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Animal Crossing Wild World Review
Written by Chef Felix on Tuesday, December 6, 2005
User Score
Engaging world filled with entertaingly monotonous tasks; true whimsical escapism.
Some detrimental portability issues; isn't re-inventing the wheel as far as community simulation games go.
You arrive to the world of Animal Crossing: Wild Word via a sketchy cab driver. His invasive questions may either excite you or trouble you to your very core. Nevertheless, they must be answered, and when his interrogation is over you find you have at last arrived at your destination: a new house in a village with a name of your choosing.
And so it begins.
Personally, I never got to play the original Animal Crossing on GameCube, so the times to be had in this DS interpretation is all new to me. Nintendo is officially calling this one a sequel, so I'll just take their word for it. Whatever the verdict, Animal Crossing: Wild World is a treat of a game in itself regardless of possible past incarnations. Community simulation games are easily becoming dime a dozen titles these days, and even the better ones have their regular bouts of tedium, but Wild World accomplishes some authentic player engagement in a manner that is frequently lacking in so many social simulations.
What Animal Crossing: Wild World does is an amazing job of pulling you into the experience. A majority of the game is crafted with so much authentic human precision, detail and personality that the end result is something that makes you feel inadequate if you don't return the same effort when actually playing. Wild World is put together in a way in which the game environment is only as good as what you put into it, and as you go deeper into the game and pull of continuous layers of depth, you come to find that there is always some kind of treat waiting for you, whether it be something acquired or an authentically entertaining event.
Wild World is fun to play because it makes participating in your environment so gratifying. There is so much to do and find in your town that the game is an unlock-fanatic's dream - it gives players a reason to engage themselves. Since neighbors move in and out, events come and go, and random and entertaining little encounters abound, there's always something there that gives you an authentic reason to keep playing. It never feels limited, or that you've "done everything"; the game is designed in a such a dynamic and charming manner that while playing you're not only investing your efforts, but also being rewarded for coming back. This isn't always done sucessfully in life and social simulation games, but it's done quite well in Wilid World.
Community interaction with computer controlled neighbors is handled quite well. Since the world is dynamic, neighbors, the town, relationships, weather and seasons are all constantly changing. The game flows in real-time, even when off, so all your actions such as letter writing and/or tree planting have an impact on how things are going to look when you come back. You can anger or charm your neighbors depending on the kind of attention you give them, and the regular influx of new "friends" to harass at least gives something to look forward to on the social network front.
Aesthetics in Wild World are, after a while, functional. Sound design is incredible, though actual sound effects are easily forgettable. There is a lot of heart put into how the game speaks to you, but it's nothing that promises to stick with you after you tell the game goodnight. Same applies to music: pleasing and entertaining, but you're not going to be humming the tunes to yourself. Graphically, the game is in the same style as its GameCube counterpart, so nothing new is to be had there. Interface visuals and design are great, though, and it lends itself well to using the stylus control to get things done.
Touch screen integration is done quite well. Only at certain points is it mandatory, and the majority of the optional stylus controls only compliment gameplay. User interface, writing letters and world interaction are all supplemented by stylus control. Certain aspects of the game require using the stylus, such as constellation creation and clothing/pattern design. Bottom line is that the touch screen support is refreshingly not shoved down your throat, nor is it completely neglected.
The game is definitely a bit hindered in the portability department. I found out the hard way that, unlike most DS games, Wild World does not seem to have a suspend mode as efficient as other games. This is a huge problem, especially for this title, as it takes a LONG time to both save the game and to hop back into it. The complexity and necessity for this is understandable with a game like Wild World, but the fact remains that this is a portable game and since the DS has already shown it can go into suspend mode without a hitch it really makes saving and loading your town a tedius chore when on the go.
Another hindrance is the multiplayer integration. The design to Nintendo WFC is starting to show it's inefficiency a lot more prominently when it comes to taking full advantage of online gaming. You see, the powers that be in your town want to keep all the riff-raff out an (understandable concern) so again the only way to venture out or have guests in is by having a list of friend codes.
Well, given the advance arrival of this title for review there wasn't anyone to add to our friend roster, and thus my poor socially stir-crazy inhabitant was forced to keep himself isolated within the walls of his own town. Luckily able to fend off occasional bouts of insanity with some good ol' fashioned hole-digging and pear stealing, it wasn't a total disaster, and nerely more of a dissapointment. Either way, it's showing that Nintendo's friend-only policy for online gaming has some serious hurdles to overcome if it's going to be expected to enhance future titles.
The central pillar of Animal Crossing: Wild World is imagination. The game has been crafted carefully enough so that rewards for immersing yourself are immediately apparent. We've all heard of sandbox games, but Wild World builds that sandbox all in your head. It's your responsibility as a player to embrace it. The gameplay and tools are all there, you just decide how to use them. There's enough crammed into Animal Crossing: Wild World for everyone to find something they like, whether they be a social simulation junkie or just looking for something new.
posted May 30, 2007