The next big IP-inspired simulation game to hit the scene will beTales of the Shire, officially releasing for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles this July.Tales of the Shirehas already had its fair share of previews from both seasoned critics and casual gamers, likely leading to the delay ofTales of the Shire, which was initially scheduled to debut in March. As developer Weta Workshop takes this extended time to improveTales of the Shire’s pitfalls, perhaps the new simulation game could expand existing features established in other simulation games as well.
As the simulation genre’s gold standard, theAnimal Crossingfranchise can seem practically untouchable. Nevertheless, there are still aspects of the franchise’s many gameplay features that could be improved not just in the nextAnimal Crossingtitle, but by new titles in the simulation genre.Tales of the Shirecould easily fill this role, taking note of the game’s weaknesses and pivoting away from them in its own gameplay. Though the feature may seem innocuous,Animal Crossing’s mailing system is certainly one gameplayfeatureTales of the Shireshould investigate.
Animal Crossing’s Mailing System Has Its Flaws
Like many parts of the franchise,Animal Crossing’s mailing system has evolved significantly since the game’s debut in 2001.Prior toAnimal Crossing: New Horizons, players would have to obtain stationery in order to send letters. Players would then go to the Post Office (Animal CrossingandNew Leaf) or head to the town hall (Wild WorldandCity Folk) for the letter to be sent out for delivery. Players can also attach gifts to their letters, except for fish, bugs, and turnips. Pelican mailman Pete would always be up to the task, distributing letters across town but also to players’ mailboxes. This version of the mailing system allowed players to send up to five letters at a time. Once Pete has flown away from the building, leaving it once again empty, players can send letters once again.
New Horizonsremoved both the Post Office and Pete from its mail system, though Pete was added into the game in the 2.0 Free Update, where he can be invited to The Roost. Orville essentially fills Pete’s role inNew Horizons, allowing players to send a maximum of a hundred letters to villagers and forty to other human residents per day.Nook Shoppingalso complicatesNew Horizons’ mailing system, as players can send items to friends from the catalog, though only two items can be sent per day.
Improvements Tales of the Shire Could Make
The most obvious way forTales of the Shireto improve uponAnimal Crossing’s mail systemis to loosen the game’s restrictions.New Horizonsexpanded the number of letters players can send to both Villagers and human residents, but it has clear-cut limits when it comes to sending items and resources to friends. Though maintaining a lower number of items is certainly a good idea forAnimal Crossing,considering the system could be utilized by scalpers if the limit were higher, a two-item limit still feels a tad suffocating. While there’s no guarantee thatTales of the Shirewill be popular enough or have mechanics that could be abused by scalpers, Weta Workshop should certainly keep that possibility in mind when setting the limits of the game’s mailing system.
Tales of the Shire’s mailing system could also be integrated with its gifting system. In addition to handing the game’s version of Villagers gifts, perhaps players could also send them gifts through the post. This is yet another simple but effective way thatTales of the Shirecould spice up its mailing system from other simulation games and ultimatelyimprove onAnimal Crossing’s versionof the mechanic.
