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All About the Mysterious Roswell in Animal Crossing 2024

Originally posted on Total Apex Gaming | By Chase Martin | Last updated Oct 22, 2024 11:04 AM ET

Is your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons missing some extraterrestrial flare? Roswell could be the one that has you seeing stars. The Animal Crossing franchise —published by Nintendo, which has American subsidiaries in Washington—is highly regarded for its enormous roster of wacky characters. Villagers particularly are central to the series’ gameplay loop as they offer daily missions and companionship. This guide covers all you need to know about one of these villagers, Roswell.

Roswell in Animal Crossing

Roswell is a brown alligator villager first introduced in the Japanese exclusive title Doubutsu no Mori e+ for the Nintendo Gamecube. In that game, he was an islander, dwelling on Animal Island rather than in the player’s town. The gator had an extensive absence from the series as he was not featured in any titles until 2021’s 2.0 Update for New Horizons. Intriguingly, in his initial appearance he had the lazy personality but this shifted to smug when he was reintroduced in New Horizons. He is presently the only smug alligator in the Animal Crossing series. His birthday is on May 2, making him a Taurus.

Roswell’s English name is a reference to Roswell, New Mexico. More specifically, it alludes to the infamous Roswell Incident conspiracy theory which alleges that the 1947 United States Air Force balloon that crashed near Roswell was an extraterrestrial spacecraft. Later, the well-known depiction of Grey aliens became associated with the incident. Roswell’s design plays with these alien concepts as his body features several tan circles resembling crop circles. In Pocket Camp, his biography describes his fascination with UFOs and the mysteries of the cosmos. His initial catchphrase “spaaace” and his favorite quote “Keep your eyes on the skies” coincide with his extraterrestrial theme and interests.

How to Get Roswell

All About the Mysterious Roswell in Animal Crossing 2024 5 Screenshot from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Courtesy of Nintendo

You may have to reach for the stars to find the UFO-obsessed gator. One potential way to abduct him is via your island’s campsite. Villagers at your campsite will play minigames with you, allowing you to win exclusive camping items, but they may also request to join your island. However, due to the game’s large number of characters, the odds of this camper being Roswell will be paltry. You can also directly invite him to the campsite via an Amiibo card using the terminal inside Resident Services. This method requires you to craft items for him as souvenirs on 3 separate days, so it will not be as immediate compared to his appearing at the campsite as a random visitor.

Another way to scout for the strange gator is through a Mystery Island Tour. You can attend one of these Tours at the airport using Nook Miles Tickets. However, like the campsite, any villagers discovered on these Mystery Islands will be completely random. If you want to find Roswell, it may take many tickets and hours before ever catching a glimpse of him. Perhaps the most direct way to find him is through another player, thanks to New Horizons’s online abilities. Villagers in New Horizons often declare that they would like to move, which results in them packing all their belongings in boxes. This allows another player to speak with them and ask them to move to their island.

Klaatu Barada Nikto

Roswell is a creative character whose revival into the series was welcome. He bears many unique characteristics, with his design and theme setting him apart from most villagers in the game. Despite this, he is a rather middling character in terms of popularity rankings. On the plus side, if you are a fan, it may be relatively easy to acquire him from another player. He may pair well with other villagers interested in celestial objects. While he appears conceited, he does maintain some gentlemanly qualities too. It would be nice if he were more introspective, but he is wont to cast his gaze to the stars rather than inwards. After all, who knows if the truth is out there?

This article first appeared on Total Apex Gaming and was syndicated with permission.

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