Since Animal Crossing burst onto the GameCube and Nintendo 64 scene back in 2001, developers have been trying to catch that same lightning in a bottle that set the original apart.
While the Animal Crossing series has gone from strength to strength, more and more games of the same ilk have appeared to stake their claim to the throne.
Up next to bat is Everdream Village, a cosy life simulation that has clearly taken some inspiration from Nintendo's flagship series. Though the full version of the game is yet to get a release date, a demo has just dropped on Steam, and it looks like it has everything fans of the genre are searching for.
As you might expect, the game tasks you with building a thriving little community filled with NPCs whose needs and moods must be carefully managed. Beyond that, the game features romance options and animals to care for, with tons of buildings and designs to make your village your own. It is also possible to sail between different islands, so if you don't like where you are it should be possible to simply up and leave.
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One of the coolest features that should really set it apart from the competition is the animal system. Each species has different traits and ways to contribute to your functioning society, but these can be crossbred in hundreds of combinations to ensure that your little settlement has absolutely everything it needs.
As sandboxes go, it also seems a lot deeper than the competition, with terraforming and a full creative sandbox promising a depth of customization that it's difficult to find anywhere else.
The game isn't yet able to be purchased on Steam, with a full release date unconfirmed for now. In the meantime, the demo should offer more than enough to show exactly what we can expect when the full game does eventually drop.
Topics: Animal Crossing, Nintendo, Indie Games, Steam