An Animal Crossing: New Horizons has taken their recent island overhaul in a different direction than most, going as far as to convert an entire island into a sprawling IKEA store. Since its launch last year, players have shown no shortage of creativity, fashioning in-game equivalents of well-known locations from pop culture and the real world, and this recreation of the popular furniture retailer is complete with furniture displays, a warehouse, and food court (sans Swedish meatballs).
Building custom islands and worlds has always been part of Animal Crossing‘s charm, and New Horizons continues that proud tradition by offering a continuously growing library of options, objects, and near-infinite custom designs to match any player’s ambitions. As a result, there has been an abundance of players creating iconic locales on their islands, ranging from Joey and Chandler’s Friends apartment to the infamous red bathhouse from Spirited Away, often posting their creations on social media for other players to be inspired by. While most players opt for pop culture recreations, others like to bring a slice of real life to their tropical getaways.
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Redditor skidmore101 has taken the game even further by transforming their entire island into something anyone who’s ever decorated on a budget will instantly recognize: an IKEA store. Spanning the vast majority of their map, the impressive island build contains full-blown furniture sections, a food court, and a back room full of boxed-up merchandise, the player’s avatar even comes complete with the familiar IKEA uniform comprised of a blue-striped yellow shirt, blue slacks, and a little nametag. They shared the below screenshots of their creation, along with the island’s Dream Address and appropriately edited map of their superstore.
This is just one of the many islands that draws inspiration from the real world rather than the more popular options of other games, films, and TV. Even without the loud blue-and-yellow IKEA logos everywhere, this creation is instantly recognizable to anyone who’s ever had the distinct pleasure of assembling their furniture with an Allen wrench. Although IKEA is a real place, its ubiquity and its meme-like presence in pop culture as a real-world limbo of sorts makes it a perfect fit for Animal Crossing: New Horizons‘ blend of reality and cartoony cuteness. The lack of other customers (excepting resident villagers) in this digital storefront are also a plus for those who miss browsing the furniture outlet safely.
As the pandemic continues and players are continuing to find ways to use their time, video games like Animal Crossing have a special role to play in helping preserve the world’s collective sanity. That’s done artially by giving creative players the tools to build worlds and tributes, and partially for those who like to revisit places that have been shut due to the pandemic, get a taste of pop culture nostalgia, or – in this curious case – a little of both.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available on Nintendo Switch.
Source: skidmore101
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