In a dazzling display of creativity, an Animal Crossing: New Horizons devotee has painstakingly recreated key cutscenes from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom—complete with dramatic ruins, airborne islands, and even a creepy undead Ganon—in the laid-back life-simulator. Under the YouTube handle ACV-TotK, the creator spent countless hours terraforming, designing custom apparel, and choreographing camera angles to bring Tears of the Kingdom’s opening hours to the idyllic shores of their New Horizons island.
The seven-minute tribute begins with Link and Zelda’s descent into the long-forgotten depths beneath Hyrule Castle, using New Horizons’s terrain tools to mimic crumbling stone corridors and echoing caverns. Ingenious use of leaf patterns and custom designs conjures Ganon’s spectral form—no small feat given that Animal Crossing offers no direct undead models. The video then transitions to the Great Sky Island sequences, with colorful floating platforms fashioned from layered terraforming and vibrant custom island panels. Throughout, the fan weaves in Tears of the Kingdom’s stirring soundtrack, triggering nostalgia for Hyrule even as players nod along in appreciation.
This isn’t the first time Animal Crossing’s flexible toolkit has been used for viral remakes. Earlier this year, fans recreated iconic Twin Peaks scenes—and before that, tributes to Stranger Things, Spirited Away, and countless other pop-culture touchstones flooded social feeds. But ACV-TotK’s clip stands out for its scale and fidelity, demonstrating how robust New Horizons customization has become since its launch in March 2020.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons made history by selling 47 million units by the end of 2024, cementing its role as the best-selling game in the franchise. Much of its enduring appeal lies in the freedom to reshape every inch of your island and outfit your villager in any pixel-perfect design. New Horizons introduced groundbreaking map editing and terraforming features—tools that creators like ACV-TotK have harnessed to blur the lines between Hyrule and the Animal Crossing universe.
As fans await the next Animal Crossing installment, these ambitious community projects spotlight the series’ potential as a living canvas for shared imagination. Whether you’re a die-hard Zelda fan, a seasoned ACNH designer, or simply someone who loves to see two gaming worlds collide, ACV-TotK’s Tears of the Kingdom tribute offers a delightful taste of what emerges when creativity—and a whole lot of patience—take flight.
Ready to swap your fishing rod for a Master Sword? Dive into ACV-TotK’s island premiere and experience Hyrule as you’ve never seen it before.
