Chapter 394: The Unique Charm of Animal Forest (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Song Ren handed his Switch to Zhang Yi and Wang Han, allowing everyone to get a hands-on experience.

"This game seems pretty fun to play casually," Wang Han said with some emotion as she greeted the little animals on the island.

Especially after helping these little animals choose their houses, these little animals even gave gifts in return.

And each animal seemed to have a distinct personality; they were all different.

One could also get a glimpse of this from the screens of other players who were also playing Animal Forest nearby.

"It seems the game is calculated by days. There isn't much to do on the first day, and things only unlock on the second day," Joey also expressed his opinion.

"Hmm, it feels like this game is meant to be played long-term, not like those casual games," Wang Yifan chimed in.

Because from the scattered remarks of the little animals, such as Tom Nook, a lot of information could be gathered.

Namely, many of the game's contents needed to be unlocked by passing days.

"But the main task right now should be to pay off the loan quickly, so we can happily enjoy our deserted island life!" Zhang Yi said.

"Exactly! Being in debt feels terrible, hurry up and work to pay it back!" Song Ren echoed.

"Sure enough, this is a game tough guys should play. Right from the start, it's about working for money; it's so heartbreaking!" Zhang Yi joked.

"Haha, from being in debt to being saddled with a mortgage, I wonder if building houses later will also require a loan? Tom Nook seemed to say they were in real estate, right?" Song Ren chuckled.

A tough guy alone on a deserted island, with a big company controlling all the island's resources, and the tough guy player inexplicably burdened with a housing loan.

Of course, this sounded miserable, but the actual experience of playing the game was completely different.

Because the tough guys in the game, though they immediately owed Tom Nook a large sum for their housing loan upon arriving on the island,

They soon found, as they played, that this NPC named Tom Nook was actually quite reasonable.

And the most crucial point was that this housing loan had no repayment date.

"No interest and no repayment date, so theoretically, as long as we're thick-skinned, we can avoid paying it back forever!" Song Ren concluded based on his game experience.

"It seems that's really the case!" Zhang Yi also nodded.

"So, if only it could be like this in real life!" Song Ren said with some emotion.

"Stop dreaming. In reality, you'd become a deadbeat, subjected to a triple package of travel restrictions, jail time, and house auction, you know." Zhang Yi glanced at Song Ren, mercilessly shattering his fantasy.

Although Animal Forest is a game that never ends, one that players can continue playing for as long as they wish.

It also features some early-game tutorials.

For example, showing players how to craft tools.

In the game, Song Ren and the others quickly crafted tools like fishing rods.

Then they started fishing by the river.

"Haha, I knew it! Fishing is one of the indispensable elements in most games." Seeing the fishing rod in the game, Song Ren couldn't help but laugh.

"And chopping trees. But it seems you can't chop down trees in Animal Forest," Zhang Yi said.

"They're probably just for collecting materials," Wang Han interjected.

Actually, these trees in Animal Forest could indeed be chopped down, but it required upgrading the axe with a new DIY recipe.

However, Zhang Yi and the others were clearly unaware of this at the moment.

Fishing, chopping trees, and encountering two other little animals to chat with and build rapport.

However, Song Ren soon discovered a problem: after playing for about half an hour, collecting five different items through fishing, and helping Blathers, the museum curator, set up his tent, there wasn't much playable content left.

Working under the seemingly cute but actually real estate mogul, Tom Nook, to pay off loans.

Many players thought about grinding for a bit to pay off their housing loans as quickly as possible.

But as they completed the simple objectives given to them in the early game, they discovered that no new content would appear.

Even the house built for Blathers would take some time to complete.

In the meantime, Tom Nook also gave players a bag of flower seeds, which also required time to grow.

Coupled with the fact that the game's time was synchronized with real-world time, a curious situation emerged.

Namely, some players, feeling that it was just starting to get interesting and wanting to continue grinding to pay off their loans,

Found that there wasn't much grindable content left.

"This game... it seems like there's not much left to play!"

"Yeah, it seems like things only unlock on the second day."

"Ah, I feel like I can already see Tom Nook's future plans. After this housing loan is paid off, won't it just keep increasing, eventually going from 49,000 to 490,000?"

Players in the exhibition area who were playing Animal Forest exchanged their feelings with each other.

At first, it felt like nothing special, but after chopping trees, fishing, and catching bugs, how did it feel like time had been stolen?

Yet, just like that, when it felt like the game had them hooked,

Suddenly there was no more grindable content, leaving a persistent itch in their hearts.

This, in fact, was where the charm of Animal Forest lay.

Ordinary management simulation games usually give players a feeling of "pain and joy."

Players would initially be dropped into a desolate place, then undertake various constructions and renovations, ultimately transforming the barren land into a beautiful home they could show off.

At the same time, in such management simulation games, the key was to grind.

If one were to ask what the most grind-heavy type of game was, it definitely wasn't a "grind-heavy" game in the typical sense, but rather a management simulation game.

However, Animal Forest broke the norm. In terms of gameplay content, it was similar, also dropping you on a deserted island to build your own home.

It seemed very grind-heavy to play, yet at the same time, it restricted you from grinding to a certain extent.

At every stage of the game, players would owe Tom Nook a large sum of money. Coupled with Tom Nook's real estate business, many players would feel that Tom Nook was a huge unscrupulous merchant.

But in reality, where would you find such a good merchant as Tom Nook? He not only gives you a loan but also has no repayment date and no interest.

Even if you had money, he wouldn't press you to repay unless you actively did so.

Because the goal of this game was not repayment.

The core appeal of Animal Forest lay in 'living life'.

The entire game had no fixed core gameplay.

It was just like life itself, and life had no specific way of being lived.

How you wanted to live, or what you wanted to become, were merely goals you set for yourself.

The same applied in the game: if a room wasn't cleaned for a few days, it would become covered in dust.

If you didn't interact with your friends, or even bullied them, you would lose them.

If you didn't take care of yourself or go out, you would only become increasingly slovenly.

Similarly, as you interacted more with the little animals, even the originally introverted or tsundere animal friends would open up to you and give you various gifts.

Sometimes they would invite you to play together at a set time, and because the game's time synchronized with real-world time, you might even have to wake up early for it.

Daily life—this is what Animal Crossing aimed to achieve.

It wasn't like other games where you could grind day and night at the beginning, even staying up for two or three consecutive nights to push through content and progress.

Only to close the game and never want to open it again after all the content had been experienced.

Animal Crossing was different. Even if you became obsessed, you couldn't grind even if you wanted to.

Because the game's time followed real-world time, shops would close at a certain hour, and the animals on the island would also go to sleep.

It was precisely for these reasons that Animal Forest was a game that required genuine time and emotion to truly experience its unique charm.

(End of Chapter) <>