerful, with the titular girl saying "I love my mommy" when spoken to. However, as the path continues, the town starts getting more torn-up, the houses start getting more unsettling, and Aika's speech, while saying the same thing, begins getting steadily more garbled. Just how little information you can get from a town leaves you stunned and wondering what on earth happened to this girl. The dream address is 6B00-0026-B459.
  • New Leaf's 1:00 AM music can make a completely innocent theme into this. 11:00 PM is fairly sad-sounding as well, even if that isn't the case at all with the song between these two.
  • New Leaf's 2:00 AM music is a beautiful mix of serenity and lonliness. The only ones awake at 2 AM in the AC world are most likely just the player. Wandering the streets of your town at 2 AM can be relaxing, but also make one feel a bit lonely and sad, quietly contemplating their life.
  • New Leaf's 4:00 AM theme can easily become this, as well. It doesn't help that it plays in the the above-mentioned Aika Village.
    • New Leaf's 8:00 PM is Heartwarming Moment, a very calming song, and a Tear Jerker at the same time.
    • From the original GameCube version, there are the the 7:00 PM theme, the 8:00 PM theme, and the 8:00 AM theme, which evoke odd intermingling senses of nostalgia, sadness or wistfulness, and acceptance/peace all at once.
    • 2 AM in Wild World and City Folk/Let's Go to the City, in contrast to its fast-paced Super Smash Bros.. Brawl remix and the funky 2 AM theme from the GameCube game, is one of the more emotional songs in those two games, along with other late-night songs such as 11 PM, 12 AM, 1 AM, and 5 AM. (4 AM is very minimalistic and 3 AM is strangely upbeat, though to a lesser extent than 2 AM and 4 AM from the GameCube game).
    • Even the title theme for Wild World and City Folk/Let's Go to the City can bring one to tears. The extended version amplifies the effect.
  • Many of K.K. Slider's songs can invoke strong emotions:
    • Steep Hill is catchy, but has a very melancholy, wistful feel. While the aircheck version is somewhat more upbeat, the live version is just heart rending, and the the music box version is equally so.
    • The childlike melody of Mr. K.K., juxtaposed with an undercurrent of sadness, makes it one of K.K.'s most emotional. The aircheck brings to mind music at a school graduation, complete with all the bittersweet emotions one would experience there, and the album art further evokes that mood. K.K.'s live version is far different but even more poignant, complete with whistling.
    • K.K. Ballad, true to its name, has a strong mood of romance and nostalgia. Despite the absence of lyrics, it's clear K.K. is telling some sort of story, and it begs the question of what happened in his love life.
    • Only Me sounds like a '50s doo-wop tune, but not as much of a cheery one - one about love and loneliness, even just in the title alone.
    • Farewell, be it the live performance or the aircheck. This song invokes the feeling of saying goodbye to someone, especially if one is never going to see them again, hence its name.
  • The fortune for the Arwing from New Leaf.
    Your friends need you. They always need you. They will never stop.
  • When you accidentally hit a villager with a net. Nothing is more scary then the fear they hate you.
  • Refusing to play supermarket with Kapp'n's daughter Leila. Making a little girl cry can be a real punch to the gut for some players, and you will feel like a "big meanie".
  • Though most players may think him as a total Jerkass in previous games there's the fact that Mr. Resetti lost his job in New Leaf despite him still being perfectly capable of performing it. All because the Reset Surveillance Center was shut down, it may make certain players see him in a whole new light and feel sorry for him and realize that all his brother Don's claims of him doing it because he cares were true and also realize that it's the only job he's capable of (considering while other special NPCs have taken new jobs or kept their old ones, or in Tortimer's case have retired, notice how Resetti is the only one who's lost his line of work). Thankfully you can use your mayoral powers to restore the Reset Surveillance Center and give him his job back. New Horizons brings memes, tragically enough, that its autosave feature has once again put Resetti out of work. One has to wonder how he's going to take it in-game... if he even shows up. Fortunately, with the release of the game, it seems he's found a new job running the rescue service app.
