#FUN GAMES LIKE ANIMAL CROSSING FOR PC SERIES#

Unfortunately, as fascinating a simulation as Dwarf Fortress can be, it can seem utterly impenetrable to newcomers.

That’s something that happens in Dwarf Fortress, and (circumstances permitting) it’s not even terribly uncommon. They emerge days later-exhausted, calm and bearing an ornate bracelet inlaid with gold and engraved with an image of an elephant stomping a dwarf into the ground. Maddened by the recent epidemic of elephant attacks, a talented dwarven artisan locks the dwarves in their workshop. Unfortunately, the way that Nintendo of America chose to handle Tomodachi Life’s unapologetic heteronormativity prior to its release last June left a bad taste in a lot of potential players’ mouths, so it’s fair if you would rather steer clear of this one. Like Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Tomodachi Life relies on a real-time clock and lends itself to short, regular check-ins rather than marathon sessions. Players create a cast of neighbors to populate an island, fulfill their basic needs and help them with their fashion choices and décor, but beyond that the player’s role is to sit back and observe the weird and surprising things that can happen. Tomodachi Life is an excellent recent example of an “ant farm” game. It’s not the prettiest game on this list, but it’s practically tailor-made for anyone who treats their sims’ lineage like a dynasty. While Crusader Kings 2 can be a game about strategic medieval warfare, it can also be a game about noble families squabbling amongst each other, petty dramas playing out between rebellious heirs, and the desperate race to have as many babies as possible before your character keels over from one plague or another. Although starting with a modest family and following each subsequent generation can take a long time, it leaves you with one heck of a great story to tell at the end. So-called “Legacy” play is another popular way to approach The Sims. Unlike Harvest Moon, each Animal Crossing game runs on a real-time clock that rewards players for checking in on their virtual town regularly (especially during daylight hours.) Crusader Kings 2 The more active the player is in maintaining their town, the more goods they can find and sell, the more they can improve their house, all while randomly selected (and personality-heavy) villagers move in for them to interact with. While Animal Crossing games offer a more casual, free-form kind of play than Harvest Moon, both social and material successes are still pretty predictable based on the amount of effort a player puts in.

#FUN GAMES LIKE ANIMAL CROSSING FOR PC SERIES#

Between the upcoming Story of Seasons (which was developed by the team behind the bulk of the Harvest Moon games) and next month’s Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley (developed by Natsume, who own the rights to the Harvest Moon name), 2014 will be a good year to get into the series if you’re not already.įans of the Animal Crossing games (particularly its latest installment, Animal Crossing: New Leaf) aren’t strangers to the appeal of straightforward progress either. The combination of social interaction and daily work routine in this long-running farming RPG franchise will feel very comfortable to those who like their life simulations to offer the kind of straightforward progress that reality rarely does.

Tend to crops, animals and friendships diligently and you’ll reap the rewards add a few charming rural festivals and that’s Harvest Moon in a nutshell. There are very few games quite like The Sims, but depending on what it is that draws you to it, there are more than a few other games that you should check out as well. Or maybe they’re just there for the weirdness-the sims who pass out from exhaustion in a public bathroom or decide that the best place to eat a hot dog is in the middle of a busy road. Maybe it’s more of a roleplaying experience where they’re concerned more with building up their character’s quality of life than building up their XP, and every bill payment is another boss fight. To some, The Sims could be like an ant farm, set up and maintained so they can observe the creatures living within. Its open-ended and intricate systems allow players to play however they want to play rather than pushing them into a one-size-fits-all experience. The Sims series provides many different gaming experiences for many different people.

Fun games like animal crossing for pc