Would you ever buy an indie Animal Crossing-esque game? Or has Nintendo perfected the genre?

[Knockaboot]

I've felt burnt out on New Horizons for a while now--it's a lovely game, and I got my money's worth out of it, but naturally my increasing disatissfaction with it led to me thinking what would make it better. I go to thinking how Stardew Valley perfectly captured that Harvest Moon spirit, so much so that I vastly prefer it to the current Harvest Moon titles -- do you think the same could happen to Animal Crossing?

I don't think Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley are the same genre exactly, especially since Animal Crossing is just as much its presentation as its gameplay in so far as defining it as a game. Real-time life sims are few and far between and imo none of the current offerings that pop up as "like Animal Crossing" are like it at all.

What do you think?

 

[Firesquids]

It's more likely that an indie game will come along that feels like a mix between animal crossing and another game (ie Cozy Grove reminds me of Animal Crossing and Don't Starve)
It's totally possible that it could be "dethroned" but they would have to go very hard on the amount of "villagers".
I feel like a large part of the appeal of Animal Crossing and Pokemon is in the sheer breadth of the character pool, it gives these games a wide appeal because you're virtually guaranteed to find a design you like.

 

[Knockaboot]

It's more likely that an indie game will come along that feels like a mix between animal crossing and another game (ie Cozy Grove reminds me of Animal Crossing and Don't Starve)
It's totally possible that it could be "dethroned" but they would have to go very hard on the amount of "villagers".
I feel like a large part of the appeal of Animal Crossing and Pokemon is in the sheer breadth of the character pool, it gives these games a wide appeal because you're virtually guaranteed to find a design you like.

Good point -- there's a TON of games that feel like animal crossing but also something else.

I actually wonder if a heavily moddable game would be the only way to make an indie version that'd actually really grab people. Because in that case you'd have a literally infinite number of villagers. Which I think is also a big appeal of Stardew Valley -- with enough googling and searching you can make the game kind of whatever you want.

 

[Shipper-Girl-27]

I personally think nothing can ever beat Nintendo and Animal Crossing. With Stardew, the creator was inspired by Harvest Moon and that’s why it’s doing well. I yet seen a game that’d have the same charm as AC.

 

[Knockaboot]

I personally think nothing can ever beat Nintendo and Animal Crossing. With Stardew, the creator was inspired by Harvest Moon and that’s why it’s doing well. I yet seen a game that’d have the same charm as AC.

I hear you, but Harvest Moon was like It for the farming sim genre before Stardew, too. I dunno! But yeah honestly I'm not sure how you'd ever expand on the charm without losing it.

 

[TillyGoesMeow]

I don't think there have been too many to try, but if one did come along with a cutesy style I'd like that for sure! I think the 3D look of animal crossing also give it's charm. Most try to emulate harvest moon-esque styles instead of animal crossing. I'd love for there to be more animal village type games though! Even if it were different.

 

[Ossiran]

A few indie devs have tried and they've been done rather poorly. If it's done well, I'd happily give it a try, but Nintendo's pretty much perfected it. I feel like many indie devs would try to add too much and not quite get the heart. They'd add a story or several features that would take away from the core of what AC is. Animal Crossing could use a lot more, but if it's not done well, it won't feel right.

 

[Knockaboot]

A few indie devs have tried and they've been done rather poorly. If it's done well, I'd happily give it a try, but Nintendo's pretty much perfected it. I feel like many indie devs would try to add too much and not quite get the heart. They'd add a story or several features that would take away from the core of what AC is. Animal Crossing could use a lot more, but if it's not done well, it won't feel right.

Ooh, what do you think it could use more of? I'm curious. I've always wanted weather to be more significant in some way, myself.

 

[Orius]

Oh trust me, it's far from perfect. Just look at the AC Rant thread or even the Petty Complaints thread. So many faults and flaws, especially in terms of the limited content compared to New Leaf.

Then again, indie developers don't really have the budget to make a game as shiny and fancy as Nintendo.

 

[Corrie]

I'm totally down to support someone else making a better AC. Picture AC but with actually good QoL features. I'd die.

 

[LadyDestani]

If I found an indie game that had the quirkiness of the original Animal Crossing and really focused on the villager interactions, I'd definitely give it a shot. If any game, from Nintendo or another creator, could give me that plus some QoL upgrades, they would have my money for sure.

 

[Croconaw]

Nintendo can’t cater to everyone’s need. That’s literally impossible. Everyone wants different things, and they would have to make hundreds of different copies with everyone’s perfect version of Animal Crossing. That just isn’t happening. I honestly prefer the game the way it is. It has flaws, sure, but so does everything else in life. I just enjoy it for the game it is.

I do not think Animal Crossing will change, but I’m honestly surprised that terraforming and crafting are such important aspects of this game. I think it takes away from the main point of the game. It’s supposed to be stress-free and relaxing. The tutorial part of the game was honestly stressing me out. I preferred the relaxing tasks of introducing yourself to the villagers and making deliveries…. Not the tutorial phase they call an introduction.

