Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival dedicated to amiibo

UPDATE: Originally, Sable was identified as being part of the amiibo lineup, when in fact it is her sister Mabel. You can read the original story below.

Whereas previous amiibo-enabled games have used the popular Nintendo figures for cosmetics or bonus items (a la Kirby and the Rainbow Curse), we finally have a game dedicated to amiibo.

Nintendo announced today a new Animal Crossing game for Wii U, complete with plump, polished high-def models of some favourite Animal Crossing characters. It was bound to happen, considering the Animal Crossing Plaza application from more than a year back. But rather than it following the traditional format of life-sim gameplay, this entry instead parallels that of Mario Party 10's amiibo Party mode.

Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival is a digital board game experience dedicated entirely to amiibo. In true Animal Crossing fashion, players must collect bells to achieve victory, doing so by landing on specific spaces and participating in events. Boards are inspired by seasons and the events that take place in the span of a typical Animal Crossing calendar year. The game integrates a Happy Points system to give players something to work towards, with results being written to your respective amiibo for the opportunity to expand gameplay on successive sessions.

In the way of amiibo, Nintendo revealed eight for the starting lineup:

• Tom Nook
• KK Slider
• Isabelle
• Sable
• Reese
• Cyrus
• Lottie
• Digby

The game will also allow amiibo Card functionality for mini-game play. Cards are decorated with symbols representative of gameplay features, such as what appears to be a rock-paper-scissors mechanic.

This cheery, lighthearted party game will be available this holiday season. Given that gameplay revolves around these figures, surely this cast of amiibo characters won't be so elusive. Right, Nintendo?