Gaming doesn’t always have to be super intensive, and great relaxing titles likeAnimal Crossing: New HorizonsandStardew Valleyreally prove this point. Both of these games are incredibly popular, just as much as they’re addictive, and in both games the player gets to see their land evolve into something unique.
Players who are really weighing their options between these games might not know which one devote themselves to. While it’s totally possibly to juggle both games at the same time, there are a few pros and cons to consider on both sides.
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Updated December 17th, 2020 by Anastasia Maillot:The year 2020 was immensely successful for simulation games, and Nintendo Switch became one of the most popular consoles thanks toAnimal Crossing: New Horizons’release. These games have been a necessity for many in extremely trying times.Those who are still trying to decide which game to invest in, there’s a few other considerations to take into account as new content has appeared forAnimal Crossingin particular. The price tags of the two games are vastly different, but even then they’re two entirely unique games that will cater to different audiences.
16Animal Crossing: Visit Anyone’s Island
One ofAnimal Crossing’sgreatest strengths has been the ability to build a solid community of players throughout the past months. The main reason is the amount of interaction players can have with one another by visiting just about anyone’s island.
This not only allows friends to meet each other at a time where meeting in person would be difficult, but also creates a whole market forAnimal Crossingitem trading. Sites like Nookazon have become insanely popular thanks to this ability to travel around through Dodo Airlines.
15Stardew Valley: Available On Switch And PC
Stardew Valley’sstrength againstAnimal Crossingis probably its versatility. Its main release was on PC, which allows players to install modded content like texture packs and even new story content that will introduce brand-new events.
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That being said, it also exists on Switch and almost every mobile device out there. It’s a game that’s easily accessible and cheap, despite having an immense amount of content within. As a bonus, it also runs great on any low-end PC as well. Meanwhile,Animal Crossingis only available for Nintendo Switch owners.
14Animal Crossing: Custom Designs
Adding to the massive community of trading inAnimal Crossingis also the community of custom designs. This feature in the game allows players to change the texture of a wide variety of items in the game, including objects and clothing. The process can be tedious and difficult at first, but well worth the effort.
Even custom paths can be created, which has revolutionized terraforming and island customization for players. Plus, if players aren’t confident in their ability to make cool designs, they can simply use someone else’s code to add their designs into their game. Sky’s the limit when it comes to the possibilities here.
13Stardew Valley: Create LAN Worlds
One aspect that’s lacking inAnimal Crossingis the existence of any co-op gameplay. Co-op is possible for people playing on the same Nintendo Switch, but there’s no official way to play co-op at the same time on the same island from two different devices.
Stardew Valleyis the opposite. Creating a full on LAN world is entirely possible and up to four players can live on the same farm and even have their respective finances separated. This makes playing together from afar possible, no device-sharing needed.
12Animal Crossing: Newer Graphics
Graphics will always be more of a preference than an actual advantage or disadvantage for a game, but it’s still worth a consideration.Animal Crossing’sgraphics are obviously much more advanced than those ofStardew Valley, and it’s mainly where it’s high price tag stems from as well.
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The game looks smooth and the details are gorgeous. On the other hand,Stardew Valley’stextures are more of a blast from the past, inspired by retro games. While there’s a market for them, players looking for something new and fresh will preferAnimal Crossing’s3D world overStardew Valley’s2D top-down view.
11Stardew Valley: Long Term Goals
Quests aside,Stardew Valleydoes have a better “storyline” and set up thanAnimal Crossing. There are real stakes in the game which can drive the player to enjoy the game for much longer than something likeAnimal Crossing, which is mostly about chilling on paradise island and watering flowers.
InStardew Valley, the point is to make grandpa proud by ensuring his farm is in a proper state when he returns on the third year of the game to check up on the player. Moreover, there’s the matter of Joja Corporation trying to take over the town, which poses serious questions and concerns for the player. These long-term goals are largely absent inAnimal Crossing.
10Animal Crossing: Terraforming
No matter what map players choose at the beginning of the game, eventually they’ll be able to unlock a terraforming app on their phone. This allows them to shape the island they live on just the way they want, by creating cliffs, rivers,pathsand even waterfalls.
This definitely isn’t the case inStardew Valley. The map the player chooses is the map they’ll be stuck with, and they’ll have to make it work with the land they have.
9Stardew Valley: Better Quests
Every day inStardew Valley,one special quest appears on the notice board of Pelican Town. On top of that, the game also offers long-term goals which can take a while to accomplish, so there’s pretty much always something to do and strive for.
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The issue withAnimal Crossing, however, is that daily quests, which would be the Nook Miles+ tasks, are very simple and repetitive and don’t necessarily bring anything significant to the game. After reaching5 stars, it’s a bit of a wait for new content.
8Animal Crossing: Paced With Real World
Players who remember Tamagotchis and miss that sort of dynamic play style will definitely appreciate the real-time evolution of theAnimal Crossingisland. The island changes a little bit every day in real time, which makes it easy to include the game into one’s own routine. It’s kind of like tending a plant.
Stardew Valley, however, is a real time drain. Since days last for about 15 minutes if the player never pauses, it can get addictive quickly to play “just one more day” before getting back to productive things.
7Stardew Valley: Actual Farms
The cool thing aboutStardew Valleyand perhaps its main strength comes from all the possible things the player can do on theirfarms. Whatever they want to grow, they absolutely can. They can also set up various animal farms, tree farms and then turn their products into artisanal goods.
InAnimal Crossing, there aren’t exactly farms. Flowers and bushes can be planted, but most of the money is made from catching things or making DIY objects.
