Hello, hello!
As of recently, I noticed how stiff our Nichelings truly are. They blink now, which is a huge improvement that I love! But I feel like much more could be done to have them feel more alive!
One thing that could be done is small idle animations. These can be as simple as to looking around themselves on their own, sitting proudly and puffing their chests out, sniffing the air briefly, chasing their tails, and so much more! If I saw my Nicheling move around idly, I would be VERY impressed, especially if actions (Other than moving tiles) had animations to go with it.
Not only could they do animations as they wait for a turn to be used, but they could also have cute animations while they sleep, such as curling up into a ball of fluff, or trying to chase down those pesky Crabbits in their sleep!
Now, not only could Idle Animation be done, but so could relationship status be done. There can be options when two Nichelings are next to each other to interact by making sounds, grooming each other, playing, growling, etc. The actions would also have their own small animations, and any action you choose dictate how they view each other in a storytelling perspective, not much more, but still very interesting if added in.
Thank you for reading through this, I hope you enjoyed my ideas! If there is anything you would like to add, please do!