    • As of the 2.0 update, we get to see Resetti in person after the change, and its absolutely a happier ending for the mole. He's far more polite than we've ever heard him, even if he admits he still has the habit of occasionally yelling at people. If you build him a vacation home in Happy Home Paradise DLC, he's skeptical about the whole idea, but fully willing to let things play out and has no qualms trusting you to do a good job designing it, even saying that he's counting on you. It really goes to show that everything his brother said about him was absolutely true. You wouldn't be blamed for thinking perhaps losing his original job was a blessing in disguise.
  • If you visit Phyllis at The Roost in New Leaf, she'll reveal to the player that she didn't really enjoy working under Tortimer because all he did was sleep and didn't leave the town hall unless there was an event. She goes on to admit that if you'd been the mayor back then, she would've enjoyed her job more. It really drives home the fact that Phyllis is just crabby because she's so overworked.
    • Especially the fact she only works nights, the sad lonely time when most players are asleep. It's hard to appreciate your job when your more popular sister gets all the attention.
  • The letter that comes with the townspeople's Time Capsules often starts with: "To a better me..."
  • In the original game, after you leave the New Year party the music is a slow, soft version of "Auld Lang Syne."
  • In New Leaf, announcing the new project, and no villagers come because they are all asleep. It's outright depressing, and can make one feel like a complete loser. Especially soul crushing seeing how Isabelle goes on with the same speech regardless with you the only one applauding.
  • Go on, refuse Katie when she asks you if you could escort her. She mentally breaks down back into the scared little girl she was before, crying for her mother.
  • In one particular sequence in amiibo Festival, Digby notices Lottie sans makeup and asks if she's feeling OK. Lottie, who has a crush on him, gets sad. This event makes Digby lose one Happy Point, but Lottie loses a whopping ten — she's that devastated.
  • In New Leaf, when you give your neighbors presents, they may sell it at Re-Tail or give/sell it to you all while the A.I. believes it was theirs to begin with.
    • Likewise, in New Horizons, a villager always leaves at least one item (furniture or clothing) in the recycling box when they leave your island. This can include gifts you gave them, which is a little heartbreaking.
  • The villagers' reactions on Halloween reach this territory, with several of them begging and sobbing for you to take their candy and leave them alone. However, New Horizons is more forgiving, as you can only scare them by wearing Jack's clothing, and even then, they will recognize you through the disguise after you receive the candy and allow you to keep it.
  • When you talk to Celeste in Happy Home Designer, she says the reason she loves stars is because she cannot fly, and longs to be up with the stars because the sky (and by extension, stars), will never be attainable to her.
    • We never do find out why she can't fly either. Is she disabled? Does she have a fear of flying?
  • A minor example: If you're feeling particularly cruel, you can whack a villager on the head with your bug-catching net. Do this enough times, and the villager's composure will snap in two. However, if you do this in New Leaf, the villager will become visibly depressed and will even refuse to speak with you for a while. Ouch!
  • Another minor example: In New Horizons, if a peppy villager is sleeping and you wake them up, they'll be asking their mother where their father is, the best interpretation is that they were simply looking for their dad, but the harshest implication is that they have a Disappeared Dad.
  • In New Horizons, Nook's Cranny has only one theme tune that plays throughout the day. However, from 9:51 to closing time, the music is replaced by a different, more somber tone that is a total tonal shift from the store's regular music.
  • In late February, if any Snowboys survive past the 24th when the snow melts in New Horizons, they will speak different dialogue in reaction to all the snow around them disappearing and Spring quickly approaching, as if they know their time left on the island is short. A Snowboy spoken to on its fourth and final day will say they'll miss the player and hope to see them next year.
  • Another New Horizons one: it's possible to encounter a villager on a mystery tour island that lived on your island previously, but they won't remember you. For those who get attached to their villagers, it's a bit sad.
    • Thankfully this was fixed in an update.
  • In New Horizons, there is a chance that a villager will ask for you to deliver a present to another villager to apologise for some sort of conflict. While most of them clearly just feel that they overacted in whatever situation played out, a lazy villager will tell you that they got into an argument over sharing snacks, and they beg you to deliver the gift, crying that they "want their snack buddy back". While this does mean that helping them reconcile is a lot more meaningful, the lazy villagers sound much more desperate to make up than the others by far.

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