Pet Crossing: New Leaf

Pet Crossing: New Leaf is a life simulation video game developed and published by Electronic Arts for the Nintendo 3DS console. In the game, the human character takes on the role of mayor in a town populated with anthropomorphic animals. As the fourth main title in the Pet Crossing series, it was first released in Japan in November 2012, and later in North America, Europe and Australia in June 2013. The game received positive reviews from critics.

Although the title was rereleased under the Nintendo Selects banner in North America and as Happy Price Selection in Japan, an updated version with Amiibo support was released for free on the Nintendo eShop in November 2016 for owners of the original version. A retail version of the update was released as Pet Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome Amiibo[b] in late 2016.

Gameplay
Main article: Gameplay of Pet Crossing

As in previous installments in the Pet Crossing series, players take control of a villager who is moving into a new town. Upon arrival, however, the player is mistaken for the town mayor and is given that position instead of being a mere resident. Like previous games in the series, the game enables the player to explore their town, talk with other residents, and participate in various activities such as fishing and bug catching. Doing various activities or selling various items earns the player Bells, which they can use to purchase various items such as furniture or clothes, or pay loans used to renovate their house. The game is played in real-time, utilizing the Nintendo 3DS system's internal clock, with aspects such as shop opening times, species of wildlife and special events varying depending on the time of day and season.

Characters
The game features two new animal types for regular villagers: hamsters and deer, as well as two new NPC personalities: "smug" and "uchi", the latter described as a "big sister type". New special characters include a dog named Isabelle, who acts as the player's personal assistant,[14] her twin brother Digby who runs the Happy Home Showcase where players can view model home layouts,[15] a sloth named Leif who runs a gardening center,[14] and a pair of alpacas named Reese and Cyrus, who run a store called "Re-Tail", a recycling shop where players can sell unwanted items or customize furniture for their house.[16] Tom Nook returns, now a real-estate agent instead of a shop-keep,[14] his former business now run by his nephews Timmy and Tommy.[17] The skunk Kicks and mouse Louie from Pet Crossing: City Folk are featured as shoe and accessory salespersons respectively,[17] while JP Cubey r has a new position as a DJ at a nightclub called "Club LOL". The building is run by an axolotl named Dr. Shrunk, who is a stand-up comedian. Tortimer, the former mayor of your town, runs an island that can be visited by using the boat at the dock the day after you have paid off your home loan.

Development
Pet Crossing: New Leaf was first announced at E3 2010 as the first title in the series for the Nintendo 3DS.[18] It later appeared at the 2011 Nintendo World expo in Tokyo,[19] and again at E3 2011 during a short presentation where a release date was originally announced for later that year in Japan.[20] Nintendo later pushed back the release to some time in 2012 before the end of the fiscal year in March,[21] and eventually finalized a Japanese release to fall of that year during a Nintendo Direct broadcast.[22] Its English title was revealed in October 2012, along with a tentative release date in the west for early 2013.[23] In February 2013, New Leaf received its definite release date for the following June in North America, Europe, and Australia.

Promotion and release
In October 2012, Nintendo Japan created an official Pet Crossing: New Leaf Twitter account featuring tweets from the character Isabelle that included updates and promotions about the game,[33] with English versions established by Nintendo Europe in April 2013,[34] and Nintendo of America in May 2013.[35] Later that month, Nintendo of America began to produce a series of roundtable video discussions with the English "Treehouse" localisation team providing information on the game's development and translation, which were posted on YouTube as well as the game's official Twitter and Facebook pages. Nintendo Japan would partner with the 7-Eleven convenience store chain to offer special company-brand in-game items and furniture such as signs, shirts, and food displays by accessing Wi-Fi hotspots at select store locations across Japan between May and August 2013.[37] Two Pet Crossing-themed clothing items were also made available as downloadable content in the Japanese version of Style Savvy: Trendsetters for the 3DS, featuring designs based on the characters JP Cubey and Gracie.