Rhitankar Nath
‘Animal Crossing’ is a game that has single-handedly managed to carry the sales of Nintendo Consoles over the years and hence, it is no surprise that Nintendo treats this as one of the flagship carriers of the company. The game has managed to generate a rather strong following worldwide and this got us thinking about what makes the series so special. So we did some digging and came up with this list of games that play mostly similar to the ‘Animal Crossing’ games. Here is the list of video games similar to Animal Crossing that are our recommendations. You can play these games like Animal Crossing on PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC, iPhone, Android, mac or even online.
11. Seabeard (2014)
‘Seabeard’ takes place on the ocean instead of taking place in a farm, but do not judge the gameplay by that alone. The story is set in an archipelago of islands created and united by the great ‘Seabeard’ but an evil force has destroyed all of his creation. Seabeard, too, was never heard of again and this has ruined the balance of the land. As his great grandson, you must now reunite the islands under the name of the great Seabeard and destroy the evil forces that have taken over the land. However, this is not a simple task and will require you to build your own boat, hire and manage your own crew and loot treasures in order to fill up your coffins because war is fought on gold and without gold, you are lost. The management aspects of the game will keep you occupied for quite some time and being able to provide your crew with the necessary goods is a different ball game altogether. The game was developed by Hand Circus and published by Backflip Studios for the iOS and android platform in the year 2014.
10. Funky Barn (2012)
If you happen to own a Nintendo Wii U, we feel sorry for you as most of the farming simulators on this list are not playable on it, but not ‘Funky Barn’. ‘Funky Barn’ is one of those rare farming simulators that you can play on Wii U and we thought we had to bring this to light. Though originally developed for the 3DS by Tantalus Interactive in the year 2012, it has later been ported to the Nintendo Wii U by 505. It plays like any other farming simulators out there and starts you off with a barn and your own little plot of land. Here, you can plant seeds and nurture them in order to harvest them at the end of the season. You are also able to collect quests and complete them in order to earn rewards which will help you to upgrade your farm further. Over time, you unlock new plots of land and are able to grow various types of crops which will enable you to generate greater revenue. ‘Funky Barn’ is a whacky little farming simulator that you can play on your 3DS and Wii U if you are a fan of games such as ‘Animal Crossing’.
9. Plantera (2016)
Ever wanted to play a farming simulator that plays like a 2D platformer? Well, ‘Plantera’ allows you to do just that. You need to grow and manage various types of crops that are growing in the world on 2D platforms with the help of furry little creatures. These little blue creatures work tirelessly in order to keep the farm growing and watching them work for hours on end will put you into a state of trance. The creatures are extremely cute and ‘bob’ around the world doing their job until the critters attack. These are enemies of yours and will destroy all of your crops if you don’t take care of them. This constant threat of critter attacks will keep you on your toes and you will find yourself upgrading the various mechanics within the game in order to put up a fight. Critics have praised the game for its ability to blend the two genres seamlessly into one immersive experience and it has lived up to its name. The game was developed and published by VaragtP in the year 2016 to overall positive reviews.
8. Shepherd’s Crossing (2010)
‘Shepherd’s Crossing’ is a game that you can tell from the title itself is one that plays shamelessly similar to the ‘Animal Crossing’ games to the point even that you can call it a clone, save for a few mechanics that it introduces. The game allows you to build a farm and maintain it through the completion of quests and harvesting crops. This will reward you with in-game currency with which you are able to upgrade your farm. However, do not dismiss this as just another farming simulator as the management aspects of the game are pretty in-depth.
In addition, the game also stresses on hunting and will require you to go hunting in search of raw meat. You are also able to trade these resources at the market for other resources if you do not wish to sell it or are in need of other resources. You can already tell that resource management is a pretty important aspect of this game and if you do happen to pick it up, remember to keep that in mind. It’s a pretty addictive game once you get hang of the mechanics and truly a loyal alternative to the ‘Animal Crossing’ series.
7. Rune Factory 4 (2012)
‘Rune Factory’ is considered to be one of the pioneers of the farming sim genre and is also one that managed to make it popular alongside a few other titles such as ‘Harvest Moon’. The game is immensely popular among fans of the farming sim genre and hence, we highly recommend it to fans of the ‘Animal Crossing’ series. Though the game seemed to take a different route in the second and third installments in the series, the fourth one, Rune Factory 4 goes back to the basicS and polishes those areas of the game that made it a fan favorite in the first place.