 

[droqen]

I never actually play an Animal Crossing game for long enough enough to even warrant buying my own copy of the real game :') I just share my partner's. I'd 100% buy and play a really short, dense indie Animal Crossing-esque game, but that's probably not gonna happen since I don't think it's in line with what most people like about AC...

 

[Snek]

I would play an indie-level game that is Animal Crossing-esque...because after playing New Horizons it feels as if the series isn't being taken as seriously as other Nintendo titles. Now, I'm not worried at all that AC is going away. Not in the slightest. It is a Nintendo title after all. However, AC is certainly not perfected. AC is a life-sim and the key to its success was originally with the villagers. Many of these villagers are popular but mostly with people that are familiar with the AC series. Pokémon is a different beast altogether and should be a model for AC if it wants to expand its fanbase. This is because Pokémon stays true what it is about: finding, capturing and training monsters. Its a monster collecting RPG that stays true to itself. Even with mediocre titles like Sword and Shield, Pokémon stays true by introducing new Pokémon and a new region to explore. AC has potential to become a "Pokémon" but an indie-level game could give it a run for its money. ACNH strays from its original hook with developing friendships with villagers. NH has more emphasis on design (interior and exterior) and terraforming is one of the most important new features of this game. I feel many players spend more time developing their islands rather than their island villagers. This is true with the themes some players have with their islands (cottagecore, fairycore, etc). Just want to remind but NH introduced only 8 new villagers. Zero new animal types. The personalities are more or less the same and only different very slightly. An indie game that does what AC used to do before NH could potentially achieve great success.

 

[StarlitGlitch]

We need the AC version of the Paralives lol

I'd like one that focuses more on the interaction/life-sim aspects of the game rather than decorating

 

[SoftCrowbar]

I tried one, I can’t remember the name of it, but it was horrible and put a bad taste in my mouth for games “like” animal crossing. I think indie devs have potential to make something great that parallels it, but the one I played left me sorely…. Disgusted is really the only word I can give it lol

I’d probably try one again if I saw more positive reviews and watched some gameplay this time. And if they didn’t include so much customization honestly

 

[kiwikenobi]

If anyone asks me what I think the best Harvest Moon game is, I reply, "Stardew Valley." ^o^;>
(My actual answer to that question is Harvest Moon 64, but, you know... Stardew Valley.)

I think an indie game based on Animal Crossing could be done well and might even be able to eclipse the franchise in popularity if it does enough things right. But I think the key thing is that Animal Crossing can't really be competed with is the graphics department, but a lot of imitation Animal Crossing games try to look exactly like it and only pale in comparison because they are so similar, so it's easy to see where they weren't able to be as high quality. I think that if someone made a game like Animal Crossing, but did it all with really good pixel art, like Stardew Valley, that it would have a better chance of being successful, because it wouldn't be competing with Nintendo's huge budget for things like HD graphics and physics and stuff.

Alternatively, a game with really nice hand-drawn art would also have the same potential to look really nice and not be trying to directly compete with Animal Crossing's graphics.

Maybe games like that already exist, I don't know, but they can't be that popular, or this thread wouldn't exist. Either way, what I'm saying is, if an indie game is going to become to Animal Crossing what Stardew Valley is to Harvest Moon, I think one with pixel art or hand-drawn art will have a better chance than one trying to compete with the HD 3D, real-time physics and lighting and stuff that Nintendo is able to do.

The game itself would also still have to be super solid and smart, regardless of the graphics, and do lots of things that Nintendo keeps refusing to do with Animal Crossing that fans want, and do them well. But I think cutting-edge, HD graphics are a huge stumbling block that indie game designers might do better to not bother trying to match.

 

[droqen]

do lots of things that Nintendo keeps refusing to do with Animal Crossing that fans want

What things are you referring to here?

Post automatically merged: Oct 12, 2021

Oh... also I know a couple people who worked on Cozy Grove, which to me looks like a bit of an alternate indie(?) take on Animal Crossing... ish. I'm curious if it's the game @SoftCrowbar hated or if anyone has any opinions on it? It does seem very different. Way more menus-&numbers-y than AC games are.

 

[kiwikenobi]

What things are you referring to here?

Could be any of several things. One thing that comes to mind are those fanmade QOL videos that fix tons of things in New Horizons that make it look so much more streamlined and pleasant to play.

I personally don't have any problem with how Animal Crossing is at the moment, but it seems like there are always people complaining that X feature or Y feature isn't in Animal Crossing, and, theoretically, if an indie game did those things, and did them well, that would allow that game to become more popular than Animal Crossing.

 

[Bugs]

I bought a game a couple years ago called Garden Paws, thinking it would be like animal crossing but you are also an animal. It wasn't really what I expected, and felt kinda like a unity asset flip, lots of stuff felt mismatched and just not charming at all.

I've been looking at another game on Steam called Hokko life, but the reviews say that it's nowhere near as charming or fun as animal crossing and is very buggy so I don't see the point in buying it until it gets a bit better.