Being Black in Animal Crossing is Hard Work

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is largely a game about leaving an impression. Whether you’re creating your town in the sometimes dull single player or if you’re visiting friends to see how they’ve built up their world, you can do so with a personality and charm that you yourself have created. In many ways, you can be whatever you want to be in New Leaf, unless you want to be black. Then your only option is to tan, tan, tan.

Noted by Neogaf user Lin Siniang, your only option if you want to change your player character’s colour is to hang around outside in the sun or head to an island where it is summer all year round. After leaving your 3DS on while on that island, your character’s skin will become slowly darker. This isn’t a permanent move. You can play for 60 or more hours without becoming the colour you want as well, so I’m not entirely sure it’s worth it.

It’s an odd thing not to include, although I wouldn’t say it’s stupidly offensive. It’s a massive oversight (an oversight many people, regardless of race, will fail to see) and something that needs to be patched in at some time in the future, but it’s unlikely it was a specific move on Nintendo’s part.