Four unique things about Animal Crossing

[Alolan_Apples]

Today, I'm here to point out the uniquenesses of the Animal Crossing main series that differ from the rest of the gaming industry. Granted, every video game series has their fair share of weird stuff (like an Italian plumber who saves a princess from a fire-breathing turtle, a doll that can make worlds and crush enemies, a world where everything is three-dimensional and pixelated where cubes are the building blocks etc.), but there are four uniquenesses about the Animal Crossing series that differ from the rest of the gaming world in terms of gameplay. No, we can't say that it's about a human who lives in a world of anthropomorphized animals, nor can we say it's a life simulator where you control your character, nor can we say that you can change your eye color. It goes deeper than that.

1. It operates on a real world clock - probably one of the most unique parts about it is that the in-game clock follows real time. One hour in-game takes up one hour in real life. And one hour in real life equals one hour in-game. If you have synchronized your game's time with iOS time for your time zone, it goes with the real world clock. It flows like real time. It's not even limited to time of the day. It goes with time of the year as well. What's even more unique is that every hour outside, the outdoor music changes. It's been this way for four games.
2. It's one of the very few series where new entries invalidate the previous games - usually when a new game for a video game series comes out, it doesn't mean the older games are completely unplayable. For example, new 3D Zelda games tend to get bigger and better, but Ocarina of Time is still the most popular of the series. Mario Kart gets more and more improved, but people like the older tracks. This is especially true for games that have a storyline. However, there are some video game series where each next entry to the main series is more improved to where older games are rendered unplayable, and Animal Crossing is one of them. Wild World made GameCube version feel very unplayable. City Folk almost did it to Wild World. And New Leaf really invalidated the previous game. I kinda feel that the next AC game will make ACNL and ACHHD feel unplayable.
3. It recognizes whether or not you saved your game - this is another feature that shows how unique Animal Crossing is. Normally, if you don't save your game, the only punishment is that you lose everything that you done, and will be forced to risk it again. In Animal Crossing, it does more than that. I don't know how they made this algorithm, but it recognizes if you saved your game or not. If you didn't save, Resetti will pop out in front of your house, giving you a lecture on why you should save your game. He was even named after the function of resetting. Now that's the pinnacle of creativity.
4. It's one of the few video game series that does better on the handhelds than consoles - most video game series are better off if played on home consoles than handheld devices. They include first person shooters, adventure games outside the Zelda franchise, and creative games. And there are some that do just as well on handhelds as they do on consoles. The games that are better on handhelds are usually iOS/Android games and puzzles. However, there are a few proper video game franchises that are better on handhelds than consoles. Animal Crossing is part of that category. Judging by the gameplay and restrictions, it's something that's better if you can play anywhere and not just on one TV. New Leaf was the highest rated Animal Crossing game, but Wild World is the highest selling. And Happy Home Designer is the better Animal Crossing spin-off. The similarities? They were all on the 3DS or DS.

If you know anything else that is unique, please share it in the comments.

 

[Brooke_the_Phoenix]

Honestly, I think you have a point about each new addition invalidating the previous games. Before I got New Leaf I played both Wild World and Let's Go to the City and enjoyed both games, but I haven't played either of those games since I got New Leaf. I keep thinking that I should revisit Wild World, but I don't really have any desire to. I've actually never played the Gamecube version and I want to, but it's mainly so I can say that I've played all four games, not because I think I'll enjoy it.