Nintendo and the city of Seattle, Washington, have a surprisingly interesting history together. The most notable example of this is when former president Hiroshi Yamauchi purchased a majority stake in the Seattle Mariners when the team struggled in the 1990s. It was an odd moment in sports and gaming history that remains a fun fact.

Nothing so notable has happened since, but Nintendo still has a noticeable presence around Seattle. The Pacific Northwestern city hosted the first Nintendo Live outside Japan, and Nintendo of America’s headquarters is in Redmond, Washington, a city in Seattle’s county. Still, it’s fun seeing the interesting partnerships between the city and the company.

In another fun and fitting crossover, the Seattle Aquarium is hosting its own Nintendo promotion, but this one’s entirely Animal Crossing: New Horizons themed. I happened to be visiting Seattle when the collaboration started, so I figured I’d go check it out.

It’s been many years since I’ve visited an aquarium, so the experience was bound to be worthwhile. I didn’t know what to expect, but I still figured it would be a fun experience.

Animal Crossing’s presence was surprisingly unobtrusive to the aquarium experience

My first impression of the Animal Crossing event was that there would be much of the game within the aquarium. After the staff scanned my ticket, the first thing greeting me was a giant sign showing several Animal Crossing characters under a logo reading Animal Crossing: New Horizons X Seattle Aquarium. Behind it was more of the game’s imagery.

A neat perk for Nintendo fans involved scanning a QR code to get 100 platinum points for My Nintendo members. It’s a minuscule thing that’s only good for entering the Animal Crossing: New Horizons Fall sweepstakes, but it was a welcomed bonus for the trip out.

Beyond this opening, the Animal Crossing theming became more of a backdrop than anything. Scattered throughout the aquarium are cardboard cutouts of the game’s various characters that were fun to take photos with. A decent number of them even had small crowds gathered around to get a great picture.

Certain plaques also changed their regular descriptions to something from Blathers’ perspective. The Seattle Aquarium’s usual explainer was still there but placed at the bottom alongside a villager representing it.

Only certain parts of the aquarium had these plaques since the ones present are based on animals within the game. Exhibits featuring fish received the bulk of the Animal Crossing theme, with little given to the mammals present. While I understand sticking to in-game descriptions, I did think this was a missed opportunity to have Blathers explain what sea lions and river otters were. It could also just be my bias for sea mammals showing.

Seattle Aquarium is a great visit regardless of any gaming crossover

This Animal Crossing crossover coinciding with my visit to Seattle was honestly just happenstance. I’d heard it was nice to visit even if no special events were occurring. It’s definitely on the pricy side, but that’s made up for by being a solid visit for several hours. Aiding the local conservation effort helps, too.

Since Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the specified title crossing over, partnering with an aquarium is especially fitting. Sea life is one of the game’s main collectibles as various critters ranging from jellyfish to clownfish can be donated to Blathers’ museum. This, paired with the little facts he states, lends it a slight educational vibe while remaining focused on the fun.

It’s a vibe I felt somewhat with the downloadable bingo card I got from a QR code within the aquarium. It might be just an Animal Crossing themed JPEG with a list of animals, but it encouraged me to pay better attention to my surroundings.

Maybe it was me trying to get my money’s worth, but it was neat to keep my eye out for certain species I would have missed otherwise. I paid better attention to busy tanks since not every critter inside got a label. Maybe I would have done that without that bingo card, but it helped encourage me.

While I wouldn’t want to revisit the aquarium for a few years, I’m glad I went when I could. It’s a lovely location for a date or to take kids, something I noticed as couples or families made up most of those in attendance.

Anyone worried about missing out on the event probably doesn’t have much to worry about, either. I visited soon after it began, and it won’t end until New Year’s Eve. Even if that happens, I encourage anyone visiting to check the Seattle Aquarium out, whether they’re an Animal Crossing fan or not.