I created Animal Crossing: Bell Parade as a final project for my Games Programming & System Architectures module at university. The Game Programming and System Architectures module (CMP208) covered how to make game applications using 2D and 3D techniques through the GEF framework, created by a lecturer and given to us to use to create our projects and build upon. The aim was to make a 2.5D game keeping in mind system specifications, and I chose to create a game taking inspiration from the Animal Crossing series to showcase what I learned throughout the module.

The game consists of a 2.5D platformer where the player must collect a specific number of the in-game currency (bells) before the end of a one-minute timer, otherwise, they will lose and will get evicted from their household due to not being able to pay rent. This was done based on one of the series’ characters Tom Nook, who usually gives the player a house that they have to pay off during the game. The idea was to create a storyline that could work as a spin-off of the series and that could be a realistic title to market since some of the Animal Crossing games include minigames that could be turned into standalone games.

The game includes the option of choosing whom to play as from a selection of 5 characters and the different scenes in the game change based on who the user selected as their character. The application also includes a cutscene and UI that matches the themes of the original Animal Crossing series as well as a loading screen that uses multithreading to create all the scenes.