Animal Crossing’s new spooky 8/10 rival sees you play as a vampire in a cozy magical town

There’s an expectation that horror needs to scare the living daylights out of you, but it’s far more of a multi-faceted genre than it gets credit for.

Horror can be cosy, for example, and if you don’t believe me, you need only look at the delightful new cosy sim Moonlight Peaks, which has just launched.

Developed by Little Chicken, Moonlight Peaks is perhaps best compared to Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

It’s 3D, played slightly from a top-down perspective, and sees players partake in all of the usual cosy fare; that includes farming, cooking, decorating, and more.

What’s unique about Moonlight Peaks, though, is the game’s wonderfully spooky theming.

It actually sees you step into the shoes of a vampire who’s just moved to the magical town of Moonlight Peaks.

That means that, here, you’ll be befriending werewolves, witches, mermaids and more.

Moonlight Peaks has a free demo for those who want a no-cost sample

As this is no ordinary town, activities aren’t quite as straightforward as you’re perhaps used to either.

Crops boast unique powers, while cooking will include making your fair share of potions.

“Settle down in your family’s abandoned homestead and make it your own,” reads Moonlight Peaks’ synopsis.

“Build your farm with magic crops and livestock, customise your cottage with gothic style, and make friends with other creatures of the night.

“Embrace immortality and unlock ancient abilities, all in the name of a more bountiful harvest. Unravel the mysteries of the seven families that inhabit Moonlight Peaks and bring a bit of light back to this spooky settlement.”

XSEED Games, Marvelous Europe

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It goes without saying that you’ll be able to both befriend and romance the town’s NPCs. There are seven key families in the town, all with their own quests.

You’re a vampire, but you aren’t limited to vampiric powers. You can learn witchcraft, for example, and that helps rid Moonlight Peaks of any grind as you can use spellcasting to automate certain tasks.

There are some really charming side activities in Moonlight Peaks, too that I haven’t really seen in all that many cosy life sims, including embroidering and flower-arranging.

You can also play a collectable in-game card game known as Nokturna.

Moonlight Peaks: available platforms, review scores, and pricing

Moonlight Peaks is available across both PC and Nintendo Switch consoles. It sits at a very respectable rating of 87% on Steam, correct at the time of writing, with a Metacritic score of 80.

“As someone with 800+ hours in ACNH, Moonlight Peaks is absolutely everything I was hoping for in a new cosy game,” one happy player declared.

“Holy cow, it’s addicting. Very cute and has perfected the ‘just one more night’ (you’re a vamp, you do your vamp stuff at night) cycle… it’s nearly 3am, I gotta sleep,” added another.

Someone remarked, “Only played a fraction of this game and I can already tell it’s going to be a contender for my game of the year.”

The game retails for £29.99, although it’s on offer on Steam for £25.49 until July 13. There’s a free demo available on both Steam and Nintendo Switch if you want a no-cost taste of the action.