Animal Crossing: New Horizons islanders await The Roost’s opening by staring at museum wall

Publication date of the original Japanese article: 2021-09-25 18:55 (JST)
Translated by. Braden Noyes

An unusual number of Animal Crossing: New Horizons players have recently been sighted staring at a portion of the museum wall. This strange behavior began shortly after the Nintendo Direct broadcast on September 23, 2021.

During the program, Nintendo released a short teaser to announce an upcoming update to the game. In it, an islander can be seen approaching an unfamiliar shop at the top of the stairs just inside the museum’s entrance. The islander then reads the sign outside the shop, giving players exciting news: The Roost, a 24-hour cafe, is coming to New Horizons!

Long-time Animal Crossing fans will recognize The Roost from previous games in the series. Run by the quiet pigeon Brewster, the shop was first introduced in Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS. The shop has primarily been located in the basement of the museum, although it has appeared in various locations depending on the game, and gave players the opportunity to enjoy a cup of coffee in exchange for a few bells.

Brewster may seem a bit cold at first, but he slowly warms up and becomes friendlier the more you visit. Other villagers could also be seen enjoying a cup of coffee in The Roost, and even K.K. Slider would show up to perform from time to time. It was this atmosphere that led to so many fans falling in love with the cafe in the first place.

Despite its popularity, however, The Roost was nowhere to be found when Animal Crossing: New Horizons first launched. Over a year has passed since the game’s release, and fans have been eagerly awaiting any hint that Brewster and his cafe would be making an appearance.

Some simply couldn’t wait any longer, deciding to take it upon themselves to create their own coffee shops by making use of the game’s custom designs feature. (Related article, in Japanese) However, the long-awaited announcement came with the recent Nintendo Direct, and players are thrilled to know The Roost is finally making its return.

Many island dwellers are finding creative ways to celebrate The Roost’s upcoming arrival. One such example came from Japanese Twitter user Teto, who took inspiration from the DAL mug item and decided to use the game’s custom design feature to recreate the cafe’s logo and place it on the side of a coffee mug. The simplicity of this new novelty item is such that it can easily be incorporated into everyday island life.

Another user over on Reddit named Meowkoatnc revealed a custom knit cap pattern. This fashionable cap allows players to pay homage to, or perhaps cosplay as, Brewster.

While some users have decided to express their excitement through custom designs, the expected arrival of The Roost has also given rise to another rather strange trend. Videos and images have been appearing on Reddit and Twitter of players loitering at the left side of the second-floor landing inside the museum entrance, the very same corner where The Roost is expected to open up shop.

In previous games, The Roost was most often located in the museum’s basement. However, in Animal Crossings: New Horizons, the basement is home to the fossil exhibit. It would seem this has resulted in Brewster having to relocate The Roost to the second floor, and more than a few impatient islanders have already made their way to future sight of the cafe inside the museum.

That being said, however, there are still no indicators or visuals in the game to show this corner of the museum is under construction. This has resulted in some rather amusing photographs of characters simply staring at a blank wall, seemingly for no reason. This charming, albeit strange, phenomenon is the result of players who are simply too excited to wait for the chance to chat with Brewster once again.

There seems to be no shortage of users on Reddit who are excited for the return of The Roost. However, there are also a fair number of players who find the community’s level of excitement quite perplexing. Pay bells, drink coffee. What’s so special about that, right? For these players, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is most likely their first game in the series, meaning they have yet to experience for themselves the charming atmosphere of The Roost and how easily it can capture the hearts of so many.

We are looking forward to the update’s release, which will give new and old players alike the opportunity to enjoy what The Roost has to offer. Details of the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Horizons update are expected to be released sometime in October.