It's like animal crossing but at the same time it isn't.
You farm a lot more than the flower-breeding in ACNL, villigears don't say much until you befriend them & you unlock more over time and they don't leave. You can date a person of the opposite gender & get married (really unfair though like there should be some sort of preferences in the beginning but meh..) and yeah.
It's not on the same time progression as AC either. You don't have to play everyday and you can progress as far as you like.
Also
COWS