I got animal crossing as a kid, I remember playing here and there but I never understood wtf I was doing or the point, I forgot the characters constantly too.
1.) Less dialogue - seriously, especially for a kid's game there's too much reading, this makes it boring and more of a chore than a game
2.) Character creation - where you can change hair, skin, facial features, body, etc. Animal crossing gives you this brunette character that doesn't change appearance unless you put some hat on it or use an umbrella.
3.) Nicer characters - why are they so mean? Especially the mole one.
4.) A way to fast travel - Idk if maybe this existed and I didn't know, but walking around took forever.