Photos with Animal Crossing

‘Photos with Animal Crossing’ is the latest free 3DS app. However there is a catch ; you need an eStore download code in order to access it. The usual method of obtaining one of these is through managing to nab one of the accompanying AR cards at an event, for each card contains a code on the back. To date the only event Nintendo have distributed these in the UK has been Hyper Japan 2015 (which Cyburn recently covered). We have a feeling they’ll be featured at more events over the summer, however, especially with the impending releases of Animal Crossing franchise additions Happy Home Designer for 3DS (set for release in Europe on October 2nd) and Amiibo Festival for Wii U (also coming later this year).

Photos with Animal Crossing logo. Cleaned up from a scan. Background by me, but based on official art

Allow me to take you through this quirky app, as well as providing some tips on getting the most from it…

When you boot it up you are initially presented with the app’s logo. Nothing strange about this. After approximately 2 seconds, however, the background changes to your 3DS’ camera view. Isabelle can be seen on the bottom screen, urging you to press ‘R’ (not accusing her of being a nag but it feels like she’s always urging me to do something, that one…). Doing so brings you to the next screen, where you are commanded ; ‘Get an AR Card on-screen!’. You better do it! You can use one of the aforementioned AR Cards if you have one. If not don’t despair ; I can confirm that scans of the real things displayed on your laptop or phone (or spare 3DS or whatever) work just as well. Pointing your 3DS camera at these designs causes animated versions of the characters found on the cards to pop out of them, as if they have come to life! There are 3 AR Card designs, and they contain the following characters :

Card 1 : Isabelle, Leif, Rover, Labelle and Cyrus (not to be confused with the 3DSBlessed Staff Writer of the same name)
Card 2 : K.K. Slider, Mabel, Tom Nook, Kicks and Reese
Card 3 : Timmy & Tommy, Brewster, Digby, Sable and Kapp’N

Of interesting note is that the related of these characters (with the exception of Timmy and Tommy) are found on separate AR Cards. Examples include the married couple Cyrus and Reese and siblings Isabelle and Digby. This is, I believe, was a deliberate ploy to encourage us all to make use of one of the coolest features of this app ; that fact multiple AR designs can be used simultaneously. Check out this image to see what I mean :

Everyone’s favourite trio of hedgehog sisters help me demonstrate two points at once in this fine photo…

The app will display one character per AR design (again, with the exception of Timmy and Tommy). If the first character to pop out isn’t to your liking simply navigate your camera’s viewfinder away from it then repoint. Repeat this until you find someone you like. Once you’ve decided on your character (or characters if using multiple AR designs) you need to make some decisions on your desired size and angle for the character model(s), as well as their desired position on the screen. You manipulate the size by adjusting the distance between your camera and the AR design (so close for huge, far for small etc). Similarly ; move the 3DS camera around the character until you come across an appropriate angle and screen position.

You can switch between internal and external camera at any point. When you are happy with all the variables you can either go ahead and take a picture of your character(s) on their AR card base, or you can click ‘Grab’ to move them around freely in your surroundings. Whatever option you choose ; you can add purikura-esque effects to your photos using the d-pad. Below is a list of what each button does :

Up – throws confetti and party strings
Down – Shooting stars start whizzing past
Left – Bubbles are blown into the screen
Right – Snow starts to fall

Scans of the available AR cards. Image I used to harness the Abel Sisters. Works like a charm…

The ABXY buttons allow you to set photo timers of a small variety of lengths. For those with patience this is an interesting little addition, if only because the critters will sometimes pose for the camera. Nice little sense of realness there. What? It’s something people really do, and these characters are anthropomorphic after all, which makes them partly human (not insinuating that real-life hedgehogs or raccoons smile when they know their picture is being taken!).

And there you have it, folks. Photos with Animal Crossing is small in scope, with a limited roster of characters and small number of photo options. Still, as a augmented reality photo app (and a well-made one at that) this little gem carries a great deal of creative potential when in the right hands. Please see below for some of the coolest/funniest photos I’ve seen taken with the app so far (the Brewster one is admittedly mine, and the Isabelle photos were taken by StreetPass Gloucestershire’s owner Mark McAllister).

For those of you who weren’t at the recent Hyper Japan I’ll tell you about their Photos with Animal Crossing set-up, as I know it will be of interest to some of you. The app had its own dedicated stall in a central location in the con’s Nintendo section. To show off the app’s capabilities the friendly boothbabe who was manning this would ask attendees who their favourite character on the cards was. She then proceeded to take a picture of each one with chosen character using the app. The best thing about it was that these photos were printed there and then, then given to attendees to take home as a cute, Animal Crossing-themed memento of their day.

I am pleased to announce that 3DSBlessed’s meet-up group StreetPass London are giving away 10 download codes of the app. Warning ; these will be sent to the winners electronically, so those without access to AR cards are encouraged to make use of aforementioned scans (which work just as well, as stated). To be in with a chance of winning you must join our Facebook group (which you can find here) and make a comment in the contest’s thread (which you can find at the top as it is currently pinned). Full rules available in the thread. Be quick if you’re interested ; the contest ends tomorrow (therefore on Wednesday 29th July) at 23:00 UK time. Good luck everyone!

Related Links

Official sites

Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer : https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Nintendo-3DS/Animal-Crossing-Happy-Home-Designer-1009406.html
Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival : https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Games/Wii-U/Animal-Crossing-amiibo-Festival-1026137.html
Hyper Japan : http://hyperjapan.co.uk/

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