Relationship management makes a comeback into the game and you need to build and maintain various relationships within the game that will provide you with various perks. The crafting mechanics, too, is reintroduced into the series and this allows you to craft various items using other resources within the game. We simply love the RPG elements of the game which allows you to live a quite life in the farm in fantasy filled world. The crops you grow will help you to create various runes which you can sell at the in-game shop in exchange for currency. All in all, ‘Rune Factory 4’ is an extremely polished farming simulator and is one you should definitely check out if you are into such games.
6. Wild Season (2015)
‘Wild Season’ is a beautiful story driven farming simulator that will manage to keep you hooked for hours. The story is extremely well written and happens to be one of the highlights of the game. If you are looking for a game that has a bit more story driven narrative then ‘Wild Season’ should be high up on your list. The game allows you to manage and maintain a farm by cultivating a piece of land and harvesting the crops so that you can make a profit. Time management within the game is also very important and will require you to micromanage the various aspects of the game while progressing through the storyline.
You will also require upgrading the various parts of your farm so that you can accommodate more crops and store more harvests. There are quite a few similarities to the ‘Animal Crossing’ games in relation the quests and objectives of the game, so why not give this one a try? It was developed by Quickfire games and released in the year 2015 to overall mixed reviews. But don’t let that put you down, as this is quite a good game with a storyline, something that is lacking in other farming simulators out there.
5. Castaway Paradise (2015)
‘Castaway Paradise’ is one of those video games that started out small but managed to develop into one of the industry forerunners. It started as a Facebook game in the year 2015 but soon managed to find its way to other platforms such as iOS, android, steam, PS4 and Xbox One. It is a farm life simulator where you are able to help other animals in the farm. There are a variety of activities that you can take part in such as cleaning the farm, cleaning bugs, clearing weed from the farm and repairing buildings and bridges very much similar to the ‘Animal Crossing’ games. The game also allows you to farm your own crops and sell them at the market in exchange for in-game currency. This allows you to repair the buildings and keep the animals at optimal health. The similarities between this game and ‘Animal Crossing’ is striking and is one you can play directly from your Facebook account or on your mobile gaming devices. This accessibility of the title has made it immensely popular among fans of the genre.
4. My Time at Portia (2019)
‘My Time at Portia’ is a relatively new entry into the farming sim genre having been released in the year 2019 and it has definitely managed to take influences from other titles in the genre in order to polish its own mechanics. The game manages to do this beautifully and also introduces new mechanics into the mix that really makes it one of the best titles in the genre. The game places you in the shoes of the protagonist of the story who has just arrived in the city of Portia after inheriting his granddad’s old workshop. Now he must fix the workshop and restore it back to its former glory.
However, resources are hard to come by in this post-apocalyptic land and therefore, you must grow and expand your own little farm so that you can generate the resources required for the repair and your survival. You are also able to take care of farm animals and this will add to the overall production of the farm. Diplomatic relationship with the other inhabitants of the land also needs to be maintained so that you are able to survive by cooperating and trading with each other. This is easily one of the best farming simulators that we have played in a while and if you are a fan of the ‘Animal Crossing’ series, then you will definitely appreciate this one.
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3. Story of Seasons (2014)
‘Story of Seasons’, as the name suggests, is a farming simulator that revolves around the various seasons, and the change of seasons affect your overall game. This is a game that will appeal to the fans of old school farming simulators due to its ‘sprite-like’ graphics and in-depth management mechanics. You can plant crops and harvest them at the end of the season but make sure that you plant the right crop at the right season or they will run the risk of dying. This is game that was earlier known as ‘Harvest Moon’ but has branched off due to developmental changes. So if you have played any of the ‘Harvest Moon’ games, then you will find yourself at home with this one.
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2. Stardew Valley (2016)
‘Stardew Valley’ is a modern take on the farming simulator where the main aim of the game is to build and maintain a farm and take care of the animals. However, there are a lot of side quests in the game that will keep you occupied if you don’t feel like farming. This is a game that is heavily influenced by games such as ‘Harvest Moon’, ‘Rune Factory’ and ‘Animal Crossing’ and you will be able to feel the various similarities during the course of gameplay. This is a must play if you love farming simulators or for that matter any simulators.
1. Harvest Moon (1996)
Well, most of you probably saw this coming and yeah, you are probably right. ‘Harvest Moon’ is the game that has managed to influence all the other games on this list and has been the one title that has been instrumental in making the genre such a sensation among gamers worldwide. It has been known by different names over the course of time, so if you are familiar with either ‘Farm Story’ or ‘Story of Seasons’ then you probably have already played ‘Harvest Moon’. The game was developed by Ammcus and published jointly by Natsume and Nintendo in the year 1997. It also happens to be the first installment in the ‘Story of Seasons’ series, a series that has since then deviated. If you like playing ‘Animal Crossing’ or like playing farming simulators in general, this is one title you definitely need to play.
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