Nintendo’s chill life-simulation gameAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsand Supergiant Games' intense Greek mythos-inspired roguelikeHadesmay seem like strange bedfellows, but both have been in the news following their “Game of the Year"nominations for The Game Awards 2020. However, there are more similarities between the two disparate titles under the surface, as suggested by a piece of fan art uploaded to Twitter last week.
Artist denebolart, who goes by Mei on the social media platform, posted an image ofHadesprotagonist Zagreus rendered in the style ofAnimal Crossing’s toy-like chibi characters on November 19. The point of convergence is fishing, which is a cornerstone activity inAnimal Crossingas well as aminigame that provides rewards inHades. The artwork shows Zagreus catching a bass in a snowy-banked river and comments that maybe he should “let Orpheus know about this.”
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Animal Crossing: New Horizonsexploded in popularity following its March release, which coincided with the first major spread of the coronavirus pandemic worldwide, leading to all manner of fan art and other custom creations based on the Switch-exclusive title. One prominent crossover came through another 2020 Game of the Year nominee, asAnimal CrossingandDoom: Eternalart was commondue to both titles releasing on the same day.
As impressive as Mei’sAnimal Crossing-styled Zagreus is, down to details like his unique heterochromia, it appears to be somewhat out of the norm for the artist. Much of her work posted to Twitter and Tumblr is based on characters from fellowNintendo Switch best-sellerPokemon SwordandShield, and a good amount of it is not safe for work. Though, she is accepting commissions as of this writing.
It is currently unclear which game will come out on top at this year’s Game Awards, but just about everything on the list seems to have potential.Animal Crossing: New HorizonsandHadesare fan-favorites, as evidenced by things like Mei’s art, but other AAA blockbusters such as Sucker Punch’sGhost of Tsushima, Square Enix’sFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, and Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Us 2also have fans in their corners.
Regardless of which title ultimately wins Game of the Year,Animal Crossingin particular will likely continue to resonate with gamers around the world.New Horizonsrecently announced its Winter-themed expansion, and should receive content well into the new year.
Animal Crossing: New Horizonsis available now on Nintendo Switch.
Hadesis available now on PC and Switch.
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